As Mental Health Awareness Week draws to a close, data from Indeed – the UK’s no. 1 jobsite – reveals that searches for roles in mental health rose by 16 percent between March 2014 and March 2015.

Mental health made in into the top ten most searched for terms within the healthcare sector for the first time in March 2015 (25,662 searches), rising two places last month to become the eighth most searched for role in this category, with 30,964 searches.

Mental health has enjoyed a much higher profile in the UK in recent months. Celebrity-backed campaigns to encourage men in particular to talk about mental health, workplace campaigns discussing how to deal with these issues in a business scenario and debate around political party policy in this area has put mental health firmly on the national agenda.

This data comes against a backdrop of increased interest across the board in the healthcare industry. Job postings have increased 4 percent since April 2014, with interest in these roles increasing by 8 percent in the same time period. London is the top location for healthcare vacancies, with 300,682 open roles, followed by Birmingham (66,411) and Manchester (61,407), before a dip to 55,322 in Leeds. The most searched for positions in April were as follows:

– Support worker

– Care Assistant

– NHS

– Nurse

– Dental Nurse

– Healthcare Assistant

– Hospital

– Mental health

– Pharmacist

– Practice Nurse

Gerard Murnaghan, VP EMEA at Indeed comments, “The increased openness we have seen in talking about mental health is reflected in the surge in jobseekers interest in this sector. With spending cuts forecast in this area, it is likely that we will find ourselves in a situation where jobseeker demand outstrips the number of available roles. As in any sector, jobseekers should be aware of labour market trends, and be prepared to adjust their job search accordingly, to help them stand out as a candidate in a competitive market.

‘NHS’ has remained in the top three searches for jobseekers looking for a career in the healthcare sector, since the beginning of 2015. Despite a raft of negative headlines regarding working conditions and skills shortages, this has remained an attractive sector for UK jobseekers – possibly due to the broad range of roles available within this organisation.”