THE 12 HIRING TIPS OF CHRISTMAS
Posted on 17th December 2021
The twelve days of Christmas are known for the long list of gifts... but forget about the partridges, turtle doves and French hens because we've put together twelve essential hiring tips that we know will put your business in the best possible position for boosting your hiring strategy in 2022. From planning your hiring timeline through to assessing your company culture and the candidate experience - these tips will get you thinking about the big questions in your hiring plans that so many businesses make the mistake of overlooking.
TAKE OUR END OF YEAR QUIZ, WITH A DIFFERENCE!
Posted on 25th November 2021
As the end of the year approaches, that can only mean one thing - it's quiz season! This year, however, we've arranged a quiz with a bit of a difference. Instead of looking back at the year that's gone, we're all about looking forward and proactively planning for 2022. With that in mind, our latest quiz focusses on the biggest trends and predictions for 2022 in the employment market and the health of the wider economy. So take a look at the trivia questions below to test your knowledge of the upcoming economic backdrop that will play a central role in your hiring strategy for 2022.
HALF OF GRADUATES WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED DOING AN APPRENTICESHIP INSTEAD OF A DEGREE, NEW CIPD REPORT FINDS
Posted on 24th November 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
The majority of graduates (52%) say they would have considered doing an apprenticeship instead of a degree, according to a new report from the CIPD. Yet official figures show a 36% decrease in young people under the age of 19 starting apprenticeships in 2020/21 compared with 2018/19. This continues a long-term trend for a smaller proportion of apprenticeship starts going to young people.
CV LIBRARY SURVEY REVEALS POOR INTERVIEWING IS STOPPING JOB SEEKERS FROM ACCEPTING ROLES
Posted on 24th November 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
The latest survey from CV-Library, reveals that poor interviewer behaviour is stopping job seekers from accepting new roles. With the UK experiencing its highest ever number of job postings and staff shortages, these findings offer guidance to businesses by delving into the types of behaviour that are most off-putting for job seekers.
EMPLOYER CONFIDENCE GROWTH SLOWS MARKEDLY AMIDST UNCERTAINTY
Posted on 24th November 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
The rate of growth in employer confidence in the UK dropped sharply in the three months to October, according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC)'s latest JobsOutlook survey. Business confidence in hiring fell by nine percentage points to net: +13 in August-October, decreasing for the fourth consecutive rolling quarter. With uncertainty growing around rising inflation, continued labour shortages and the increasing spread of COVID-19, confidence in the wider UK economy also fell by 13 percentage points to net: +3. Overall, however, a slightly higher proportion of firms said their prospects were still improving, rather than getting worse.
PEOPLE PROFESSIONALS BOOSTED THEIR SKILLS IN RESPONSE TO PANDEMIC CHALLENGES, ANNUAL SURVEY REVEALS
Posted on 26th October 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Nearly two thirds (61%) of HR and people professionals strengthened their skills - through either upskilling or reskilling - as a result of their organisation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest People Profession survey report from the CIPD and Workday finds.
BACK TO THE OFFICE FULL TIME? I'D RATHER QUIT, SAY 52% OF BRITS
Posted on 17th October 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Research carried out by Momentive, a leader in agile experience management, reveals that 52% of British hybrid workers would leave their job if forced back into the office full time, with 11% saying they would quit on the spot. The pandemic has drastically changed the working landscape, and flexible and hybrid work have become core benefits offered to many UK workers (34% and 44% respectively). Employees are coming to expect more from their employers, with a four-day workweek (42%) and unlimited holiday (41%) chosen as the top two benefits employed UK adults want that they don't already have. Companies looking to entice workers back into the office on a hybrid basis should look to balance their working policies and introduce both those that provide a safe and comfortable working environment in the office, as well as those that provide flexibility to their employees.
JOB ADVERT NUMBERS RISE BY OVER 600,000 SINCE THE END OF AUGUST TO NEW RECORD HIGH
Posted on 17th October 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
There were 2.29 million active job adverts posted in the week of 4-10 October, according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC)'s latest Jobs Recovery Tracker. Growth in job adverts shows no signs of slowing down. The total number of active job postings in the UK has increased by over 600,000 (36%) since the last week of August, including 235,000 new adverts that were posted online last week.
