August « 2011 « Go To Recruitment Employment Blog

30/08/2011

Nick Clegg stresses the importance of High-tech firms

Recruitment agencies would have enjoyed the endorsement Nick Clegg gave to the high-tech industry in light of Sheffield’s pro active approach.

ITM Power is developing a hydrogen fuel based system for vehicles which is attracting considerable interest. The technology will hopefully be used to eventually power vehicles with the resulting fumes being steam and hence eco friendly.

Nick Clegg said that manufacturing cities like Sheffield are instrumental in rebuilding the economy and high-tech companies such as ITM power offer us this opportunity.

The managing director of IT power reiterated the exciting times for their company, with vehicles running on their products having the ability to travel up to 400 miles, rather than the less than impressive 100 miles on electric cars.

I see this as good support for this industry, I believe any type of innovation is an attempt to improve our ways of living and hopefully make things cost effective for the end consumer as well.

Filed under: recruitment agencies — Goto @ 12:27

22/08/2011

NHS spending £16m on hiring costs

Healthcare recruitment agencies are in the spotlight again as reports have come out saying the NHS have spent £16million a year on recruitment fees for senior executives.

The astonishing figure included a payment of £111,000 to headhunting agencies to fill a chief executive post, which was eventually recruited from within. The amount being paid out seems strange, especially as one of the promises of the Government was to reduce wasteful bureaucracy.

In the midst of all this, it is the hospitals that are suffering with many frontline staff losing their jobs, again something the government said would not happen. In fact over the last 3 years £50 million has been spent on recruitment, which could have obviously paid for number of operations and treatment.

I of course promote what recruitment agencies do and encourage organisations to use their services. The blame I feel is not with the recruitment agencies but in this instance the NHS, yes use agencies but you have to use them wisely. If you use a headhunting firm, let them get on with their job, it sounds like multiple agencies are being used to fill the same roll and all on retained packages, effective if you use 1 agency, expensive if you use multiple. I do think the figures could be exaggerating certain truths however I think whichever way you look at it, this an awful lot of money being spent in an area that was singled out as an area to reduce spending.

Filed under: healthcare recruitment agencies,recruitment agencies — Goto @ 10:20

15/08/2011

Scottish jobs on the increase

The bank of Scotland compiled a report based on 100 recruitment agencies and the results showed further positive news within the job market.

The bank reported a 10^th consecutive month of growth, there was a rise in both permanent and temporary vacancies, with Aberdeen showing the strongest growth.

The sentiment although positive is still met with cautious remarks, with the banks chief economist Donald MaCrae stating that these job increases will be hard to maintain in the current climate especially with the sovereign debt that exists in the eurozone and the slowing of the US economy.

I would agree with Macrae in this instance as the last few weeks have demonstrated how hard it is to maintain growth, the stock markets showing massive drops only adds to the volatility that exists around us.

Filed under: recruitment agencies — Goto @ 10:16

08/08/2011

Men paid more

Many employment rules will be changing which could have adverse effects on the job market and many recruitment agencies are taking note.

Employers are being forced to accept a more flexible workforce and allow fathers to be, to have more time off to look after their newborn. The idea is for men to be more proactive at home and women having the opportunity to return to work.

The problem within the legislation is how it attempts to address the pay differential between men and woman, which currently stands around 20% more. The government has proposed if there is any pay discrimination then there would be extra consequences, such as pay audits. These audits are not cheap and can cost anywhere up to £20k which could put certain pressures on the employer. This could just result in most cases being resolved outside of court as a cheaper alternative and hence not really a deterrent and does not properly analyse the employer as complying with their duties.

It is of course a sensitive subject as men and women doing the same role should be paid equally and measures have to be brought in to ensure these employers comply. However sometimes I feel legislation is just added to appease the people without really addressing the issue at its core.

Filed under: recruitment agencies — Goto @ 12:26

01/08/2011

Recruitment agencies wary of decline in growth rate

Recruitment agencies are wary of how the economy is growing with a reduction from The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) to an expected 1.3% growth in 2011 this was from an original 1.9% target.

The reasons for this have been put on many uncertainties and factors outside of the UK’s control. Events such as the Japanese tsunami and higher commodity prices, issues relating to the US’s debt ceiling and the EU’s political and economic stance, have all contributed to a precarious time that many businesses are unsure in which direction we are heading.

The CBI still believe that the GDP will grow by 2.2% in 2012 and hopefully this is sign that stability will kick in and a solid trade contribution. In recruitment terms, this has been demonstrated by many recruitment agencies feeling the pinch within their sector, except for engineering recruitment agencies which are showing an increase in the number of vacancies.

Filed under: Engineering Recruitment Agencies — Goto @ 14:09