PERMANENT PLACEMENTS UP FIRST TIME IN A YEAR SAYS REPORT ON
JOBS
JR Personnel are clearly on trend as we saw an exceptional month of permanent placements!
The UK witnessed improved hiring conditions at the end of
the year, according to the latest 'UK Report on Jobs'.
The KPMG/Recruitment & Employment Confederation report, signalled
the first rise in permanent staff appointments for a year, although growth was
only modest. The increase was linked to higher business activity, the green
light to previously delayed hiring plans and the upcoming IR35 legislation
changes. Temp billings also rose slightly at the end of last year.
While growth in demand for staff improved marginally from
November, the rate of expansion remained close to a decade-low and was modest
overall. While permanent vacancies rose at the fastest pace for three months,
growth in demand for temp workers softened since November.
While the rate of deterioration softened since November,
candidate availability continued to decline sharply in December. Recruiters
attributed lower candidate availability to lingering uncertainty and skill
shortages. Permanent staff supply contracted at a quicker pace than that
witnessed for short-term workers.
Across the country, permanent staff appointments rose in
London, the Midlands and the North of England, but fell further in the South of
England. Increases in temp billings were recorded across all four monitored
areas, with the Midlands witnessing by far the steepest rate of growth.
Permanent vacancies increased in eight of the 10 sectors
monitored by the survey in December, with the steepest increases seen in blue
collar and engineering. However, retail registered a further marked fall in
demand for permanent workers.
Hotel & catering topped the rankings for temporary staff
vacancies in December, followed by blue collar, while the only sectors to
record lower demand for short-term staff were IT & computing, retail and
executive & professional.
Commenting on the findings, REC CEO Neil Carberry said:
"After the uncertainty of 2019, there are some signs of a clearer outlook for
hiring in today's survey. With a new government in place and the path ahead
looking more predictable, some businesses have decided that they have waited
long enough. The first increase in permanent placements for a year should give
encouragement to both recruiters and employers – let's hope this is a sign of
positive things to come.
"Feedback from recruiters shows that the upcoming IR35
changes are affecting both placements and the availability of flexible workers.
This is a delicate period for the jobs market, and is the worst time to push
through sweeping changes to the way we tax contractors. It is right that
government engages further with business on the changes, but they should also
delay implementation until next year to allow time for a full, independent
review and effective regulation of the umbrella sector. As it stands, the
government risks damaging ethical businesses and encouraging non-compliance."
Get to know us: Juliette Ridewood - MD and founder of JR Personnel
The reason we are all here, the founder of JR Personnel, meet our wonderful MD Juliette Ridewood.
What is your position at JR Personnel? Managing Director
How long have you worked at JR Personnel? Since I started JR Personnel in its current form in 1993!
What do you enjoy most about your role? Really changing a candidate's life by finding them a new challenging role, giving the intiial news that they have been successful and been offered that dream role gives me the most amazing job satisfaction.
What do you see as a big challenge in recruitment and how do you resolve this issue for candidates/clients?
The constant rapid changing face of recruitment - although this can sometimes be challenging we always give the best possible service to both client and candidate by our reliability, honesty and listening to their specific needs. We are passionate about getting it right first time and having the courage to say we may need more time to get you the right recruitment solution.
Professional & educational background?
Fellow of the Institue of Recruitment Professionals and the University of Life
Unusual fact or story? I love tap dancing!
Greatest Achievement either personal or professional? I trekked with my daughter Natasha on the unrestored Great Wall of China raising £18k for Kidney Research!
Happy New Year from all of us at JR Personnel!
A New Year often means new starts for many of us which is why it’s no secret that January and February are the most popular and busiest months of the year for job seekers and employers alike.
For candidates the first two months of the New Year is a great time to be applying and interviewing for a new job. You’ll find that January is the time of year when the greatest number of decision makers are in office so you’re more likely to get a speedy response from sending your CV in for a role or for an interview. For many companies, new hiring budgets come into force in January so all those roles which were put on the backburner in November and December are finally getting recruited for!
If you’re a candidate looking for your next step this New Year here are a few tips to help make the process more efficient and smoother.
1. Make your CV work for you
January is often a time for reflection and making new resolutions and that old cliché of “New Year, New Me”. That means that whilst you have made the decision to start afresh and look for a new career, potentially so have many others which is why it’s vital that you make your CV stand out from the rest. Simple tasks such as ensuring your CV is spell-checked and your employment history is listed chronologically (most recent role at the top) will make your CV easier to read by potential future employers.
2. Be Prepared
So you’ve done the hard part of getting your CV noticed and you’ve been invited to interview; don’t fall at the final hurdle by not preparing properly for the interview. You can find handy hints and tips for the interview process on our website here: https://www.jrpersonnel.co.uk/career-advice and finally, remember: research, research, research! The more knowledge you have on the hiring company the more equipped you are to succeed at interview stage.
3. Don’t assume it’s in the bag
If you’ve gone new-start-crazy in January like so many do and applied to lots of different roles it may be that you are waiting to hear back from several positions at once. If you’re offered a position and it’s not your 1st choice, think long and hard about if it’s an opportunity you can afford to miss out on – so often we see candidates delay their response to a job offer because of this and end up missing out altogether. Employers will lose faith and confidence in candidates who take time to respond to job offers.
Starting a New Year is a good motivation for starting along a new path in life but can seem a little daunting at times. That's why JR Personnel are here to help and take the stress out of job hunting and recruitment for you. We pride ourselves on being an approachable, friendly agency who can offer advice and guidance in a professional and confidential environment. Register your CV with us online now or call the office on 01509 211 211 if you would like to speak to a member of staff.