Best Sector to Work in UK: Secured Careers

1. Retail Sector

The retail sector in the UK consists of over 300,000 separate businesses. It employs over 3 million people representing over 8% of all UK jobs, and provides customers with important goods and services, meeting needs and aspirations. Retail remains the single largest private sector employer in the UK, with one in 10 people working in retail, and annual sales totalling a staggering £358bn.

Whether you’re aiming for a career in a customer-facing role or a position in head office, the sector has plenty of opportunities, from dealing with day-to-day customer care and generating sales to influencing trends and making strategic business decisions.

Employment opportunities can be found in:

• Buying
• Customer services
• Loss prevention and security
• Merchandising and allocation
• Online retail
• Retail management
• Visual merchandising
• Warehouse, distribution, logistics and supply chain.

You could choose to work within a specific area of retail such as:

• Entertainment
• Fashion
• Food
• General merchandise
• Health and beauty
• Home
• Sport and leisure
• Technology.

With specialist skills and qualifications you could find work in particular roles such as jeweller, dispensing optician or fashion designer. Head office opportunities are also available in the finance, human resources (HR), marketing and IT departments of retail companies.

To find latest vacancies from top retail sector leaders see retail jobs.

2. Healthcare Sector

Many people think of doctors and nurses as the main providers of health care. Still, many other types of professionals can enjoy good salaries and job security. Those interested in medicine but don’t want to spend years in medical school consider becoming a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner. Also, think about becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner or a pediatrician’s assistant if you like working with kids.

The average Care UK salary ranges from approximately £17,269 per year for Medical Records Clerk to £97,926 per year for Consultant. Average Care UK hourly pay ranges from approximately £9.20 per hour for Lifestyles Manager to £33.23 per hour for Administrator.

Nursing, service management, and healthcare assistants are among the most in-demand professions in the United Kingdom’s healthcare sector. Population growth and an aging population are among the causes fueling this demand.

To find latest vacancies from top healthcare sector leaders see healthcare jobs.

4. Logistics Sector

The United Kingdom is an international business hub owing to its strategic location. It is connected with Europe and the USA via the Atlantic Ocean. This has allowed it to become one of the most powerful economies in the world.

The UK logistics market size reached US$ 478.3 Billion in 2022. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach US$ 689.2 Billion by 2028, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 6.18% during 2023-2028.

There are 205,380 logistics enterprises in the UK. 3 Online retail averaged 28.1% of retail sales in 2020, up from 19.2% in 2019. The UK logistics sector is vital for the country’s financial success, contributing 10% to the UK non-financial business economy.

To find latest vacancies from top logistics sector leaders see logistics jobs.

5. Charity Sector

The Charities Aid Foundation had an overall income of approximately one billion British pounds as of 2023, the highest income of any charity based in England and Wales. Lloyd’s Register Foundation had the second highest annual income as of this date at over 996.5 million pounds.

The average Charity salary is £29,815. Working in Charity you can earn between £20,599 and £42,920. The starting salary for junior Charity jobs is £20,599. The hourly pay range for Charity jobs is £9.90 to £20.63.

To find latest vacancies from top charity sector leaders see charity jobs.

6. Childcare Sector

If you’d like to work with children there are a variety of roles to choose from, each with the power to shape and influence young lives. Jobs such as these come with high levels of responsibility but the rewards far outweigh the challenges

Companies in this sector provide childcare, mostly to children under the age of 12. This can come in the form of full-day care, occasional care, after-school care or holiday care. Childcare is increasingly supplementing education and holiday care as parents work longer hours. The sector does not cover early-years education or welfare-based social care for children.

The healthcare sector provides a number of opportunities such as the possibility to work as a children’s nurse, health visitor and paediatrician or speech and language therapist.

Within social care you could work as a:

• Child psychotherapist
• Counsellor
• Family support worker
• Play therapist
• Social worker
• Youth worker

Unsurprisingly, the teacher training and education sector offers a variety of opportunities to work with children. You could become a:

• Careers adviser
• Early years teacher
• Educational psychologist
• English as a foreign language teacher
• Learning mentor
• Museum education officer
• Primary school teacher
• Secondary school teacher
• Special educational needs teacher
• Teaching assistant

Jobs with children are strictly regulated, so as well as the right combination of qualifications, skills and experience, you’ll also need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to secure a role.

The average child care worker salary in the United Kingdom is £25,699 per year or £13.18 per hour. Entry level positions start at £22,575 per year while most experienced workers make up to £58,500 per year.

To find latest vacancies from top childcare sector leaders see childcare jobs.

7. Banking Sector

The banking sector is one of the largest employers across many regions, including London. The sector makes a vital contribution to the economy and generates a significant amount of taxable income.

JPMorgan: £158,000 ($240,000) — JPMorgan takes the crown as the highest-paying bank in Britain. Overall, it may pay the same as UBS and Morgan Stanley, but no bank pays a higher basic salary. Associates take home an average of £93,000 ($141,000) per year, topped up with a £65,000 ($99,000) bonus.

The average salary for Banker is £62,613 per year in the London. The average additional cash compensation for a Banker in the London is £15,354, with a range from £4,215 – £55,931.

To find latest vacancies from top banking sector leaders see bank jobs.

8. Insurance Sector

The total personal insurance market increased by 0.7% in 2022, rising to GBP28. 41 billion in GWP. The total commercial lines market experienced a 3.4% growth in GWP in 2022, rising to GBP 27. 51 billion.

The largest insurance companies in the UK have a combined market capitalisation of slightly over $168 billion (£139.8 billion), accounting for about 6% of the global figure of $3.2 trillion (£2.7 trillion). While Britain’s share seems small, it ranks next only to those of sector powerhouses US and China.

