In 2019, Brother UK, the office electronics supplier, analysed a year’s worth of Google search data. The study revealed the most popular jobs worldwide, and they discussed whether culture and economy impacted careers globally.
In 2023, Brother UK conducted a new study investigating how the global job market has changed in the last three years. Brother UK wanted to determine whether a pandemic, economic uncertainties, remote/hybrid working, and AI technologies have transformed how the world searches for jobs.
The most searched-for jobs in the UK
Teaching assistant jobs are still the most searched-for in the UK. However, there are signs that interest may be waning. In 2019, over 288,000 people searched Google for teaching assistant roles. But since 2020, the average yearly searches have shrunk by 5% to 275,000.
UK search data shows that the most significant search increase in the education sector was from qualified teaching positions. While teachers still wish to continue teaching, they may consider switching schools for better career prospects.
A recent poll from the National Education Union showed that teachers were more likely to look for a promotion at another school rather than at the school where they were currently employed.
In 2019, the second and third most searched-for jobs in the UK were estate agents, with 105,700 searches and project managers, with 99,300 searches. While searches for both jobs increased, they were knocked out of the top five by a surge of interest in teaching and cabin crew jobs.
The aviation industry experienced heavy turbulence at the start of the pandemic due to fewer flights. As international travel restrictions were gradually lifted, airlines that managed to weather the storm have needed to rehire talent back into the workforce.
Photography jobs saw one of the most significant declines in UK searches. Searches for photography roles fell by 17% and failed to make the 10 most searched-for jobs in 2023. Stock image photographers are also facing steep competition from AI, which can produce photorealistic artwork cheaply.
The most searched-for jobs in the UK:
1 Teaching assistant
2 Cleaner
3 Teacher
4 Cabin crew
5 Project manager
6 Human resources
7 Estate agent
8 Receptionist
9 Graphic designer
10 Accountant
*Avg. yearly searches for listed jobs
The most searched-for jobs in Europe
Across the continent, human resources careers emerged as the most searched-for. However, our study revealed that there were regional variations depending on the job market in each country.
Germany saw the highest search volumes for firefighter jobs. Data from the Economic Research Institute indicates that firefighters in Germany can expect to earn around €45,931 per year. While this is slightly below Germany’s national average salary, the outlook for firefighters is positive. Over the past five years, firefighter salaries have increased by 18%, with predictions their wages will continue to grow in the coming years.
Teaching assistants emerged as the second most searched job in Europe, with most searches coming from the UK. European countries outside the UK, specifically Ireland and Germany, also saw significant growth in teaching assistant roles.
The most searched-for jobs in Europe:
1 United Kingdom Teaching Assistant
2 Germany Firefighter
3 Spain Airline pilot
4 France Animator
5 Switzerland Admin
6 Austria Courier
7 Belgium Nurse aide
8 Portugal Airline pilot
9 Cyprus Cabin crew
10 Malta Airline pilot
*Avg. yearly searches for listed jobs
The world’s most searched-for jobs, overall
Interest in human resources was not limited to European countries. Global job search data revealed that HR jobs were the most sought-after globally. The US led the way, with the highest volume of HR job searches in the last three years, followed by the UK and India.
There was a substantial increase in the number of job searches. Accounting jobs were identified as the second most searched in the world, seeing average yearly search volumes double, reflecting a considerable increase in demand. This is beaten by the rise in demand for graphic design roles, which tripled.
Job searches around the world:
1 Human resources
2 Accountant
3 Graphic designer
4 Mechanical engineer
5 Civil engineer
6 Data analyst
7 Cleaner
8 Receptionist
9 Teacher
10 Journalist
*Avg. yearly searches for listed jobs
The search for science and technology jobs
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) jobs have been in high demand, crucial for driving innovation and advancing society. In our previous study, mechanical engineering stood out as the most sought-after job within STEM and the most searched job globally.
Mechanical engineering continues to be a highly sought-after career path, with a 77% increase in average yearly searches for engineering jobs. Unsurprisingly, mechanical engineering remained the most searched-for STEM job globally, with many searches coming from South Africa, which saw an average yearly search volume of 123,730.
A standout data trend was the growing searches for careers in data analytics. Global job searches for data analytics hit a yearly average of 780,677, making the top 10 which it had failed to reach previously. The US, UK and Canada job markets were most interested in data analytics careers.
Science & Technology job searches:
1 India Civil engineer
2 USA Data analyst
3 UK Data analyst
4 South Africa Mechanical engineer
5 Canada Data analyst
*Avg. yearly searches for listed jobs
The most caring countries
In 2019, Australia was found to be the most caring country, with Australians searching for more jobs in social care than other professions. Since 2020, little has changed. Our friends Down Under might be even more caring, with average yearly searches for social care jobs increasing by 48%.
Our job search data suggests that Mexico is among the most caring countries, with nursing being the most-searched job in Mexico.
It’s not surprising that nursing is a popular job search in Mexico. In addition to helping others, Mexican nurses receive better pay and job security than other jobs in the country. According to data from the Mexican Competitions Institute, nursing is the seventh most sought-after job in the country. Nurses can expect to be paid 34% more than the median national income.
Social care sector job searches:
1 Spain Nurse aide
2 Australia Social worker
3 Colombia Nurse aide
4 Mexico Nurse
5 France Caregiver
6 Ireland Social worker
*Avg. yearly searches for listed jobs
Finance-focused countries
In the last three years, several countries have been making money moves. In 2019, the top country for accounting roles was the US, and this remains unchanged. In fact, there has been a 3.2% increase in yearly searches for accounting jobs in the US.
In 2019, Canada followed closely behind their North American neighbours, ranking second as the country with the most job searches in finance. Like the USA, the average yearly searches for accountant jobs in Canada have increased by 23% in the last three years. Despite this, Canada was outpaced by noticeable increases in India and the UK.
The professional services focus on finance jobs has extended beyond India and the UK. Previously, Singapore, the UAE and Kenya also appeared in the top 10 for job searches in accountancy. Like Canada, all three countries saw search volumes for accountant jobs increase by 38%. However, they were outpaced by Germany and South Africa.
Finance sector job searches:
1 UK
2 India
3 USA
4 Canada
5 South Africa
6 Germany
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