The organisation’s analysis of a snapshot of the government’s employment database uncovered that of the 847,000 vacancies available in Great Britain in July 2015, 131,000 (15.4%) stated that a vehicle or licence was necessary for the post.

Another 7,700 (1%) of the jobs on the list from the Department for Work and Pensions said that a vehicle or licence would be beneficial or practical.

The professions that required applicants to have the ability to drive were as diverse as: carer, professional driver, cleaner, zoo worker, chef, sales consultant, security guard, business development manager, gymnastics coach, electrician, hairdresser.

The RAC Foundation also looked at the vacancies shown on the England-only Skills Funding Agency’s apprenticeship database in September 2015.

Of the 16,100 situations vacant, 806 (5%) stipulated that applicants must have their own vehicle or at least the ability to drive. Another 1,143 (7%) stated that a vehicle or licence would be beneficial or practical.

The research follows on from earlier work by the RAC Foundation which showed that 15.3 million (58%) of workers in England and Wales drive themselves to the ‘office’, while a further 1.4 million (5%) get a lift.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Much attention is given to the academic qualifications that teenagers and young adults graduate from school and college with, but this data shows that when it comes to applying for many jobs and training positions the practical skill of being able to drive is often as critical as any GCSE or A level.

“This country relies on millions of people whose work patterns span all hours of the day and night and rarely, if ever, involve sitting at a desk or shop counter. They include trades-people, carers and cleaners, and if this economic army is to be kept mobile then we must ensure that not only is learning to drive affordable but so too is the cost of running a car.

“In the past couple of decades there has been a marked decline in the proportion of young people – especially men – holding a driving licence. Yet when asked why they don’t have a licence, most say it is because of the associated costs rather than because they don’t want to drive.”