Despite the gloomy prognoses of some commentators, the United Kingdom&rsquo;s labour market experienced growth in the last three months of 2012. According to recent figures released by the <a href="Office">http://www.statistics.gov.uk/">Office for National Statistics</a>, there was a 0.3 percentage point increase on July to September's figures, with 154,000 more people aged 16 to 64 finding gainful employment. <br />
<br />
Influential bodies like the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) have responded to the news by pointing to employer confidence as a factor in a generally positive outlook. They have also highlighted the role of the private sector's continued growth compensating for any weaknesses in the public sector and drawn attention to starting salaries in several high demand areas inflating while hiring managers and recruiters alike compete for hot new talent.<br />
<br />
Today it seems many industries are looking for keen employees, especially in the <a href="/technologies/">IT</a>, <a href="engineeringhttp://www.randstadcpe.com/">engineering;, and <a href="managementhttp://www.randstadinterimexecutives.co.uk/">management; sectors. Simply put, business demand for qualified candidates in highly skilled areas is up. So, what does this mean for potential job candidates and hiring managers alike? It's actually good news for job hunters that may not meet the exact requirements employers are looking for. When there is a skills shortage and a high demand for a certain type of employee, hiring managers can&rsquo;t afford to be so picky &ndash; hiring a candidate that shows potential may be the only option they have.<br />
<br />
The positive outlook for the UK&rsquo;s labour market may just force an attitude change for employers while giving recent graduates and young job seekers an extra edge.<br />
<br />
&nbsp;