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Thursday 12 January 2017 11:39 am

Here are the best and worst industries to find a job in 2017

By: Courtney Goldsmith

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The London jobs market is improving after six months of downturn, recruiters said in December. Now, new research suggests which industries will give you the biggest headache if you're searching for a job in 2017.

After finding available jobs were increasing on the whole, data from CV-Library analysed the average number of jobs in the UK's key sectors in 2016.

Those hunting for a job in retail, engineering and recruitment might struggle, the job search website said. Those three industries had the lowest increase in available jobs with retail up three per cent, engineering up five per cent and recruitment up eight per cent.

Read more: How to nail your CV before the New Year job rush takes off

Accounting and finance was another industry that struggled more than others, as available jobs were only up 12 per cent.

  Industry Increase
1. Retail 3 per cent
2. Engineering 5 per cent
3. Recruitment 8 per cent
4. IT 11 per cent
5. Sales 12 per cent
6. Accounting/Finance 12 per cent
7. Electronics 16 per cent
8. Administration 17 per cent
9. Property 19 per cent
10. Customer Services 20 per cent

On the other side of the spectrum, topping the charts as the best industries to work for were design, leisure and tourism and catering.

Design jobs were up 43 per cent, leisure and tourism jobs were up 33 per cent and catering was also up 33 per cent.

  Industry Increase
1. Design 43 per cent
2. Leisure/Tourism 33 per cent
3. Catering 33 per cent
4. Legal 32 per cent
5. Agriculture 32 per cent
6. Automotive 28 per cent
7. Social Care 27 per cent
8. Manufacturing 26 per cent
9. Marketing 25 per cent
10. Education 25 per cent

The leisure and tourism industry is fiercely competitive now as the number of applications sent in was up by 31 per cent, CV-Library said.

Read more: Six ways we learned to pimp our CVs this year

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “It’s great to see the job markets in these key UK industries performing so well, and it’s particularly good news for candidates who are looking for work this January.

"Applications are up, and this figure will inevitably rise this month as candidates embark on a fresh start in their careers. These sectors are some of the UK’s core industries and key drivers behind our economy, so it’s fantastic that there are some great job opportunities for candidates this New Year.”

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