REC survey: 94% of employers will hire over next year

News Article - 01 March 2010
Category: Business

Employers' confidence in the economy is growing, leading the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) to predict an increase in recruitment and a slowdown in staff layoffs over the next year. An REC survey reveals that 94% of employers expect to maintain or increase their workforce in the next 12 months. In addition, one in four employers plans to hire temporary workers.

The news will be welcome both to business and the British workforce who have struggled during the economic downturn. Many companies have been forced to lay off staff due to decreased demand, whilst others offered employees unpaid holidays or reduced working hours in order to limit outgoings and increase profit margins.

Current employment statistics suggest the economy is still relatively fragile, with 1.65m claiming unemployment benefit in January, an increase of 23,500. This is the largest increase since July last year. In addition, the number of people currently in work fell by 12,000. However, there are signs the economy is improving, with the same statistics showing that unemployment fell 3,000 to 2.46m in the three months to December 2009.

As the economy recovers slowly, business operations will need to evolve to cope with increased demand and better financing. As resources become stretched, employers may look to increase their workforce to help the company compete for market share in the competitive post-recession climate. Temporary and contractual worker appointments will rise as companies look for short-term solutions to solve resource deficits.

Robust infrastructure will become essential if companies are to survive the short term pressures, such as hiring new staff members, which the post-recession climate may bring. Access are advising UK businesses to consider implementing a business software solution to better facilitate the administrative aspects of operational changes as the market picks up.

With regards to workforce changes, Access Payroll & HR software tracks and integrates with the recruitment process, from vacancy creation through to actual hire. Powerful monitoring features help filter applications for relevant criteria, reducing the resources needed for recruitment and saving money in the long-term.

For more information, please call Access on 0845 345 3300.

Article keywords:

---

More industry news

• Think tank warns UK may have already slipped back into recession
• Growing demand for HR staff in technology and international sectors
• Boosting business growth a ‘priority’ to avoid Eurozone slowdown
• HMRC launches alternative disputes pilot scheme this week
• December employment statistics disregard gloomy recruitment predictions
• Eurozone manufacturing PMI shows modest improvement
• UK scores highly for economic governance by ratings agency
• Government launches two-year project focusing on manufacturing sector
• Burden of regulation on UK businesses ‘too high’

Back to news home page »