Grounds For Optimism - Economic Indicators suggest slow recovery is continuing

The latest JobsOutlook survey from the REC shows that employers are cautious about jobs growth for 2010 as political uncertainty helps dampen immediate job prospects.

The REC Confidence Barometer moved up 3 places in March, reaching it’s highest evel in the last year.

• Nearly 1 in 5 employers expect to take on more temporary staff in Q2 2010, and 1 in 3 will do so in the next year.
• More employers are also planning to increase their permanent workforce inthe short and medium term.
• Moves from temporary to permanent roles, assumed to be a positive sign for employment, have reached a new high on the REC’s score.
• About two thirds of employers still do not know which political party will do more for jobs growth if elected to government

Findings also suggest some of the specific attributes that employers are looking for from new recruits. Top of the list?

• Communication and interpersonal skills.

Impending Election: What would be the impact?

Which political party do you think would create most jobs if elected?

The date of the election was not known during the period of the survey (responses from January to March are averaged here) but it was clearly inevitable. Employment has not (yet?) become a central issue for the election, a curious aspect of the political scene given that more than 2m voters are jobless. Nearly two thirds of employers do not know which party will do more for jobs, but so far the Conservatives hold a slight edge in terms of confi dence from employers.

The charts and graphs illustrate some of the key findings of this quarterly report.

What impact have recent economic changes had on your workforce in the UK?

In the next 3 months, do you think that your organisation’s permanent workforce will
increase or decrease?

Which of the following skills and capabilities are most urgently needed among the new permanent staff that you are, or have been recruiting, in the last year?

About the REC

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) is the association for the UK’s £22.5 billion private recruitment and staffing industry with over 9,000 corporate and individual members.

JobsOutlook is based on a monthly survey of employers undertaken by independent market research agency Market Shape. Results are based on a sample of 200 employers each month and presented on a three month rolling basis (600 responses). The survey is structured to reflect representation across all sectors and size of organisation that use agencies to meet their temporary, contract and permanent staffing needs.

Analysis and commentary is provided by the Cordoba Group, a consultancy specialising in HR, recruitment and organisation management.

Last update : 02-05-2010 18:25

Keywords : REC Monthly Employer Tracking Survey March 2010, REC, Recruitment and Employment Confederation, jobs, UK jobs, Cordoba Consulting Group

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