It's "blooming" awful, unless you happen to be sitting at the very top of the economic food chain.
- Don't worry, this isn't a political rant, and I am writing this from the point of view of someone working in the science/tech industry.
My workplace was the place to go to for job security a number of years ago. It's one of the main reasons that I chose to work there a few years back.
Since I joined, this job security has ebbed away like a spring tide. Hundreds of employees have been made redundant this year, and on talking with ex-colleagues from previous workplaces, it is clear that there are many of us all facing a very uncertain future.
Ten years ago I moved from biological science into nuclear science. This was at the time when Tony Blair was promising the UK a "nuclear renaissance" which, ten years on, we are still waiting to see.
When I was working as a Technician, contractors would occasionally come down from Dounreay. These guys were all in their 50s, and often commented on how there was already a major skills gap in the industry, with few youngsters taking up work in the nuclear sector.
As with most things, this is down to jobs:
- There aren't enough to go around.
- Companies only want to employ highly experienced/educated people.
- Companies will not pay decent wages to new starters (PhD? How does £20k sound?)
- If you have a job in the science/tech industries, you are less likely to willingly leave it these days.
- Employers know that they can treat you as they see fit - Who would complain in such an uncertain job market?
- Entry level jobs are rarely available.
- Employers want candidates who are already working in the sector already (candidates would be taking a sideways move to another employer).
- Recruitment agencies are an absolute scourge: They are salespeople with little idea of anything specialist and pick out key words, rather than selecting good candidates.
The UK job market is a tough, unpleasant place now. People don't get selected or headhunted these days, and recruitment agencies serve only to make money for themselves, leaving naive employers with a limited selection of box-ticking candidates to choose from.
The UK has some great science, engineering and technological businesses, but at this rate, skilled employees will be getting too long in the tooth to be able to restart industries such as the nuclear power industry.
Experience goes a long way, and without knowledge and previous experience many new businesses will have to struggle, which further adds to the situation.