The average insurance salary in the United Kingdom is £30,000 per year or £15.38 per hour. Entry level positions start at £24,000 per year while most experienced workers make up to £62,500 per year.

If you enjoy working with people, evaluating data sets and assessing risks, then a role in insurance could be right for you. There are many opportunities available that offer a wide range of transferable skills, high job satisfaction and impressive salaries. It’s important to review the job responsibilities of each role and compare them with your interests to find a job in insurance that you’ll enjoy.

To find latest vacancies from top insurance sector leaders see insurance jobs.

9. Construction Sector

Choosing a career in construction can lead to an extremely rewarding career. If you’re looking for a challenging career in a big field where your skills will always be valued and constantly in-demand, then the construction sector is the place for you.

The construction sector is one of the largest in the UK economy – employing 3.1 million people or over 9% of the workforce. It relies on a labour intensive business model, which is becoming unsustainable due to the impact of demographic change.

The average Construction salary is £37,162. Working in Construction you can earn between £22,204 and £64,975. The starting salary for junior Construction jobs is £22,204. The hourly pay range for Construction jobs is £10.68 to £31.24.

To find latest vacancies from top construction sector leaders see construction jobs.

10. e-Commerce Sector

The consumerization of technology, new online payment methods, and the proliferation of mobile devices has accelerated the pace of e-commerce. The trend is clear — more and more people are shopping online every year.

26% of consumers expect to buy second-hand or use resale marketplaces, a year-on-year increase. More people consider green delivery as the most important aspect of delivery considerations in 2023 than in 2022. 79% of shoppers would consider green delivery options, and 34% would consider switching to out-of-home.

Revenue is expected to show a compound annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 7.8%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$190,274.5 million by 2027. With an expected increase of 8.3% in 2023, the UK eCommerce market contributed to the worldwide growth rate of 9.6% in 2023.

The average salary for ECommerce Specialist is £37,589 per year in the United Kingdom. The average additional cash compensation for a ECommerce Specialist in the United Kingdom is £3,160, with a range from £1,910 – £5,229.

To find latest vacancies from top e-Commerce sector leaders see e-Commerce jobs.

11. IT Sector

The UK is one of the world’s largest information communication technology (ICT) sector, with the country being in 2nd place in the ranking of ICT spending per head.

While rapid advancements in technology have presented increased opportunities to the UK’s tech sector, skills shortages need to be addressed – get a job in IT and be part of one of the nation’s key Sector.

The valuation of UK tech companies has increased exponentially between 2020 and 2021; reportedly, the country is now home to13 decacorns or companies valued at $10bn or higher. The upsurge has led companies to be in higher need of hiring skilled technical and business staff.

There are over 300,000 tech jobs in London and over 7,500 start-ups. In 2017, tech companies in London raised £2.45 billion in investment, which accounted for around 80% of all of the UK’s tech funding.

To find latest vacancies from top IT sector leaders see IT jobs.

12. Entertainment Sector

The entertainment sector in the UK spans several different sectors, including online gambling, such as online slots UK, and television, such as the BBC and film. The way in which advertising is being done has moved to a more online strategy that is increasingly more mobile and accessible through digital platforms.

While the fastest growing sector was video (up 14.4% to £4.43 billion), games continued to be the biggest money maker, at £4.66 billion, up 2.3% compared to 2021. Games represented 42.1% of the total home entertainment revenues in 2022, according to ERA.

Global consultancy PwC estimates that entertainment and media revenue will reach £83bn in the UK this year and will grow by 4% per year until 2026, when it will overtake Germany as the largest market.

Between 2022 and 2026, the entertainment and media market in the United Kingdom is expected to grow at a four percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and reach nearly 97 billion British pounds.

To find latest vacancies from top theater sector leaders see Theater jobs.

13. Media Sector

The UK’s entertainment and media market has steadily been growing in recent years, rapidly gaining ground on its closest competitors in the process. According to a study from PwC last year, the market was set to become Europe’s largest market by 2026, with its total value forecast to be almost £100 billion by then.

From 2022 to 2026, the media market in the United Kingdom is expected to grow at a four percent compound annual growth rate and reach nearly 97 billion British pounds.

Popular national newspapers include The Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, and The Daily Telegraph. According to a 2021 report by the Media Reform Coalition, 90% of the UK-wide print media is owned and controlled by just three companies, Reach plc (formerly Trinity Mirror), News UK and DMG Media.

To find latest vacancies from top Media sector leaders see Media jobs.

14. Manufacturing Sector

The total value of UK manufacturers product sales was £429.8 billion in 2022, an increase of £28.4 billion (7%) from £401.5 billion in 2021.

UK is the world’s sixth-largest chemical producer. The UK’s chemical sector is the largest manufacturing sector. At present, there are more than 4,000 companies in the British chemical industry, employing more than 400,000 people.

Other important sectors of the manufacturing industry include food, drink, tobacco, paper, printing, publishing and textiles. Examples of major companies in these industries are Diageo, Unilever, Cadbury, Tate & Lyle, British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, HarperCollins, and Reed Elsevier.

To find latest vacancies from top manufacturing sector leaders see Manufacturing jobs.

15. Engineering Sector

Engineering is generally considered to consist of the major primary branches of chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer engineering.

The engineering and manufacturing sectors account for 18% of all UK employment, and roughly 21.4% of the UK’s GDP. It’s no wonder then that engineers are in incredibly high demand – a demand that isn’t being met.

Software Engineers are in demand with 3,640 roles followed closely by Development Engineers seeing 3,296 vacancies. Randstad has a high concentration of roles available in the South East, they currently have 4,800 vacancies. These roles range from Site Engineers to Quality Engineers.

To find latest vacancies from top engineering sector leaders see Software engineers jobs.