JobsOutlook: Employer Confidence Rises but Skill Shortage Worries Remain

 New data from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) shows that businesses have become more confident in their ability to hire new staff.

The REC’s latest JobsOutlook survey shows that employers’ confidence in making hiring and investment decisions has increased by ten percentage points from the previous rolling quarter. It has returned to positive territory for the first time since October 2019 and sits at a net figure of +7.

Demand for permanent staff also remains high, both in the short and medium term, at net: +21 and net: +26 respectively. Businesses are looking to expand their workforce after months of uncertainty and delay.

However, half (49%) of employers of permanent staff are already worried about finding enough candidates to fill their permanent vacancies. These worries are especially pronounced in sectors like health and social care and construction – industries where the government’s new immigration policy will have serious negative consequences for allowing labour into those sectors.

Tom Hadley, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the REC, said:

“Businesses across the country have grown more confident since the election. With more certainty about what lies ahead in the short term, many have taken the opportunity to start hiring again. Now that demand for staff is on the rise and the majority of employers have little or no spare capacity in their workforce, staff availability is the major challenge. 

“As a result, last week’s immigration policy announcement has worried many employers. Sectors like healthcare, construction and logistics currently rely on workers from overseas, and are already facing labour shortages. Although the government might refer to these roles as ‘low-skilled’, they are highly important – not just for employers but also for patients, consumers and existing staff who are already overworked. We need a temporary work visa that allows businesses to hire the people they need at all skill levels and pay grades.”

Other key data points from the latest JobsOutlook include:

• Demand for temporary agency workers fell back into negative territory this quarter. Large employers especially have become more negative about hiring temps, perhaps due to the administrative burden of the upcoming IR35 changes.

• More employers highlighted the importance of agency workers for responding to growth (up from 57% to 69%) and for managing organisational change (up from 54% to 68%) compared to a year earlier.

• Seven in ten (71%) employers who hire agency workers said that it is important that their recruitment agency partners provide information on how to manage your temporary workforce as a service.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

JobsOutlook is produced by the REC in partnership with Savanta ComRes. Savanta ComRes interviewed 601 UK employers involved in hiring by telephone between 4 November 2019 and 28 January 2020. Data were weighted to be representative of UK adults in employment by region, broad industry sector and public/private split. Savanta ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Data tables are available at www.comresglobal.com.

For more information, contact the REC Press Office on 020 7009 2157, 020 7009 2192 or pressoffice@rec.uk.com. Outside of regular office hours, please call 07702 568 829.

Click here to view all REC press releases.

The REC is the voice of the recruitment industry, speaking up for great recruiters. We drive standards and empower recruitment businesses to build better futures for their candidates and themselves. We are champions of an industry which is fundamental to the strength of the UK economy.

Find out more about the Recruitment & Employment Confederation at www.rec.uk.com.