Unemployment has risen to 2.2m but there could be signs,that the economy is bottoming out.
Over the past year unemployment has increased by nearly 600,000, with the number of people claiming benefits reaching just over 1.5m.
National statistics show there were 455,000 job vacancies in the first quarter this year, which is 233,000 less than the same period last year.
Also there are signs of wage cuts, pay freezes and short time working.
However there are signs that the economy is bottoming out with the increase in jobless numbers now reducing month on month. In March there was an increase of 57,000 people out of work, compared with 74,000 in April. I would say this is a small green shoot in terms of a sign of a recovery.
CBI’s director-general Richard Lambert was more optimistic about the rate of recovery by saying that the UK is well positioned to come out of the recession more quickly than our European counterparts.
With the sterling being so devalued, the export market should pick up and the fact that the UK has a flexible work force means we can react quickly in the market. There was also an air of caution in terms of the amount of public spending going on to stabilise the economy.
In all this there seems to be a view that many are looking at the road to recovery rather than the recession deepening. Hopefully the recovery will be quicker than initially thought, for the jobless especially it is essential they speak to recruitment agencies who have access and an understanding of the job market.
Nursing is a rewarding and dynamic job. That covers many skill sets and offers a real career in an interesting field.
This is the message that the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) want you to hear. There is currently a concern over the perception of Nursing as a real career with the young people and the RCN have warned that there could be a recruitment crisis if this view is not changed.
Over the course of the next 10 years it is estimated that 200,000 nurses will retire and when they do, will there be enough new recruits? Well a poll done by the union showed that only 1 in 20 Seven to Seventeen year olds thought Nursing was a possible career choice. This is a very low number and comments such as the sight of blood, were reasons given why they would not consider a job in this field.
The RCN wants to show how rewarding a career in Nursing can be and hope that there message will get out there to prevent a crisis. If you want to find out more information then it is always good to speak to Nurses recruitment agencies and speak to a consultant that will have knowledge in this field.
You may remember the article I did called The Recruitment Industry Survey where each month the REC in conjunction with KPMG report on the state of the UK Recruitment Market by asking 400 recruitment agencies certain analytical questions.
In April we see a further improvement in job market indicators. The indicator works on the basis that if the figure is over 50 then it indicates a growth, if it is below 50 it indicates a decline.
Permanent placements rose to 37.3 in April compared to 33.5 in March. Temporary placements billed for, rose to 38.90 in April compared to 35 in March. These figures represent the lowest decline in 7 months.
However you still have to bear in mind that this still indicates a decline, just a slower one. The indicators are still worse than any time in the last 11 years. What we could be seeing though with this month’s figures is that recruitment agencies are slowly finding the floor with placements and in the near future we hope to see a positive turn in these indicators.
