As a new month arrives – marking the 24th week since the country was officially placed into lockdown – the UK government is now actively encouraging the British public to begin returning to work.
A lot has changed in the world of work since 23rd March.
Last month, it was confirmed that the UK had fallen into recession after suffering the largest drop in employment in more than a decade.
The news of the recession brought with it the cold hard facts are that many more people in Manchester will lose their jobs, with Manchester City Council Leader, Sir Richard Leese, stating that “recovering from the impacts of the coronavirus period and getting the city back on a positive trajectory is the greatest challenge we have faced in our lifetimes,”.
The ‘new normal’ has seen millions of people have their version of a typical working day altered in some capacity or another, but now it seems that things are beginning to gradually improve.
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Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has also issued a statement this week encouraging workers from across the region to begin a “voluntary” and “safety-led” return to the workplace, but for those who have unfortunately found themselves without a job to return to, or for those who feel in need of change in career direction, are the job opportunities there?
And what sectors are actively recruiting at the moment?
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Mark Waugh
The good news is that newly-released data has shown a continued rise in the number of job roles across posted in total throughout August, and this has thus prompted experts and recruiters to begin pinpointing which careers are the most in-demand across the UK, as well as which sectors are currently hiring.
The analysis found that there were 1.10 million active job postings in the week starting 3rd August – with almost 126,000 adverts posted between 3rd – 9th August – which is up from 1.04 million in the previous week.
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The previous high was the first week of June with 112,000 new postings.
Overall, the volume of online job adverts posted in August was at 62% of the 2019 average – which is up from 53% the week before – with several professions seeing continued or increased demand, and whilst these figures do however remain below the 1.35 million job postings active before lockdown in the first week of March, it is still encouraging.
Unsplash – mangopear
When it comes to which sectors are actively hiring, recruiters and experts have offered their takes.
Gerwyn Davies – Analyst at Human Resources body CIPD – says that job-seekers should be ”strategic” and target sectors that are experiencing job shortages as well as those that are growing.
With data indicating that health and social care vacancies are almost back to 2019 levels, he has suggested that now could be a good time to join the public sector, especially as initiatives like the National Retraining Scheme is helping people to move into areas like social work, teaching and healthcare.
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The government is also planning to fund thousands of nurse apprenticeships in England too.
Amy Golding – Head of Technology Recruitment at Opus Talent Solutions – has also suggested job-seekers apply to companies which are fully digital, regardless of the role you want, as the pandemic has accelerated the shift to online working, and these could for example be online retail companies like Amazon – which is currently recruiting for 15,000 UK jobs – or perhaps tech companies working in education or healthcare.
The government’s Shortage Occupation List – which used to offer work visas to people moving to the UK – is also a useful tool for job-seekers as it quickly shows where workers are needed.
It includes jobs in a wider range of fields like engineering, web programming, graphic design and more.
You can find more recruitment information via the REC website here.
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An innovative new Macbeth stage production is being put on at an unlikely venue in Oldham
Danny Jones
A brand-new innovative take on Macbeth is coming to a rather surprising venue in Oldham as part of a new production by the Coliseum.
It may be BY Oldham Coliseum Theatre, but this new stage show is taking place at a rather different kind of location entirely.
Teaming up with North West actor Nick Bagnall and director, who has already served in an associate role at the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, this will be his very first production, and unlike most other Shakespeare performances you will have come across.
With his various plays serving as ever-perfect pairings for adaptation, his version of arguably the world’s most famous tragedy is coming to an iconic site in its own right, which just so happens to be a nightclub.
Yes, Nick Bagnall and Oldham Coliseum Theatre‘s twist on Macbeth will be coming to none other than Liquid and Envy on Retiro Street.
A legendary local institution known for more late-night entertainment, the native artist is using it as a staging ground for a very unique interpretation.
While this version will still revolve around the same themes of ambition, masculinity, power and identity, it will instead be set against a late-1970s backdrop, in a world filled with gangsters, casinos and similarly shifting social codes.
Perhaps not as contemporary as current modern-day (we’ve seen plenty of that even in the past couple of decades alone), but it still looks set to be a creative take on the timeless tale; a retelling of Romeo and Juliet is also part of their autumn/winter programme.
Speaking ahead of the debut, Nick said picking Macbeth was a no-brainer. “Macbeth asks profound questions about power, identity and what it means to be a man,” he said. “Those questions feel urgent in a proud industrial town like Oldham that is navigating huge social and economic change.
