In your corner: REC Campaigns and Policy news - 10 March 2022

It’s been just over two weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the impact has been felt across the world with the UK and others imposing further sanctions on Russia. On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed a jam packed House of Commons in truly Churchillian style. The events in Ukraine in recent weeks have been devastating and impacted each and every one of us, but we’ve been so inspired by the wonderful initiatives and support of our members. In addition to fundraising, the REC has set up a dedicated Ukraine hub, where members can find useful resources on how to help.   

Education Agencies:  Invitation to Tender for new CCS framework open 

The invitation to tender for the new CCS framework is open until 3pm on 18 March. This is for the framework for schools due to take effect from July this year. Information on the tender process and how to submit a bid can be found on the government's Find a Tender and Find a Contract services. 

Mandatory vaccines for healthcare staff to be revoked from 15 March 

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed that mandatory vaccines for healthcare staff will be scrapped from 15 March. The announcement came following a week-long public consultation on the topic, where 90% of the responses supported the removal of the legal requirement for healthcare staff to be fully vaccinated. 

Under previous measures, care home staff working at CQC-registered organisations were required to be fully vaccinated in order to hold a patient-facing role in England. All frontline NHS England staff were also due to be required to do this from April – this has now been reversed. 

Education Sector Webinar 

Our next sector group webinar for education is taking place at 1pm on 22 March with guest speakers from the Department for Education (DfE) discussing the recent call to arms for supply teachers’ as well as speakers from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) team at the Home Office offering updates on the latest and upcoming changes to the DBS system. This is also an opportunity for members in the sector to hear relevant legal and campaigns updates, including information on right to work checks, statutory sick pay, and the latest COVID-19 guidance. You can register for the webinar here.  

Made with Care - DHSC and DWP’s national recruitment campaign for adult social care  

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) have launched a national campaign Made with Care to help recruitment businesses attract the right candidates into social care. The sector-focused campaign aims to raise the profile of the adult social care sector as a rewarding and stimulating industry and to support the existing recruitment efforts being delivered by employers and agencies. The government has produced a range of campaigns and communications materials for businesses to distribute, from email templates to leaflets and social media copies. REC members operating in the sector can find out more here and download the campaign toolkit.   

EPC welcomes Shadow Minister for Business and Industry 

We held our first hybrid meeting for the Employment Policy Committee (EPC) of 2022 earlier this week and were delighted to welcome Bill Esterson MP, Shadow Minister for Business and Industry. Bill talked to the group about Labour’s upcoming Industrial Strategy and set out how the party plans to work with businesses. We also heard from the CBI who provided a labour market overview, and suggested areas for engagement in 2022, including the upcoming Spring Statement, the Queen’s Speech and the review of the Shortage Occupation List. We’re expecting Labour’s Call for Evidence on the Industrial Strategy to open in September – so this was a good, early opportunity to inform their thinking. 

International Women’s Day – Break the Bias 

On Tuesday, we celebrated International Women’s Day, calling for gender equality, and a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. Our Deputy CEO, Kate Shoesmith shared her thoughts on how we can ‘break the bias’ in the workplace and our Ambassador for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Scarlett Allen-Horton spoke about the ways in which recruiters can promote inclusivity. We want to take this opportunity to wish a very happy International Women’s Day to all the incredible women in and out of the recruitment industry.  

Two new pilot employment initiatives to empower women at workplaces  

On International Women’s Day, the Minister for Women Baroness Stedman-Scott announced two new schemes to improve employment opportunities for females and break down gender barriers. Starting with a group of participating employers, the government will urge businesses to include salary range on job adverts and refrain from asking for salary history, as this can make it harder to reduce salary gaps. The government will also launch a new returners programme which aims to support females into STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers by providing training and employment support for those with gaps in their CVs.  

Join the REC’s legal team for Legal and Compliance Matters Webinar 

On 30 March, the REC legal team will be hosting a webinar to provide an essential industry update. They will be discussing the new Digital Right to Work checking system, coming into force from 6 April and explaining what you can and cannot do under the Conduct Regulations. The team will also discuss other changes coming in April, including new legal requirements on providing PPE to workers and handling the National Insurance Contribution increase. The agenda will also cover compliance matters, how to drive high standards in the recruitment industry, the common pitfalls and how to avoid them. To sign up to the webinar, please click here. 

Upcoming event on IDVT – gauging member interest 

At the end of April (date TBC) two of our business partners, Amiqus and JMW will be hosting an event on IDVT, explaining the legal requirements, outlining how the technology should be implemented and everything in between. If you’re interested in attending, please email Charlie on charlie.collier@rec.uk.com who will send further details, once confirmed.    

Media & Research Corner  

The REC’s new Labour Market Tracker was published on Friday and found growing numbers of job adverts in every local area and every occupation type in the country. The report was covered by Bloomberg, Personnel Today and Business Live, as well as being mentioned in the Sunday Times. 

The KMPG and REC’s latest UK Reports on Jobs signalled a further marked increase in hiring activity during February. Notably, total candidate availability declined at a sharp and accelerated rate that was the quickest since last November. At the same time, vacancy growth picked up to a three-month high. A combination of robust demand for workers and low supply led to further upward pressure on rates of starting pay.