QUEEN’S SPEECH IS ‘REASSURING’ FOR THE RECRUITMENT INDUSTRY

Leading industry bodies have breathed a collective sigh of relief in response to the last Queen’s Speech ahead of next year’s general election. Matters discussed in the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday were as expected, revealing some positive news for recruiters and UK businesses.

Plans outlined by the Government on pensions, zero hours and National Insurance contributions all demonstrated a step in the right direction and have been welcomed by professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).

The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill proposes to make life easier for small business starts ups, giving them fairer access to financial support as well as a share of the money spent on public procurement contracts. Measures to reduce bureaucracy will also be taken, and transparency around business ownership will be strengthened through the introduction of a public register of beneficial shareholders.

This corporate ownership bill should help to crack down on rogue traders, by increasing the fines on employers who abuse national minimum wage, and lengthening the time period for which they can be disqualified.

Exclusivity clauses are to be banned in order to make zero hours contracts much clearer for the employee. Such a ban has been declared as the most appropriate solution to the concerns raised, as it focuses specifically on poor practise as opposed to discrediting flexible work altogether.

It is nevertheless necessary, with a recent CIPD survey showing that nearly half of zero hours workers have had scheduled work cancelled without any forewarning, while a quarter say that even when their primary employer doesn’t have hours available, they are prohibited from finding work elsewhere.

Conversely, levels of job satisfaction amongst zero hours workers are comparable to that of the average UK employee – a stat that is regularly used in defence of the contracts. We blogged about this back when the debate at its peak, you can find it here.

The Modern Slavery Bill aims to help businesses be aware of and report on activities across their whole supply chain by insisting on a top down management process. This will work in cohesion with a wider, simplified criminal system in order to secure more convictions and make the protection of victims a main focus.

The National Insurance Contributions Bill will focus on the self-employed in particular by simplifying the collection of class 2 NICs. Powers will be given to Revenue and Customs to enforce payments in cases of tax avoidance, along with the introduction of rules to ascertain which arrangements are designed to avoid, and which are to minimise payments.

Terry Scuoler, chief executive of EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, welcomed the policies what he said were "a number of pro-growth and pro-work policies".

He said: "The government must now keep momentum going for the next 11 months and not stall just as the economy is beginning to motor.

"It is also essential that the legislation proposed does not load any extra burdens on to employers, or remove their ability to recruit and employ in a flexible way to suit their business."

The skills vs experience debate

Ask any recruitment consultant to tell you what common conflicts exist in the industry, and finding a balance between skills and experience is a likely answer. Google the two words and you’ll find a wealth of articles and blogs asking the same question, which is more valuable to a recruiter?

According to a recent survey by XpertHR, experience wins out in the HR world, with close to 90% of respondents claiming it was experience that helped to advance their career. General business knowledge was also listed as an important factor in securing entry-level positions, over and above that of academic qualifications.

Professional qualifications however were heavily championed, with 75% of polled HR professionals feeling that a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) qualification was a prerequisite for promotion. Associated membership and fellowship status was equally encouraged, with only 15% saying they were not associated with any professional bodies.

Here at ACR we are firmly committed the continuous professional development of all our team members. We understand the value in equipping staff with the right knowledge and skills to progress within our ever-evolving industry, working closely with clients to promote and implement the same principles within their organisations.

2013 in review

As at the end of every year, the team here at ACR look to the media and to the industry’s professional bodies to see if their findings and forecasts match with what we have experienced in the past 12 months locally here in Cambridgeshire, as a good indication of what we can expect from 2014 both locally and nationally.

We have seen a steady growth in positive stats and figures coming from in-depth reports and surveys concerning employment levels undertaken by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The REC’s end of year JobsOutlook survey shows that the number of employers planning to take on more permanent staff early next year is up nine per cent on 2012. Better news still for the temporary and flexible workforce, which benefits from a 17 per cent rise (to 47 per cent) in employer interest and engagement.

Confidence in the economy generally is also growing, with small businesses in particular demonstrating good faith. Many believe this is largely due to the changing attitudes in consumers and their increasing willingness to spend money, invest in a product and/or buy into a brand.

The Office of National Statistics also brings good tidings for the close of 2013, reporting the lowest level of unemployment in the UK for four years and the highest number of job vacancies for five years. Even more encouraging is the fact that the East of England reported the lowest unemployment rate of just 5.6 per cent compared to other areas.

This officially puts our county at the top of the employment ladder nationally. Having successfully placed many candidates this year, we are both delighted and unsurprised by this statistic. Locally, our employers are showing increased optimism in hiring new workers and keeping remuneratively competitive – as demonstrated by our salary survey results released in October.

All of the above can only mean good news for the world of recruitment as we get ready for the year ahead. January is always traditionally a busy time for jobseekers and agencies alike, but we will strive as ever to maintain and sustain the positive, confident and resolute attitude adopted by so many when a new year comes around.  

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients and candidates for choosing to work with us in 2013, and look forward to doing so again next year.