Mew study has revealed that Liverpool has seen the UK's 7th highest increase in demand for 'remote jobs' between 2018 and 2021

A new study by Preply has revealed that Liverpool has seen the UK's 7th highest increase in demand for:- 'remote jobs' between 2018 and 2021, with web searches for the term up by 736% over the last 3 years. It was recently revealed that when asked if they would prefer to return to the office, the majority of Brits said they would rather keep working remotely. The average employee is constantly challenged with balancing work with their personal life, so it makes total sense that the flexibility remote working can provide is not something people want to let go of. Pursuing a career in a sector that adapts to your life by progressively adopting flexi work structures such as remote work, 4 day working weeks and hybrid roles is becoming an increasingly popular notion. Conducted by e-learning platform Preply, the study analyses January 2022 job listings (see methodology for further detail), ranking each job sector by the percentage of roles that offer the option for remote working. Other relevant factors the analysis also highlights are the:- 'percentage of remote jobs that are part time,' 'average salary' and the UK cities seeing the highest increase in demand for those specifically looking for remote work.

Ranking as the UK's topmost avid, searching for remote jobs, is the City of Swansea, Wales has seen searches go up by 1,575% since 2018. Whilst the 2nd and 3rd highest increases in demand are seen in the City of Leicester (up 1,239%) and Birmingham (up 971%), Northampton (up 783%) and Leeds (up 766%) follow behind in 4th and 5th.

In Scotland, those most interested in finding remote roles are the Glaswegians, with searches for remote work Glasgow up by 376% over the last 3 years. Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, the capital City of Belfast, takes top place where applicants are evermore keen on finding remote work (+310%).

With remote job roles making up for almost a quarter of total jobs listed (23%), ranking top is:- 'IT and Telecoms.' The predominantly virtual sector also ranks in second place for having the most number of jobs on offer, indicating the industry is undersaturated and therefore less challenging to secure a job.

The 2nd most progressive sector is the:- 'Media, Digital and Creative' sector, for which the study found ⅕ of all job roles listed that are remote (18%). If you're also keen on securing a remote job that doesn't compromise on salary, the average salary for:- 'Media, Digital and Creative' roles (₤34,913.33) is the 7th highest among all other sectors. Close behind in third, with 16% of roles listed being remote roles is the:- 'Charity' sector.

Understandably, some jobs just can't be done remotely and the sectors found ranking bottom will find themselves there because they are predominantly:- 'manual' or 'face to face.' This is definitely the case for the lowest ranking sectors:- Hospitality, Manufacturing and Motoring; in each of which fewer than 1% of jobs listed are remote roles.

There is a silver lining for those who are keen on working in:- 'Hospitality,' as it's revealed to offer the highest percentage of part time remote roles, 57% of remote roles  listed being part time.

Although it is met with skepticism by some, the adaptation to remote work structures not only benefits employees, but it also enables companies to take their pick from the most talented individuals from all around the world. Equally, for prospective students or those considering an industry change, guidance on which sectors to venture into is increasingly valued. Deciding on the sector in which one sees themselves having a great career, will enable them to pinpoint the skills they can pick-up that will make them indispensable.

The Methodology of the studdy used in this study include to obtain January 2022 UK job listing details on:- Reed.Com, and Google Keyword Planner to obtain:- 'remote jobs' search volumes (per capita) from 2018 and 2021. Average salary was collated using:- Glassdoor, Payscale and Salary Explore.

Purple Reign! Liverpool wins national night time award for 12th successive year

LIVERPOOL is celebrating securing prestigious Purple Flag status again; taking its reign into a 12 successive year. Purple Flag is a Town and City Centre award; similar to the Blue Flag for beaches or Green Flag for parks; which aims to raise the standard and broaden the appeal of Town and City Centres in the evening and night time. Places awarded the status are recognised for providing a vibrant mix of entertainment while promoting the safety and wellbeing of visitors and local residents. The Purple Flag programme is managed by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) which works alongside a partnership of key stakeholder groups backed by Government, Police and businesses. Liverpool, which 1st gained the Purple Flag in 2010, demonstrated again that it has a safe and well managed night time economy. A team of independent assessors reviewed a number of aspects of the City's night time offer including the policing, stewarding and messaging within bars, restaurants, shops, car parks, theatres, signage and public transport; and how they were responding and adapting to Covid19 guidelines.