OUTDATED ATTITUDES RISK WIDENING INEQUALITIES IN HYBRID WORKPLACE, THINK-TANK WARNS
Posted on 17th October 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Employers could undo the progress made over the last 18 months and deepen workplace inequalities if organisations fail to override the deep-rooted perceptions of 'office culture', a leading think tank has warned. New research, led by the Work Foundation and the Chartered Management Institute, finds that 'traditional' views of the workplace still stand with managers expecting that access to stretch projects and workplace networks will decrease with remote or hybrid working, and exacerbate already existing inequalities in the workplace.
OVER A THIRD OF UK ADULTS HAVE SUFFERED DISCRIMINATION AT WORK
Posted on 20th September 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
New research into workplace discrimination, commissioned by HR software provider CIPHR, reveals just how widespread employment bias is in the UK. On average, one in six people (16%) report having suffered ageism, one in ten (10%) say they have been the subject of gender-based discrimination (12% of women and 7% of men), and one in twelve feel that they have been on the receiving end of prejudicial treatment because of a disability, their race or sexual orientation (9%, 9% and 8% respectively), at some point in their careers.
3/4 OF UK BUSINESS CONCERNED ABOUT IMPACT OF LABOUR SHORTAGES ON COMPETITIVENESS
Posted on 20th September 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
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The UK's jobs outlook is strengthening, with a net balance of 50% of firms expecting to grow their workforce in the next year. However, around three quarters (76%) of businesses are reporting access to labour as a threat to the UK's labour market competitiveness - the highest proportion since the question was first asked in 2016. Supporting firms to plug the shortages gap in the immediate term is therefore vital. That's according to the CBI and Pertemps Network annual survey - in its twenty-fourth year and with 422 responses.
RECRUITERS CONCERNED LABOUR SHORTAGES ARE PUTTING ECONOMIC RECOVERY AT RISK
Posted on 20th September 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Nine in ten recruiters (88%) say that labour shortages are one of their biggest concerns for the remainder of 2021, while skills shortages are a major concern for two in three (65%). With shortages hitting every sector of the economy and many staffing companies reporting the tightest labour market they've ever experienced, the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) is calling on business and the government to take urgent action to solve the problem.
LATEST OFFICIAL STATISTICS SHOW A SURGE IN VACANCIES TO REACH RECORD HIGH LEVELS
Posted on 9th August 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Responding to the ONS figures, Jonathan Boys, labour market economist for the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, comments: "These statistics continue the positive trends seen in previous releases. Employment increased and unemployment decreased, but both remain shy of their pre-pandemic levels.
DIGITAL RIGHT TO WORK CHECKS EXTENDED TO APRIL 2022 - REC REACTION
Posted on 29th August 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
The Home Office announced that the end date for adjusted digital right to work checks has been delayed again, to 5 April 2022. This follows extensive campaigning by the REC and others, including a letter from the REC to the Home Office urging them to extend the use of digital right to work checks until a permanent digital solution is in place, due to the current labour shortages.
THE FIRST YEAR OF EMPLOYMENT IS CRITICAL FOR LGBTQ+ EMPLOYEES
Posted on 29th August 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
The first year of employment is critical for LGBTQ+ employees, with the vast majority coming out then or likely not at all, according to a new survey and article by Boston Consulting Group (BCG). That conclusion has major implications for companies, as employees who feel comfortable sharing their identity at work are more empowered. The article, titled "Why the First Year Matters for LGBTQ+ Employees" highlights the findings of the Out@Work Barometer, a global survey of about 8,800 people in 19 countries.
NOT ALL RECRUITERS WILL BE 'RETURNING TO NORMALITY'
Posted on 9th August 2021
As lockdown restrictions have become lifted, many companies have been celebrating a 'return to normality'... it's a term we've so heard so often and one that fills us with excitement for the potential it holds for our businesses and the wider economy. But how many recruitment agencies can honestly say their approach was affected by coronavirus restrictions?
NETBOX DIGITAL LAUNCH NEW OFFICE TO EXPAND FROM THEIR KENT-BASED HEADQUARTERS
Posted on 2nd August 2021
Netbox Digital, whom Netbox Recruitment work alongside as part of the Netbox group of companies, have announced a new, additional office location following continued commercial growth from their headquarters in Rochester, Kent. The business's new office will be based at Trumpeter House in Long Stratton, Norfolk as part of long-term growth plan to expand into new areas of the country that offer significant commercial opportunity.
