How Covid-19 is driving the job market across Europe and the Middle East

There is no question that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we do business across the globe. Naturally this has had a knock-on effect on the job market.

However, while some sectors have shown more vulnerability to the limitations imposed by social distancing rules, there have been others, for example Software & IT Services, that have shown more resilience in these turbulent times.

Using LinkedIn data we analysed job applications from March to April 2020 across seven EMEA markets – Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, UAE, Spain, and Italy – and identified roles that have seen the highest percentage increase in job applications month-to-month. We also identified top skills needed for each role and the top industries recruiting for these roles today. The following is based on the results.

What these EMEA markets have in common

The data revealed one interesting link between all seven markets: the majority of common skills held by people applying for these roles were customer centric. Which stands to reason. Businesses are doing everything they can, as economically and efficiently as possible, to retain and acquire new customers.

The most applied for jobs included customer service, customer experience, customer retention, digital and social media marketing, sales and business development.

Another common thread across all seven markets was an increase in jobs applied for focused on streamlining efficiencies, for example logistics and supply chain management, operations, project and product management.

Lastly, in all these EMEA markets, while we’ve seen a growth in applications for roles directly impacted by Covid-19, we’ve also seen roles appearing that have not been directly affected and where businesses are still thriving (for example Software & IT Services).

Take a closer look at each market and the roles driving growth in job applications.

Top industries driving job applications for these roles

In Germany and France, the data showed the top three industries driving job applications for these roles were Software & IT Services, Manufacturing and Finance – in that order. Corporate Services and Consumer Goods also showed an increase in applications.

Retail was top of the list in the UK, where skills such as professional driving, time management and warehouse operations are needed. There was also a surge in job applications for roles in Transportation & Logistics and Consumer Goods industries.

The Netherlands, Spain, and Italy all showed a high level of job applications in Software & IT Services, and Corporate Services. The types of roles most applied for were in Sales, Operations, Business Development and Customer Service.

In the UAE, the top industry where we saw growth in job applications from was Software & IT Services. This was closely followed by Consumer Goods and Transportation & Logistics.

For more detail about the top skills in demand and growth roles in your market, as well as the top industries driving job applications, download the full report here.

Doing business in Lockdown

Taking a socio-economic viewpoint of the data, the highest growth roles between March and April 2020 showed a direct reaction to the market being in lockdown. For companies with a strong online presence, roles in transportation, warehouse, operations, and logistics were needed to keep up with demand.

This ties back to the need for skills that streamline efficiencies, and help to do things faster, better, and cheaper than before. The same applies for customer service and customer satisfaction roles, where communication and people management skills have been needed to deal with incoming enquiries, online delivery, returns, etc.

What does this mean for you as a recruiter?

Skills are an objective way to evaluate a candidate. When scoping out a role, identify three top skills you’re looking for. This can help define the role and attract the right candidates. Here are some ways to identify these skills:

•  Analyse high performers on your team in that role and the skill sets they have in common
•  Observe industry trends and look at what competitors are hiring for
•  Do a discovery session with your hiring manager to scope out the key skills needed for the candidate to succeed in the role
•  Ensure as a recruiter you are looking at both hard skills and soft skills. Here’s how to best identify the top 6 soft skills.

Methodology

LinkedIn analysed data during March and April 2020 to determine roles with the fastest growth in applications. The roles with the highest month-on-month percentage growth in applications between March 2020 and April 2020 were included in the top 5 list. A threshold of “100 applications per day” was implemented to ensure sufficient volume.