Concerns over city’s unemployed

While our recent pay trends mini survey revealed some positive news about Peterborough and its businesses, the latest statistics regarding unemployment in the area have resulted in concerns being raised.

A total of 6,710 people are currently unemployed, making up for 5.6% of the local population. It is only a slight increase from the figures released this time last year, but one that reflects poorly on the city in comparison to the rest of the region.

Lincoln, Cambridge, Northampton, Grantham and Stamford all reported figures that were more representative of the national rate, which currently stands at 3.9%.

A number of local organisations were contacted to comment on the news, including ACR. Recruitment partner Nel Woolcott spoke with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire on our behalf, talking candidly about why the figures were so high.

Much of the discussion focused on the impact of seasonal roles, many of which will have recently come to an end following the busy Christmas period, as well as the recent influx of people without jobs moving into the area.

We can certainly relate – having had a busy start to the year – but we still have a variety of job roles currently available and have even identified some skills gaps in the market.

In short, we still have something to be confident about in spite of these disheartening statistics. We know that Peterborough is a job creating city, with a 17% increase in the number of new companies being set up within the last 12 months.

We’ll be keeping cautiously optimistic as we continue to work with clients and candidates alike towards a much-anticipated boost in the city’s economy.

What to expect in 2013

January is always a busy month for recruitment in general, and it’s no exception here in the ACR office.

For starters, we've been dealing with a number of instructions from clients who are starting to think about their recruitment needs for the year ahead. Our Recruitment Partners will be working closely with businesses over the next few months as they consider their staffing strategies and employment requirements for 2013.

The local job market also remains buoyant, with a surge in number of CV’s arriving in our inboxes over the past week. This is to be expected however, as many people adopt a ‘new year, new job’ mentality, with ACR staff on hand and ready to help.

As usual, we've been keeping up with the latest news from REC who have released some interesting thoughts on recruitment trends for the year ahead.

Encouragingly, we’ll continue to see a growth in the industry, albeit a slow and steady one. The growth in part-time and temporary work is set to be the most significant – something that the team and I are more than familiar with and will continue to dedicate time and energy to.

Meanwhile, our salary survey continues to go from strength to strength as more and more companies from a range of sectors take part each year.

For 2013, we’ll be teaming up with PAYDATA again to produce an additional interim report in January, with the focus being on pay reviews.

Designed to be a shorter study than the salary survey, it should take no longer than five minutes to feed in the relevant data. The results will give participants an extra insight into what is happening in the local market in order to prepare and plan their 2013 pay reviews more effectively.

If you would like information about taking part in the study, please let us know via email or alternatively call us on 01733 319 888.

Also on the agenda over the next few weeks will be discussions surrounding our Employment Law seminars, held twice a year in conjunction with Hegarty solicitors. If there are any topics you feel it would be particularly relevant to address this year, do let us know.

As we get into the full swing of the new year, I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank all who worked with us in 2012 - we appreciate your custom greatly and look forward to working with you again in 2013.