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Record spike in demand for UK jobs among overseas workers

Job site Indeed has recorded a spike in overseas interest for UK employment Credit: Getty
Job site Indeed has recorded a spike in overseas interest for UK employment Credit: Getty

Job searches by foreign workers keen to come to the UK have rocketed by 140% since the all-time low recorded in March.

Demand from overseas workers has soared to its highest level since December 2018 as job vacancies have opened up, according to figures from job site Indeed.

India accounts for the largest number of overseas applicants looking for work in the UK, followed by the USA and Ireland.

“Despite the recession and tens of thousands of job losses, the UK’s jobs market clearly still holds a strong appeal for many overseas jobseekers,” said Jack Kennedy, UK economist at Indeed.

“Lockdown initially plunged inbound job searches into the deep freeze, but they have since picked up steam as overseas interest in British jobs has surged. However traffic going the other way is falling, as UK-based workers have become less interested in looking for work abroad,” he added.

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Outbound searches by UK workers in August 2020 were down by a third on their August 2019 level, and they have declined by half since the same month in 2018.

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In previous years, December and January have typically seen the biggest spikes in international searches, as workers often use the beginning of the year to explore a fresh start abroad.

The most popular job, both among Brits looking abroad and overseas workers considering a move to the UK, is customer services representative. The other top roles UK candidates are searching for overseas include software engineer, administrative assistant, and project manager.

The United States is by far the most popular destination for Brits looking for jobs abroad, accounting for a third of outbound job searches. The Republic of Ireland, with 8.9% of searches, and Canada (8.2%) make up the top three.

“With most British jobseekers opting to search close to home for their next job, the uptick in people searching from abroad may offer them some extra competition in coming months,” warned Mr Kennedy.