Finding your dream job in today’s competitive market is tricky business. From crafting the perfect CV, finding the right places to apply to even deciding what you want to do in the first place, the process can be arduous. So, when it comes to kickstarting the process of finding employment you need all the help you can get.
According to a new study by Broadbandchoices.co.uk, for this help, 69% of people turn to employment agencies, 54% rely on family and friends, and 45% call on their professional connections. However, leading the way is online resources and information with over 82% job-seekers depending on it.
With only 27% of job-seekers looking through adverts in print publications for their new role, the internet is undoubtably now the most crucial resource. This is further shown by the study also revealing that almost one in seven often turn to social media to track down opportunities, and that 56% have an active profile on online job platforms.
This apparent reliance on the internet to find jobs has led Broadbandchoices.co.uk to create a job-seeker friendliness index of the UK, which considers internet speeds across the country, and highlights the best locations to be searching for job-seekers.
The index found manufacturing hub, Crawley, tech hot-spot Reading and developing Warrington to be the top three friendliest locations for job-seekers. While the extremely competitive capital, London landed at rock bottom of the table.
The UK’s ten most job-seeker friendly locations, according to our study:
City | Number of jobs available online per unemployed person | Number of unemployed people per job agency | Max ADSL speed (Mbps) | Overall job seeker-friendliness index |
1) Crawley | 2.42 | 34 | 18 | 90.07 |
2) Reading | 2.31 | 45 | 16 | 83.81 |
3) Warrington | 2.31 | 46 | 16 | 83.80 |
4) Luton | 1.21 | 65 | 23 | 79.00 |
5) Gloucester | 1.71 | 50 | 18 | 78.48 |
6) Cambridge | 1.60 | 58 | 19 | 78.05 |
7) Oxford | 1.47 | 82 | 19 | 74.01 |
8) Coventry | 0.86 | 45 | 21 | 72.05 |
9) Portsmouth | 0.58 | 44 | 21 | 68.16 |
10) Norwich | 0.66 | 38 | 20 | 68.06 |
For the full ranking of the UK’s 48 most job-seeker friendly locations, visit Broadbandchoices.co.uk.
Mark Pocock, Home Communication Expert at BroadbandChoices.co.uk, highlighted the importance of the online world when it comes to the job search, and asserted that a stable broadband connection is now a “necessity”. He said: “Just two decades ago some of the biggest online job platforms did not even exist. Today, it is very hard to imagine searching for a job without the Internet as the first port of call and the most important resource of information.
“From uploading CVs and creating profiles on job websites, to conducting interviews and taking tests online, having a stable connection has become increasingly important for securing a job. Our study proves once again that fast and stable broadband connection is no longer a luxury but a necessity.”
Other factors considered in the index were:
- Unemployed population in each city/town
- Number of jobs available on popular online platforms in each city/town
- Number of unemployed people per recruitment centre in each city/town