Optometrist jobs “hardest to fill” in the UK

Vacancies for optometrists are the hardest roles to fill in the UK, according to a report published by job search website, Indeed.

Indeed found that 68.7% of optometrist postings stay vacant for at least 60 days, which ranks higher than solicitors (51.4%) and surgeons (46.3%) in second and third place respectively.

UK managing director of Indeed, Bill Richards, explained: “With a higher proportion of the population in work than ever before, the pool of jobseekers is a shallow one. When demand from employers outpaces the supply of workers, it can take a long time to fill vacancies and our research pinpoints which ones have been most affected.”

Last year the AOP conducted a workforce survey of 2357 optometrists, including students and pre-reg.

Policy adviser at the AOP, Kathy Jones, said: “That optometrists are often in high demand fits with findings from the AOP’s 2018 Optometrists’ Futures workforce survey, which found just under a quarter of employers and managers had at least one vacancy.”

“However, what Indeed’s study doesn’t reflect is the significant regional variance we’ve found – for example, members reported more difficulty in recruiting in the east of England and south east, as well as in rural areas more generally.”

The top five reasons reported in the AOP’s survey for choosing an employer were: values, location, reputation, culture and equipment. 

Image credit: Getty