October 1, 2019

Tech skills now more important than maths and science say business leaders

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Workplace

More than two-thirds (68 percent) of British businesses think that acquiring tech skills such as coding trumps the importance of more classic subjects such as maths and science. The research, from tech job board CWJobs, also claims that 71 percent of businesses urge candidates to learn tech specialisms in order to futureproof their careers. Active jobseekers should take note of skills that can push them to the top of the hiring list, with eight out of 10 (80 percent) business leaders revealing candidates having a tech specialism is an important factor in their future hiring decisions across any job sector. More →

September 30, 2019

Artificial intelligence to drive the next generation of jobs

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology

The uptake of artificial intelligence by businesses will transform the UK job market in the near future and will create around 133 million new jobs worldwide. The findings come from a new report called Harnessing the Power of AI: The Demand for Future Skills (registration) from recruiter Robert Walters and market analysts Vacancy Soft. More →

September 30, 2019

Flexible workspace makes up a third of London property deals

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Over the past year, flexible workspace made up over a third of of commercial property transactions in London despite only making up around 6 percent of the total office supply in the UK capital, according to a new report by The Instant Group. More →

September 27, 2019

Older workers will drive long term success of firms

by Neil Franklin • Business, News, Wellbeing, Working lives

Older workers are essential for the success of firms

Organisations that actively leverage the abilities and experience of their older workers will be best positioned for the future of work, according to Mercer’s report Next Stage: Are You Age-Ready? (registration). The importance of being “age-ready” is underscored for both businesses and economies by the impact of the twin forces of a rapidly ageing labour force coupled with an uncertain global economic growth rate, the report argues. More →

September 27, 2019

Triangulum smart cities project reaches completion

by Neil Franklin • Cities, Environment, News, Technology

Manchester at heart of new smart cities programme

The €30 million award-winning Triangulum project is drawing to a close as the participating cities in the pioneering project begin to share the first results from the five-year long future smart cities programme. Triangulum is one of 14 European Smart Cities and Communities Lighthouse Projects funded by the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme Horizon 2020. More →

September 26, 2019

Workers remain sceptical about open plan and shared space

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace design

Despite a seeming shift towards companies embracing more collaborative workplace environments across Europe, the benefits of ‘hot-desking’ and open plan working seem to still be contentious for many workers. With this in mind, Savills, in association with YouGov, has conducted a survey of 11,000 office workers across the continent to understand just What Workers Want. More →

September 26, 2019

Workplaces should change to entice people back into them

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace design

A n example of the new generation of great workplaces

A new report published jointly by Instant Group and Area addresses the issue of how ensure workplaces address the physical, technological and personal needs of the growing number of people who have a choice about where they work. The report explores what employers can do to ensure that the workplace is still a place where people want to be. More →

September 26, 2019

Working mums feel trapped by lack of flexible working

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

mothers feel trapped by lack of flexible working

Despite the fact that all UK employees have the right by law to request flexible working options once they have been at a company for 26 weeks, more than three-quarters of working mothers feel trapped in their current job because they worry about finding another with enough flexibility, a new survey from workingmums.co.uk claims. In the poll of more than 2,000 parents , 80 percent of mothers said they felt stuck in their current role because they didn’t feel confident they would find another one with the amount of flexibility they needed. The majority of mothers (57 percent) said their career had not progressed since they had children. More →

September 25, 2019

Firms remain committed to wellness programmes

by Neil Franklin • News

A new report from Deloitte claims that 78 percent of employers are looking to invest in workplace wellness programmes in the next three years, citing the main benefits as reducing employee inactivity (32 percent) and improving talent retention (25 percent). However, according to the Deloitte Corporate Wellness Segment many businesses struggle to create meaningful, worthwhile programmes that meet the needs of their entire workforce. Additional challenges for employers include yielding ROI and measuring the effectiveness and value of such programmes. More →

September 25, 2019

Firms turn to temp staff to acquire digital skills

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

As well as using contingent staff to help them become more agile, research from recruitment consultancy Robert Half UK claims that over three quarters (76 percent) of employers are turning to the temporary market to aid their digital transformation efforts. More →

September 25, 2019

Firms shift to contingent work to stay agile, report claims

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Around a quarter of firms worldwide and mid-sized companies are shifting permanent roles to contingent work positions this year to remain agile, according to a report from Randstad Sourceright. The quarterly Talent Trends study (registration), based on responses from executives, HR managers and other professionals across 17 markets worldwide, claims that businesses are using gig and freelance workers to fill formerly permanent positions. More →

September 24, 2019

Employment of mothers shapes working lives of children

by Neil Franklin • News, Working culture

working lives of mothers serves as role model for children

A new report from the IZA Institute of Labor Economics claims that working mothers serve as role models for the working lives of their children, especially their daughters. The report suggests that while the inter-generational correlation of labour market outcomes has been a subject of interest among both academics and policymakers for a long time, much of the literature has focused on the correlation of earnings. The new report argues that not only is the potential to earn transmitted across generations but also the willingness to work more generally. More →