RESEARCH FINDS NURSES TO BE THE MOST RESPECTED WORKERS IN THE UK
Posted on 22nd July 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Research by Totaljobs has found that the pandemic has opened the public's eyes and increased their respect for the professions that society relied upon to keep it moving in the past 18 months. The pandemic has changed the shape of societies, splitting the workforce into 'essential' and 'non-essential' roles. This has shown us the unseen and vital value of jobs that the public may not have realised before.
CONTINUOUS GROWTH IN JOB ADVERTS FOR SKILLED OCCUPATIONS AS RECOVERY CONTINUES
Posted on 21st July 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
According to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation's latest Jobs Recovery Tracker, there were 192,000 new job adverts posted in the week of 21-27 June, giving us a total of 1.55 million active job postings in the UK at the end of June. The data shows that the higher rate of growth in job postings driven by the re-opening of industries that were shut during the pandemic, like the hospitality and leisure sectors, has now levelled off to a steady rate, higher than to the levels we've seen before the pandemic began in March 2020.
ANXIETY SKYROCKETS AS UK PROFESSIONALS PREPARE TO RETURN TO THE OFFICE FULL-TIME
Posted on 21st July 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
A survey by CV-Library has found that the majority (55.2%) of UK professionals feel anxious about returning to work. With over 1,100 responses, the survey set out to understand how workers across the UK truly felt about the impending return work. When asked why they were not looking forward to heading back in the office, UK workers stated the reasons they were reticent to return were as follows:
WORKPLACES FACE EMPLOYEE EXODUS OVER COVID JABS AND HYBRID WORKING
Posted on 20th June 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
A picture of a divided post-pandemic workplace, troubled by fear and mistrust has emerged in a poll of UK managers. The findings of the poll conducted by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) make for a sober read. Almost a quarter of managers (24%) say they would only work with those who had been double jabbed, with Baby Boomers (33%) more likely than Generation Z and Millennials (19%) to say they would only share a working space with colleagues who have received both doses of the vaccine. Just over one in five (22%) of the managers who took part in the poll indicated that they would share a workplace with those who had not been vaccinated or taken a lateral flow test. Of the remaining respondents, 8% of managers were prepared to work with those who had at a minimum received one vaccination and 6% of managers said they did not know.
PHYSICAL RIGHT TO WORK CHECKS COULD DELAY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GETTING BACK INTO WORK EVERY DAY
Posted on 20th June 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Over 300,000 people a week could be delayed in starting work if the Home Office does not continue to allow Right to Work (RTW) checks to be conducted digitally now that the final stage of unlocking has been delayed, according to the REC. Introduced on 30 March 2020, digital RTW checks have allowed employers to hire new staff without having to meet them in person to check documents. This system has kept people safe, saved companies time and resources during the pandemic, and helped slow the spread of COVID-19. It also levelled the playing field between UK and foreign nationals by allowing digital checks for both, rather than just for foreign nationals.
CONFIDENCE IS RETURNING WITH SECTORS SEEING STRONG DEMAND FOR LABOUR
Posted on 20th June April 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Responding to recent ONS figures, Jonathan Boys, labour market economist for the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development comments: "In many ways, these figures confirm what we already know - recovery appears to be in full swing and confidence is returning. Seeing redundancies return to pre-Covid levels suggests that for the bulk of the economy most of the pain has passed. Unemployment continues to fall, buoyed by strong demand for labour, and most industries are showing vacancies above pre-pandemic levels. The 265.5% quarterly growth in hospitality vacancies hints at the strength of the bounce back in some sectors. The struggle to find staff is a boon to some workers and a headache for some employers.
BUSINESS CONFIDENCE SURGES AS ECONOMY OPENS UP
Posted on 27th May 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
In the three months to April, employers' confidence in hiring for their own business rose to the highest level since June 2016, according to new Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) data. The REC's latest JobsOutlook survey found that business confidence in making hiring and investment decisions surged by 15 percentage points from the previous rolling quarter to net: +28, the highest in almost five years.
