The hottest industry for Gen Z grads right now? Education, LinkedIn says
With graduation season in full swing, LinkedIn has just released the top industries Gen Z in Britain should be eyeing up if they want to beat their classmates to a job this summer—and apparently, they needn’t look far from home.
That’s because, according to the networking platform’s analysis of millions of member profiles and job postings, the fastest-growing industry in the U.K. right now is the education sector—with teachers, lecturers and learning support assistants “being some of the most sought-after roles” LinkedIn’s career expert Charlotte Davies told Fortune.
Why? Because the chance to take weeks off for summer holidays and half-terms while still having a steady career isn’t going amiss among graduates.
“We know that the top priorities for professionals are compensation, work-life balance and opportunities to develop—these factors will be crucial for attracting and retaining top talent across all industries,” Davies added.
Plus, traditional jobs generally are seemingly back in vogue as Gen Zers favor low-paid, stable jobs amid mass layoffs in the tech world. Despite all the buzz currently surrounding artificial intelligence, the industry didn’t make the cut.
Just as non-graduate Gen Zers are increasingly opting to pick up the tools and take up trade jobs, so too are those who underwent years of higher education: Utilities, oil, gas and mining, and construction are all among the top five fastest-growing industries right now for graduates.
Meanwhile, government gigs—which are all the rage on TikTok right now—ranked sixth on LinkedIn’s list.
Either way, whichever industry the class of 2024 chooses to go into, they’ll have better odds of landing a job than pandemic-era graduates. As we enter the “Great Talent Stagnation” and workers stay in their jobs, businesses have become increasingly desperate to find qualified applicants.
The 10 fastest-growing industries among U.K. grads
1. Education
2. Utilities
3. Oil, gas and mining
4. Consumer services
5. Construction
6. Government administration
7. Hospitals and healthcare
8. Transportation, logistics, supply chain and storage
9. Wholesale
10. Financial services
But be warned: The easiest path isn’t always the most rewarding
Although you may have better luck landing a job in teaching than in other industries, the average starting salary for teachers ranges from £28,000 to £40,000 ($35,700-$51,000).
In comparison, those working in finance services—which ranked tenth on the list—can expect a far more lucrative career from the get-go.
For example, finance managers can expect a starting salary of around £45,000 ($57,000) and although studying economics or business may give Gen Zers a head start in the industry, the field is generally open to all graduates.
Likewise, you’ll probably need to suck up commuting and a 9-to-5 grind if you want to increase your chances of career success after graduating.
“We know this generation of new grads value flexibility. However, our data shows an overall trend towards significantly lower hybrid and remote work flexibility for entry-level jobs,” Davies said.
While around a third of mid-senior roles posted on the platform are hybrid, less than one in five entry-level job ads offer the same level of flexibility.
But in the end, salary isn’t everything—especially in your first role out of university. Successful executives have consistently said that grads would be better off focusing on learning opportunities over fat paychecks when they’re starting out.
Shaid Shah, the global president of Mars Food & Nutrition, the $50 billion global food and pet care giant, told Fortune that attaining sustainable success is “far bigger” than salary or rank. Instead, he advised Gen Zers to discover the roles that make you tick—and the money will come.
Meanwhile, the real estate millionaire and Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran recently noted: “Don’t take any job based on how much it pays, but take it on the important thing: how much it will teach you, because that will push you ahead.”
