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Flexible working options 'to become more common in recruitment sector' PDF Print E-mail
Flexible working options 'to become more common in recruitment sector' Flexible working options may become more popular with both employers and workers in roles like finance jobs in London in the near future as such practices can offer people a route back into permanent employment, new research suggests.

The ongoing effects of the global economic downturn have had a negative impact on the jobs market in the City of London and throughout the rest of the UK, but official figures published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) earlier this week could indicate that the sector is on the road to recovery.

According to the ONS, the number of people unemployed in Britain fell by 20,000 in the three-month period up to August of this year, which could be taken as a sign that fluidity is returning and recruitment prospects across the country are improving.

Nevertheless, further cuts - on top of the £6.2 billion planned savings before next April - are expected among analysts when chancellor George Osborne presents his comprehensive spending review later this month, which could have a knock-on effect on the nation's jobs market.

However, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's (REC) latest JobsOutlook report has stated that many employers in the UK are now seeking to expand their temporary agency workforce in both the short and medium terms, meaning that such flexible working opportunities could provide jobseekers with "a stepping stone back into employment".

The organisation - which has more than 14,000 members in total across the country - points to data such as its own recent Report on Jobs, which was conducted alongside KPMG, to show that the demand for new staff among organisations in Britain continues to grow in the aftermath of the global economic downturn.

In further positive news for the recruitment sector, the JobsOutlook found that some 85 per cent of companies across the country are planning to maintain or increase their number of agency staff in the near future - a figure representing an improvement on the results in the previous survey.

Meanwhile, more than a quarter - 26 per cent - of all respondents to the REC indicated that they would be looking to expand their workforce over the coming 12 months, with a further 67 per cent stating that their staff numbers would remain static.

With the majority of these new positions seemingly likely to become available on a short-term basis as companies attempt to steadily get back on their feet following the recession, it appears the flexible working - which may involve practices such as operating from home - will become more common in the UK.

Roger Tweedy, director of research at the REC, stated that the results of his organisation's report demonstrate "the important role of flexible working models as a vital resourcing option for UK businesses".

"Some encouragement [for the jobs market] can also be drawn from a slight drop in the number of employers planning headcount freezes or more redundancies," he added.

Also, over half - 54 per cent - of companies in the private sector have indicated that they believe any spending cuts made in the October 20th review will have little or no impact on their business strategy.

Posted by Mary King
 ADNFCR-3012-ID-800119585-ADNFCR
 

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