THE GREAT WORKPLACE RETURN
Posted on 27th May 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Organisations are being urged to listen to employees and seize the once in a generation opportunity to embed flexibility in the workplace rather than lose the lessons of lockdown in a stampede back to the workplace.
JOB OPTIMISM AMONG EMPLOYERS LEAPS TO EIGHT-YEAR HIGH
Posted on 27th May 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
UK employers are the most optimistic about jobs in eight years, according to the latest CIPD/Adecco Labour Market Outlook report. The survey shows that all sectors are experiencing a jobs recovery, alongside an improvement in pay prospects.
BUSINESS LEADERS ARE MORE AWARE OF THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THEIR STAFF THAN EVER BEFORE
Posted on 27th May 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
According to a survey of UK employers from the UK's leading independent job board, CV-Library, three-quarters (74.5%) of businesses feel they're more aware of the mental health of their staff since the first national lockdown on 23rd March 2020.
EMPLOYERS REPORT INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY BENEFITS FROM HOMEWORKING
Posted on 14th April 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
The productivity benefits of homeworking appear to have increased during the pandemic, with employers now more likely to say that the shift to homeworking has boosted productivity (33%) than they were in June 2020 (28%). This is according to new research by the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, based on a survey of 2,000 employers and in-depth interviews with seven organisations in different sectors.
30% OF US ARE WEARING PYJAMAS IN WORK MEETINGS!
Posted on 14th April 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Otter.ai, an AI-powered live transcription and collaboration app, released the results of a YouGov survey it commissioned of more than 2,000 employees in the U.S. and U.K. who have been working at least partially from home since the onset of the pandemic ('remote workers'). The results provide insight into what's really happening in all these Zoom meetings, the effect of these meetings on work-life balance, attitudes about returning to the office and how the corporate world can improve productivity and morale by changing how they hold meetings.
WOMEN REACH 'PEAK EARNINGS' 4 YEARS EARLIER THAN MEN
Posted on 14th April 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Totaljobs has launched a new tool, the Peak Earnings Predictor. Built with Totaljobs' exclusive salary data, it enables people to benchmark their earnings and find out their potential peak salaries and at what age they could achieve them.
ROADMAP FOR LIFTING LOCKDOWN LEADS TO SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN HIRING ACTIVITY
Posted on 14th April 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
The UK government's plan to ease lockdown measures to return to more normal business operations in the months ahead and vaccine progress led to a marked improvement in recruitment activity in March. The latest KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs survey pointed to the sharpest rise in permanent placements for nearly six years, while temp billings growth accelerated sharply. The anticipated upturn in activity once coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions are eased drove the quickest increase in overall vacancies since August 2018.
HALF OF WORKERS EXPERIENCED A REAL-TERMS PAY CUT LAST YEAR
Posted on 23rd March 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Pay growth was far weaker and more volatile last year than official headline data suggests, with half of workers experiencing a year-on-year real-terms pay cut last Autumn, according to the Resolution Foundation's latest quarterly Earnings Outlook.
HALF OF EMPLOYERS DON'T HAVE A FINANCIAL WELLBEING POLICY, DESPITE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF COVID-19
Posted on 22nd March 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Despite the financial hardship wrought by COVID-19, half of employers (49%) don't have a financial wellbeing policy. This is according to the latest Reward Management Survey from the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development. A financial wellbeing policy acknowledges that as income providers, organisations play a vital role in their workers' financial wellbeing. It can be as simple as a commitment to signposting to independent money and debt guidance, offering access to low-interest loans and running pension workshops.
PAY RISES PREDICTED AT 2% IN 2021
Posted on 21st March 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
XpertHR's latest research into private-sector employers' pay intentions for 2021 suggests that last year's reading of lower pay awards and an influx of pay freezes is likely to be repeated. For many organisations, pay reviews over the past year were low priority as the need to protect jobs and ensure the viability of the business took precedence. Over the 12 months to the end of December 2020, XpertHR recorded a median 2% pay award, down from 2.5% over the same period the previous year. One-fifth (19.3%) of all pay awards resulted in a pay freeze, compared to around one in 20 (5.3%) in 2019. Almost all the pay freezes recorded in 2020 affected the private sector.
