The latest JobsOutlook
report from the Recruitment
& Employment Confederation (REC) shows that employers’ confidence both
in the UK economy and in their own businesses’ has started to improve since the
extension to the Brexit deadline, with employers’ making hiring and investment
decisions increased by 4 percentage points from the previous rolling quarter,
returning to positive territory at net +1.
Hiring intentions for contract and temporary staff continued
to rise rolling quarter-on-quarter, with the balance of forecast demand
increasing from +2 to +4 in the short term, and from +4 to +5 in the medium
term.
Highlights:
- Hiring intentions for permanent staff
remained strongly positive at net: +16 in the short-term and net: +18 in
the medium-term. These are similar levels both to the previous month and the
same period last year
- Nine in ten (92%) of employers that use
recruitment agencies highlighted the importance of an agency’s geographical
and/or sectoral expertise when it came to selecting a specialist recruitment partner
– up from 71% last year.
- Despite concern over candidate shortages and
persistent skills gaps, three quarters (74%) of employers who use
recruitment partners reported being satisfied with the performance.
Neil
Carberry, Chief Executive of the Recruitment & Employment
Confederation, said:
“The strength of our jobs market is one of the biggest
assets the UK has, as it keeps people in work and raises their pay. Ensuring we
protect the flexibility and opportunity it offers should be at the heart of any
new government’s agenda.
Today’s survey shows that businesses believe in their own
prospects and are ready to grow if the pall ? of economic uncertainty is
removed. The contrast between employers’ view of their own prospects and their
view of the wider economic picture remains stark, however. Resolving this will
require cool heads through the summer and autumn so that companies can rely on
a smooth and stable new relationship with the EU – not the chaos of a no deal
exit.
“JobsOutlook again shows how concerned employers
are about skills shortages. Recruiters are helping with this, with 92% of
hirers saying knowledge and expertise is key to choosing a partner who can help
them navigate uncertain times. The REC is enhancing its support for recruiters
by providing data about local and sectoral labour markets this summer, as part
of our commitment to the industry and its role in keeping Britain growing.”
Adam
Walker, Redline Group Director comments:
“We are in the midst of what is being called the fourth
industrial revolution, driven by technology and automation like never before
this will continue to increase the demand for highly skilled professionals in
the engineering and high technology sector. Coupled with this, today’s
candidates are savvier and have greater access to information on potential
employers. Till quite recently, it was very difficult to know what jobs were
out there. ‘How much people were paid for different jobs? What was it really
like to work in a different company? What all options are there?’
Today, most of these problems have been solved, and people
carry an entire job search with instant access to all that information on their
phones. That has created both opportunities and challenges for proactive jobseekers.
Organisations that really invest in employees whilst creating
a great experience for candidates are the ones that will be most successful.
The ones who can make the process human by leveraging technology will be the
strongest.”
Redline has undertaken research into candidate offer to
acceptance ration for many years. For a copy of our most recent research on the
Offer Vs Declination Analysis, please click here.
For more information regarding how we can help your business, please contact
Redline Group on 01582 450054 or email info@RedlineGroup.com