JOBLIFT STUDIES THE UK’S CONSULTANT JOB MARKET’S GROWTH IN THE FACE OF AUTOMATION
Berlin/Hamburg, 9th August 2017 – Much debate has been given to the topic of consulting recently; from what effect Brexit will impose on the industry, to the increase in demand caused by businesses attempting to cope with digitalisation. With this in mind, job meta-search engine Joblift has analysed the UK’s consulting job market and discovered that despite the numerous challenges facing consultant roles, there has been an average monthly increase in the number of consultant job vacancies of around 4%, in the last 12 months. Furthermore, Joblift has observed that there has been a move away from the traditional requirements needed to obtain a consulting role, in terms of soft skills and qualifications.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS ARE MENTIONED IN A QUARTER OF ALL JOB ADVERTISEMENTS, MAKING THIS THE MOST POPULAR QUALITY IN CONSULTANTS
According to Joblift, 33,851 business consulting roles have been advertised in the last 12 months, with this job market experiencing an average monthly increase of 4%. In comparison, this is twice as much as the UK job market as a whole, which has seen an average monthly growth of 2% since August 2016. This rise shows confidence in the industry despite the rise of automation in this field. In addition, Joblift analysed the most common soft skills requested in consulting job advertisements and noted that communication skills appeared in around 25% of all postings with 8,712 mentions. Following, came motivation with 3,783 mentions, and the third most popular soft skill for consultants was confidence with 3,631 mentions. These skills highlight the move towards more human qualities in the face of automation and AI, whilst also overtaking the more traditional consulting skills, including; being analytical (2,987 mentions), problem solving (1,616 mentions), and attention to detail (1,315 mentions).
ONLY A SIXTH OF ALL VACANCIES STATE THE NEED FOR A BUSINESS RELATED UNIVERSITY DEGREE, AND OVER HALF OF ALL POSTINGS ADVERTISE SALARIES OF OVER £50,000
Furthermore, the academic requirements desired in a consultant candidate appear to be shifting as well. Only 16% of the consultant jobs posted in the last 12 months ask specifically for a university degree in Finance, Business, Economics, or Engineering – qualifications which have previously been vital when acquiring a consulting role. In addition, only 24% of the vacancies posted stated the need for a university degree at all, although it is important to consider that this may also be due to the seniority and need for experience in some vacancies. Joblift’s study also highlights the salary range in consultant positions in the last year. Of the 19,163 positions which specified a salary in the job advertisements, 10,036 postings - or 52% - offered a salary of £50,000 or more, per year.
LONDON DOMINATES HOUSING OVER A THIRD OF ALL VACANCIES
According to Joblift’s studies, London houses the greatest number of consultant vacancies, with 34% of all positions. Manchester comes in second place, with 4% of all roles, and Birmingham ranks in third position, also housing around 4% of all vacancies. Country-wise, England is the location of 85% of all postings, with 28,697 jobs being advertised here. Scotland follows with 1,424 roles, 358 positions have been advertised in Wales in the last 12 months, and only 226 advertisements in Northern Ireland.
About Joblift
Joblift is meta search engine for currently more than 1,000,000 jobs from over 100 partner job boards. Joblift’s customised search filters and email notifications allow users to personalise their search criteria. The company was founded in 2015 by Lukas Erlebach and Malte Widenka. At the two locations in Hamburg and Berlin, Joblift currently employs a team of around 50 employees.