LinkedIn last week released a special edition of its Emerging Jobs Report for 2021, taking a closer look at how Covid-19 has affected the jobs landscape in the UK and, specifically, the roles that have experienced the highest growth over the last several months.

The report found that specialised medical professionals has been one of the fastest growing job categories throughout last year, continuing into 2021.

The demand for laboratory scientists and those working behind-the-scenes on the all important vaccines and medicines used to treat patients grew by 68% in 2020, with the sector growing by 58% overall. Medicine has come out as one of the top skills required by employers with London, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham providing the most opportunities for medical science professionals.

Those working in pharmaceuticals have played a significant role during the Covid-19 pandemic, working to keep delivering supplies and finding innovative solutions for those who need them the most – with predictions that this demand will remain high for some time longer.

CK Science specialise in recruitment for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and chemical sectors, and we help find roles for high-calibre science professionals. We have secured positions for thousands talented scientists since 1991, and have continued to do so throughout the Covid-19 crisis.

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Business in the Community (BTIC) in partnership with the government is pleased to announce that the CK Group has signed up to the Race at Work Charter, an initiative designed to improve outcomes for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) employees in the UK.

The charter builds on the work of the 2017 McGregor-Smith Review, ‘Race in the workplace’, a wake-up call for UK employers, which found that people from BAME backgrounds were still underemployed, underpromoted and under-represented at senior levels. So far more than 200 public, private and charitable organisations have signed up to the charter.

The Race at Work Charter is designed to foster a public commitment to improving outcomes of BAME employees in the workplace. It consists of five principles to ensure organisations address the barriers to BAME recruitment and progression. Organisations that sign up to the charter such as CK Group are publicly committing to:

• Appointing an Executive Sponsor for race
• Capturing data and publicising progress
• Ensuring zero tolerance of harassment and bullying
• Making equality in the workplace the responsibility of all leaders and managers
• Taking action that supports ethnic minority career progression

The 2018 Race at Work Scorecard report by BITC showed that there is still a need for concerted and consistent action from employers across the UK to improve outcomes for BAME employees. The report showed:

• There has been an increase in the number of workers from BAME background who report that they have witnessed or experienced racist harassment or bullying from customers or service users.
• Despite being ambitious, over half of BAME employees still believe they will have to leave their current organisation to progress their career.
• The proportion of managers who report that they have a performance objective to promote equality at work has fallen from 41% in 2015 to 32% in 2018.
• Most significantly, employees have not reported any increase in the number of leaders demonstrating commitment and taking action since 2015.

Sandra Kerr CBE, race equality director at Business in the Community, said:

“We would like to thank CK Group for setting out their commitment to being an inclusive and responsible employer. By signing up to the charter they are showing that they aspire to have one of the most inclusive workplaces in the country. Together we can break down barriers in the workplace, raise the aspirations and achievements of talented individuals, and deliver an enormous boost to the long-term economic position of the UK.”

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