Have you spotted a space in the market? Zip right in!
How do you spot a career sector that is set to grow?
Jonathan Hampson joined the car sharing company Zipcar in 2006, when it was a start-up with just 12 staff and 50 cars for hourly hire.
He says: ‘ I met the founders handing out flyers at Clapham Junction station. As someone without a car in London, I realised it was a good idea and started to use the service.’
when the company advertised for a sales and marketing manager, Jonathan, a former graduate trainee with Marks & Spencer, applied and got the job.
‘I could see it was set for growth,’ adds Jonathan, now 38 and the general manager of Zipcar. ‘It made sense for city- dwellers who only wanted a car occasionally, and when my friends heard about the service, they joined, too.
‘ Cities are now increasingly discouraging the use of private cars in order to keep things moving and improve air quality.’
The firm now has 75,000 members and 2,500 cars in London and is growing in three regional cities.
Jonathan says: ‘To find a job in a future growth sector, look for something that meets a genuine unmet need among you and your friends, and for which there is also a wider market need.’
Ann Swain, chief executive of the Association of Professional Staffing Companies, says: ‘There are emerging career paths that represent the “future of work”, which were unheard of a decade ago.
‘Some of the fastest- emerging sectors include cyber security and cyber defence, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and life sciences.
‘ other growth areas include re- marketing — advertising to people who have visited a website or used a company’s mobile app.’
The 2016 world Economic Forum report, The Future of Jobs, found that in the UK, the main areas of job growth up to 2020 would be in sales, computer, maths and science roles, and education and training.
worldwide, two roles were mentioned across all industries: data analysts and specialised sales representatives.