Empowering Wales: How the new Future Jobs Wales tool supports informed and confident career choices

Emma Blandon, head of digital and communications at Careers Wales, explains how Future Jobs Wales, a digital labour market information (LMI) tool, is helping people make informed decisions and plan their next steps with purpose:

In today’s fast-changing world of work, staying informed isn’t just helpful – it’s essential. Whether you’re a school pupil, student, jobseeker or career changer, understanding the labour market is key to making confident, future-focused decisions. This information helps us understand what jobs exist now, what’s likely to be in demand in the future, and what skills and qualifications are needed to succeed.

The Careers Wales website is home to a wealth of digital tools designed to provide accessible and comprehensive careers information to everyone across the country. One of our most recent exciting developments is the completion of Future Jobs Wales – an innovative tool featuring an easy-to-use interface for people to explore Wales’ jobs and industries. The tool offers real-time insights into job trends, job outlooks, pay levels, and skill demands across both local, regional and national contexts. After its most recent and final update, Future Jobs Wales now covers a total of 16 industries.

Future Jobs Wales is powered by real-time LMI which is the key to staying ahead in an ever-changing landscape. LMI isn’t just data; it’s information that empowers people to plan their careers with purpose. It helps people understand which jobs are growing and where opportunities lie, and it connects people with roles that match their skills and aspirations. By identifying skills gaps, LMI enables people to pursue relevant qualifications that boost their employability and earning potential.

Awareness of the labour market landscape also helps people anticipate changes – such as automation or investment in the green economy – and adapt their career plans accordingly. Understanding salary expectations across roles and industries helps individuals to negotiate fairly and plan for their financial future with roles that match their skills and aspirations.

Providing accessibility for anyone in Wales to be able to do just this, Future Jobs Wales is easy to navigate, intuitive, visual, easy to understand and digest. It takes complex LMI and breaks it down by sector, region, and job type, giving users a clear view of both the current and future landscape. The tool enables users to, for example, filter the information to a local authority, focus in on a specific industry or get a broad view of a whole region.

Future Jobs Wales allows users to:

• Discover what’s new in different industries
• Understand if an industry is expected to grow or change
• Compare data across local, Wales-wide, and the UK
• Explore which jobs are in demand now and in the future
• Identify key skills needed in their region

Four industries have recently been added to the tool to provide a complete offer of 16 Welsh industries, detailed below:

• Agriculture and land
• Business support and administration
• Care
• Construction
• Creative arts, media and culture
• Digital
• Education
• Energy
• Finance and legal
• Health
• Manufacturing
• Public services
• Retail and customer service
• Science and research
• Tourism, hospitality, sport and leisure
• Transport and storage

The tool is actively used by Careers Wales and Working Wales careers advisers to support and guide conversations with customers about their next steps. It also proves valuable in group work or classroom situations, including in schools, colleges or job clubs, to inform and encourage engaging discussions and activities.

The data within the tool can enhance careers lessons or talks by careers advisers or teachers during mainstream lessons and are particularly relevant to include in subjects such as geography, maths or Welsh Baccalaureate.  These sessions can all contribute to broadening learner’s understanding of the opportunities within their local region and the 16 different industries included on the tool.

Future Jobs Wales is not only beneficial to individuals but can provide many benefits for employers, including providing a clear picture of the talent landscape in Wales. Through identifying skills gaps, employers can tailor recruitment strategies to attract the right candidates. Employers can also use it to help identify the latest trends in qualifications and training, to then equip their staff with the skills needed for now and for the future.

Other careers information on our website includes our Job Information pages, which feature detailed profiles of almost 800 job roles, including how to get into them, qualifications, skills, salaries, and future demand.

Through our careers information and LMI tools, we offer clarity and confidence by using high-quality, labour market data that comes from credible sources and is fully quality assured. We also actively engage with employers and professional organisations to ensure that our messages and information are up to date.

Careers Wales prioritises innovation in careers support, developing digital tools that meet the needs of today’s everchanging landscape. By combining innovation with trusted careers expertise, Future Jobs Wales is just one way in which we’re helping customers make informed choices and confidently plan for the future.

Access Future Jobs Wales and explore the full range of tools and insights at Careers Wales.