“I want to blow the dust off Shakespeare. This isn’t about putting the play on a pedestal; it’s about creating an experience that grabs people by the throat, whether they have seen Macbeth ten times or never encountered it before.
“We want people who have never set foot in a theatre to walk into Liquid & Envy and feel this story belongs to them. Staging Macbeth inside a working Oldham nightclub creates its own intrigue.”
Martina Murphy, Chief Executive of Oldham Coliseum Theatre, went on to add: “This is a huge moment for the Coliseum. Nick’s Macbeth is uncompromising, thrilling and unmistakably of this place, and it announces exactly the kind of theatre we intend to make.
“As we continue our journey back to Fairbottom Street, we are determined to keep creating ambitious work that surprises audiences and reaches people wherever they are. Macbeth demonstrates that the Coliseum isn’t waiting for its building to return before making theatre of national significance.”
Check out the full list of scheduled performances set to arrive later this year:
Macbeth at Liquid and Envy in Oldham – 2026 dates
October
Friday 23 – 1:30pm (preview)
Saturday 24 – 1:30pm and 6:30pm (previews)
Monday 26 – 7pm (preview)
Tuesday 27 – 7pm (press night)
Wednesday 28 – 7pm
Thursday 29 – 1:30pm and 7pm
Friday 30 – 6:30pm
Saturday 31 – 1:30pm and 6:30pm
November
Monday 2 – 7pm
Tuesday, 3 – 1:30pm and 7pm
Wednesday, 4 – 7pm
Thursday, 5 – 1:30pm and 7pm
Friday, 6 – 6:30pm
Saturday, 7 – 6:30pm
It’s also worth noting that these shows have been put together with accessibility in mind, with the two-week season including a relaxed performance, an audio-described version, a fully captioned version, as well as two interpreted with British Sign Language. Things we love to hear.
The Coliseum’s new Creative Director has also ensured that tickets remain affordable, with £15 concessions and preview passes costing just £20, as well as a discount for Oldham locals.
You can see the full list of ticket options and find out more information about this exciting production right HERE.
Safe to say that we can’t wait to see how this thing turns out. It’s not the only inventive theatrical take on a classic that’s coming to Greater Manchester later this year, either; find out more down below.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied/Nick Bagnall (via Instagram)
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Keo play Projekts: garage and grunge revivalists crush Manchester skatepark for new music video
Danny Jones
This past Thursday evening, fast-rising rock band Keo took over Projekts MCR skatepark for a special pop-up gig and to film a brand-new music video for their latest single, ‘Pistol’, starring some of their biggest fans here in Manchester.
In fact, it didn’t take long for us to suss out that plenty of them had flocked from far and wide to be there, and let’s say we’re sure they’ll say it was worth the journey.
We caught Keo’s well-attended festival set inside the Woodlands at Kendal Calling 2025, not to mention their completely sold-out show at the O2 Ritz back in March – their biggest headline date up to that point – and we’re more certain than ever that they’re going to be absolutely massive.
And if they keep up doing more memorable stuff like this, it’s just a matter of how soon…
Packing out Projekts to the point that people were literally hanging off fences and standing on electrical boxes at the side of the street to try and get a peek at the post-punk, grunge and garage rockers, some of their most enthusiastic young fans had been waiting outside the location as early as noon.
For context, doors opened six hours later, and the boys didn’t come on until 7:30pm.
Those who signed up to Keo‘s mailing list were sent information regarding securing a spot at the one-off performance earlier this month.
While you would have seen the place fill up even if they were just standard concert tickets, the fact that the band were taping the whole thing to use as the visuals for their newest single, as mentioned, meant that Keo’s avid followers were literally clamouring AND clambering to get the best view position possible.
Turning the popular skaters’ hub’s central bowl into a makeshift stage, with lights, camera, booms and various crew surrounding the entire venue, it was a surreal experience to say the least.
And, of course, they were absolutely brilliant – just as they were at the Ritz at the start of the year and Kendal before that, playing a short but sweet set that left everyone wanting more and choruses of punters chanting Keo long after the final song.
We can’t wait to see how the video itself turns out, especially seeing how much the people who wrapped around them and the skatepark were lost in the moment, and we’re also looking forward to them headlining Neighbourhood Fest in Manchester city centre this October.
You can grab a ticket to see them and the rest of the NBHD lineup right HERE, but until then, give the full studio version of ‘Pistol’ a play and get ready for their debut album.
The Manc -
1st September 2020 
