Despite the fact unemployment in the UK is at its highest levels since 1997, the healthcare industry is bucking the trend with a shortage of applicants to fill the number of posts available in the sector.

According to Gumtree.com, in the past month there have been more than 1,500 vacancies for healthcare positions posted on its site, marking a 34% increase over the past six months. This is in sharp contrast to Gumtree's reports of a 13% decrease in other sectors during the same period.

Lesley Flory, of care home provider Barchester, said: "The healthcare profession is crying out for applicants at the moment, with plenty of jobs that need filling. It is one of the few industries where jobs are not being shed as they are in the likes of the banking and creative industries, so we recommend people think about nursing as a new career that will offer a job for life."