Councillor Abdul Qadir, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, said:- "To retain Purple Flag status is great news for Liverpool and sends out a strong message that we have a safe and vibrant City Centre. It's a great recognition of all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure visitors of all ages can enjoy our amazing cultural offer, but we never rest on our laurels; standards have to be maintained at all times. We saw that during the Pandemic and how we responded with the:- 'Without Walls' programme to support businesses who couldn't provide indoor custom; and to protect the customer. Of course there has been some traumatic experiences in the past year and we all hope they are never repeated. All our partners, be it our Streetscene team, Merseyside Police and the businesses community are working tirelessly with that in mind."

In conclusion, they praised Liverpool for:-

► Its impressive use of outdoor space.

► Partnership working during the Pandemic.

► The provision of safe spaces and crime initiatives.

► The engagement and partnership with residents.

They also gave special praise to the Council's innovative:- 'Without Walls' programme; which allowed hospitality venues to bring:- 'the inside out,' and to keep visitors safe without compromising on their experience. As well as Without Walls, the City has also introduced a LGBTQ+:- 'You're Safe Here' accreditation scheme to reassure the public that they are safe in venues, and staff in the hospitality sector are trained and know what to do in the event of a transphobic or homophobic incident. The Council has also secured funding to tackle violence against women and girls, which will pay for extra CCTV monitoring on the streets and:- 'by stander training' for transport and bar staff. And in light of the recent fatal stabbing of Ava White, work is ongoing with:- 'KnifeSavers,' a not-for-profit programme that empowers people to deal with bleeding caused by knife injuries through Bleed Control Kits. The hope is to have these kits mounted in cabinets in key locations in the City Centre, much like defibrillators are.

Ojay McDonald, Chief Executive of the ATCM, said:- "We have been extremely pleased with the way the Purple Flag assessment criteria was used throughout the Pandemic to influence positive outcomes for users of Liverpool City Centre. The development of a multi-agency task force within the 1st week of the Pandemic to deliver schemes like:- 'Liverpool Without Walls' is fantastic and has the potential to reframe how cities across the UK use outdoor space. Additional work from training to reduce vulnerability to engagement with residents on the night time economy are the cherry on top of the cake."

Superintendent of Liverpool Community Policing Diane Pownall said Merseyside Police was proud of the Purple Flag accreditation and that Officers will continue to improve and ensure the safety and wellbeing of visitors and local residents in the City in light of recent tragedies and Covid restrictions. He added:- "This is absolutely fantastic news and would not have happened without the endeavours and commitment of Officers and staff across Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council. Such support and recognition drives everyone involved in keeping people in Merseyside safe on to maintain the creative use of outdoor space created during the Pandemic, and the partnerships that were fostered during that time. The murders of Ava White and Duncan Browne in the City Centre last year left everyone at Merseyside Police shocked and saddened, and our thoughts remain with their families and friends at this incredibly difficult time. With increased patrols at key times and in key areas of Liverpool City Centre as part of our Nightsafe operation, we are working to ensure everyone can enjoy a safe and enjoyable night out in this great City. We hope this accreditation shows how seriously we take the protection of anyone that visits Liverpool and that we will continue to engage with residents to improve our City, and to prevent further incidents. As Chair of the City Centre Joint Agency Group, a committed multi‐agency group that works collaboratively to tackle issues around licensing, Public Health and safer communities in the City Centre, we are proud to announce that Liverpool has been awarded the prestigious Purple Flag accreditation. The group works with partners to regenerate the City of Liverpool, to ensure prevention and education when providing training for staff in the area on violence against women for example, hate crimes and intervention programmes. This delivers different approaches and better outcomes for the future of our City."