I appreciate job-seekers’ needs — I’ve switched careers

THE WAY we work is changing — both in our Jewish community and society as a whole. Since the pandemic, more people than ever before are looking at making changes to their career. In a recent survey by Aviva, 60 per cent of UK workers said they were planning to pursue goals ranging from learning new skills and gaining further qualifications to switching career path entirely. That is something I have first-hand experience of.

Before taking on my new role in January as CEO of Work Avenue — the Jewish community’s leading employment and business support organisation — I had spent 30 years in education, including seven as headteacher at Hasmonean High School for Boys.

The career switch meant quickly learning new skills and new systems, meeting new people and working in new ways. But it was also a change that felt familiar and, therefore, easy to pivot into. It is an extension of what I had been doing before, still maintaining a focus on training and on people’s futures but now picking that up at a different stage in their lives.

My own path has helped me to have a clearer understanding of the challenges facing our Work Avenue clients, who are also thinking about changing careers and upskilling.

A main driver we are currently seeing for this in our community is a need to earn more money. With the cost-of-living crisis showing no signs of abating, people are struggling financially. They are approaching our employment advisers looking to learn new skills and move into new areas in order to increase their incomes.

Many are applying for the Richard Mintz Bursary Fund, which helps to cover the cost of the often expensive vocational courses. Others are investigating becoming part of our Wage social enterprise, which provides training and paid experience in key disciplines that small businesses require help in.

One interesting development in recent years is people not looking for new jobs… but extra ones.

The side hustle is becoming increasingly popular, especially with younger clients. Some will earn on the side at first, while they dip their toes in new waters before possibly moving to a full career change. At the other end of the cycle, our advisers are also helping those who want to evolve into a consulting role following a career in their specialised field.

The final post-pandemic trend our team has experienced is around working from home. The Work Avenue annual survey, released at the end of 2022, found that this is here to stay.

Only 37 per cent of respondents are currently in an office full time, with everyone else working from home either some or all of the time. From our own discussions with job-seekers and businesses, we have found that most employers seem to be offering a hybrid of three days in the office and two days from home (or parttime equivalent), often as a way to recruit and retain the best staff.

Interestingly, when asked which they preferred, respondents to our survey were split down the middle.

Some are finding a third way and we are increasingly seeing people turn to co-working and hot-desking spaces such as our WE Hub in Finchley, reflecting a desire to engage with other people, network and just be in a different space.

Overall, the jobs market is in an interesting place. It’s better than it was before and during the pandemic but with fewer roles around than last year’s heights — and the application process is getting more competitive.

My first official event in my new role was opening Work Avenue’s New Year, New Career event. This was our busiest gathering in years, showing both the current need in our community and the number looking to make a fresh start in 2023.

And while the challenges people face in work and business will continue to change, our focus on helping them achieve their goals will not.