GARTNER HR SURVEY FINDS MORE THAN ONE-QUARTER OF THE WORKFORCE DESCRIBES ITSELF AS DEPRESSED AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Posted on 21st March 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
A Gartner, Inc. survey of more than 5,000 employees conducted in the fourth quarter of 2020 found that more than one-quarter of the workforce (29%) described itself as depressed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The same survey revealed that nearly half (49%) of employees who reported their organisation offers a mental well-being program participated in it in 2020.
GETTING RECRUITMENT RIGHT BOOSTS UK PRODUCTIVITY BY £7.7BN EACH YEAR - THIS MUST BE USED TO DRIVE THE RECOVERY
Posted on 22nd February 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Professional recruitment and staffing firms increase UK productivity by £7.7 billion each year by using their expertise to get people into the right jobs, new research from the REC reveals. But with only half of Britons (52%) saying that UK companies are doing a good job at recruiting efficiently, there is so much more that could be achieved. The overall cost of a bad hire to a business is estimated to be three times higher than the salary paid, so getting recruitment right has the potential to be huge driver of recovery. In particular, the REC is calling for more UK businesses to drop wasteful approaches and treat recruitment as a critical part of their business success.
UK COMPANIES REPORT STRONGEST EMPLOYMENT INTENTIONS SINCE ONSET OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC, SURVEY SHOWS
Posted on 22nd February 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
UK employers are reporting their strongest employment intentions in a year, the latest CIPD/Adecco Labour Market Outlook shows. The survey's net employment intentions figure, which measures the difference between the proportion of employers expecting to add jobs and those planning to cut positions, rose to +11 this quarter - its highest in a year. This compares to -1 in the previous quarter.
WOMEN WORKING IN UK GARMENT FACTORIES FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE OF COVID-19 THAN AVERAGE WOMAN WORKER
Posted on 22nd February 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Women working in Britain's garment factories are four times more likely to die from Covid-19 than the average woman worker, according to new analysis published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The analysis of official statistics reveals that women sewing machinists have the highest Covid-19 fatality rate (64.8 deaths per 100,000) of any female occupation. This rate is higher than for women working in at-risk sectors like caring, leisure and other service occupations (27.3 deaths per 100,000).
TIME IS TICKING, DON'T DELAY IN DRIVING YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD
Posted on 1st February 2021
Many businesses have decided to wait before making their next hire. After all, there's plenty of things to wait for: we have to wait for the effect of Brexit to settle down, economic recovery from lockdown, a fuller vaccine roll-out, the' new normal' to establish itself, a return to the office for staff, news on new Covid strains, remote on-boarding process adjustment, absenteeism to reduce... that's quite the list of things to wait on! The truth is, many businesses are deciding that now is the best time to hire, for their business objectives and for their recovery strategy.
'ECONOMIC SECURITY TRAP' DRIVING MILLIONS OF BRITS TO WORK WITH COVID SYMPTOMS, RSA WARNS
Posted on 27th January 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Millions of British workers are putting themselves and others at risk of Covid-19 due to inadequate sick pay and pressure from their employers, new research shows. The RSA (royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce) warns that a growing 'economic security trap' - the choice workers face between protecting their income and their health - is contributing significantly to the spread of the virus.
INDUSTRY AND REGIONAL DIVIDE IN JOB ADVERT RECOVERY
Posted on 27th January 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
In December 2020 there were around 1.77 million active job adverts in the UK, an increase of 10.5% on the previous year. A number of factors, including pent-up demand for staff and an increase in the amount of time that employers are leaving job adverts open for, meant that the total number of job postings was notably higher than before COVID-19 hit the UK. However, these figures also show a clear divide in terms of which sectors and regions have been impacted most strongly by the pandemic.
CIPD URGES THE GOVERNMENT TO EXTEND THE FURLOUGH SCHEME AHEAD OF THE BUDGET
Posted on 27th January 2021 - INDUSTRY NEWS
With weeks still to go until the Chancellor's Budget, the CIPD is urging the Government to extend the furlough scheme to protect jobs, support incomes and enhance skills development. Its calls are outlined in a report that the professional body for HR and people development is launching: The Future of Furlough - Recommendations for now and for any future wage subsidy.
