Search Results for: labour market

Pay levels are falling but job market remains robust, despite Brexit relocation plans

Pay levels are falling but job market remains robust, despite Brexit relocation plans 0

The UK economy is about to be hit by a fall in basic pay awards and real wages warns the CIPD, which has found that employers’ median basic pay expectations in the 12 months to March 2018 have fallen to 1 percent compared to 1.5 percent three months ago, which is lower than at any time during the past three and a half years. The findings from the latest CIPD/The Adecco Group Labour Market Outlook survey are consistent with recent Labour Market Outlook reports, which have indicated a slowing in the rate of basic pay growth, and with official labour market data. The report also found that 12 percent of private sector firms say the UK’s decision to leave the European Union has led them to consider relocating some or all of their business operations abroad. Popular relocation destinations include the Republic of Ireland (18 percent), Germany (17 percent) and France (13 percent).

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Brexit leads to ‘softening’ of employment market, claims CIPD survey

Brexit leads to ‘softening’ of employment market, claims CIPD survey 0

BrexitThe UK’s decision to leave the EU has resulted in a softening in hiring intentions and businesses should invest in skills immediately, according to the latest CIPD/Adecco Group UK & Ireland Labour Market Outlook. The report is based on employer sentiment in the two weeks before and after the EU Referendum and claims that employers surveyed ahead of the vote were somewhat more optimistic about hiring intentions than those surveyed afterwards. It suggests that the proportion of employers expecting to increase staffing levels over the next three months dropped from 40 percent pre-Brexit to 36 percent following the vote. The net employment balance, based on the difference between the share of employers expanding their workforce and those reducing it, dropped from +21 pre-Brexit to +17 post-Brexit. However, the fall was significantly sharper among private sector employers, with the post-Brexit employment balance declining to +25 from +39.

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Worldwide BIM market to reach US$11.54 billion by 2022, claims report

Worldwide BIM market to reach US$11.54 billion by 2022, claims report 0

BIMAccording to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research Building Information Modelling (BIM) Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2015 – 2022, the global BIM market was worth US$2.76 bn in 2014 and is expected to reach US$11.54 bn by 2022, expanding at a CAGR of 19.1 percent from 2015 to 2022. North America was the largest market for BIM in 2014. Growth in this region is expected to be driven by increases in construction activities and the penetration of cloud-based services for BIM software. BIM is a tool used to visualize the design of buildings in 3D. BIM also helps in attaining estimates of various other factors, such as cost implementation, time requirement, labour requirement, raw material provision, and other key prerequisites in the construction industry. Management of the entire construction lifecycle can be simulated by BIM.

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Lack of flexible working options is distorting the job market for women

flexible working womanUK employers and their female employees are missing out on a range of opportunities because of their failure to implement better flexible working arrangements, according to a report from The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). The report examined flexible working across Europe and found that while significant progress had been made in the UK, nearly two thirds (64 percent) of working women are unable to vary their working hours and a quarter (25 percent) claim it is difficult to take one or two hours from their day at short notice. The report claims the pent up demand for such working arrangements restricts employment opportunities for women compared to men, means more women are working in jobs below their skill level and creates the conditions for extensive underemployment.

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Labour demand growing, but many employers prefer to increase hours not people

Employment experts give cautious welcome to job increase figuresThere was a fall in unemployment of 18,000 to 2.49 million from March to May of this year according to the latest figures published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Between June and August 2013 the unemployment rate dropped from 7.8 per cent to 7.7 per cent, with a slight rise in total pay of 0.7 per cent. Although the news was welcomed by employment experts, Nigel Meager, Director of the Institute for Employment Studies pointed out that while employment increased by 0.9 per cent in the last year, the number of hours worked in the economy grew faster; and CIPD Chief Economist Mark Beatson commented that there is no sign yet that increased demand for staff were leading to higher wages. (more…)

Video: A new kind of job market, or the commoditisation of work?

At a TED talk delivered in London at the end of 2012, Wingham Rowan, project director of Slivers-of-Time, a ‘work marketplace’, says that websites such as his are thriving by bringing together what he terms ultra-flexible workers with employers to deliver short periods of work on specific tasks. The question is: whether this is a valuable tool in providing flexible work opportunities for appropriate people or the most advanced example we yet have of how labour is increasingly commoditised, casualised and disposable?

Working from home means official government stats are too flawed for economic forecasting

Working from home means official government stats are too flawed for economic forecasting

A new independent review has sharply criticised the Office for National Statistics (ONS), warning that widespread working from home is undermining the quality of UK economic dataA new independent review has sharply criticised the Office for National Statistics (ONS), warning that widespread working from home is undermining the quality of UK economic data, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph. The review, led by Sir Robert Devereux, a former senior civil servant, highlights how current working practices are weakening the agency’s ability to deliver accurate and timely statistics. Despite mounting concerns, many ONS staff continue to work from home full-time, with internal resistance to returning to office-based routines. (more…)

Workplace AI doesn’t appear to be having a negative effect on wellbeing for now, research suggests

Workplace AI doesn’t appear to be having a negative effect on wellbeing for now, research suggests

A new study published in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports offers a cautiously optimistic view of how artificial intelligence is affecting workers’ wellbeingA new study published in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports offers a cautiously optimistic view of how artificial intelligence is affecting workers’ wellbeing. Contrary to common fears, the research finds no clear evidence that AI exposure is harming workers’ mental health or job satisfaction. In some cases, it may even be contributing to small improvements in physical health, particularly among workers without a college degree. (more…)

Turns out that hybrid working is indeed the new normal. For a minority of people

Turns out that hybrid working is indeed the new normal. For a minority of people

A new analysis from the Office for National Statistics confirms that hybrid working is now the dominant form of flexible work for many people in Great Britain.A new analysis from the Office for National Statistics confirms that hybrid working is now the dominant form of flexible work for many people in Great Britain. The figures, which cover the period from January to March 2025, show that 28 percent of working adults now combine home and on-site work on a regular basis – the highest proportion recorded since the ONS began monitoring hybrid working patterns. This compares with just 9 percent who work exclusively from home and around 55 percent who are permanently based at a single workplace. The remaining proportion are made up of those with no fixed place of work or whose work locations vary, such as mobile or site-based roles.
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Resistance to change is holding the UK back, report suggests

Resistance to change is holding the UK back, report suggests

There is a growing culture of resistance to change across the UK workforce, particularly among women, older employees, and public sector professionals.It used to be said that the UK was a nation of lions led by donkeys. Now it would appear that the country has become as stubborn as mules at every level. The new survey from Right Management claims there is a growing culture of resistance to change across the UK workforce, particularly among women, older employees, and public sector professionals. (more…)

Meh. Generative AI in the workplace is delivering modest returns that don’t match the hype

Meh. Generative AI in the workplace is delivering modest returns that don’t match the hype

the use of generative AI chatbots has so far delivered only modest gains in productivity and almost no increase in pay or reductions in working hours for employeesA new study by the US-based National Bureau of Economic Research has cast doubt on the immediate transformative impact of artificial intelligence in the workplace, finding that the use of generative AI chatbots has so far delivered only modest gains in productivity and almost no increase in pay or reductions in working hours for employees. The working paper [restricted access], authored by economists Anders Humlum and Emilie Vestergaard, used detailed Danish employment data to assess the real-world effects of AI adoption across 7,000 workplaces and 25,000 workers, focusing on white-collar roles most susceptible to automation—such as accountants, IT support staff, journalists, HR professionals, and software developers. (more…)

Employer confidence falls to record low as UK employers face rising costs and uncertainty

Employer confidence falls to record low as UK employers face rising costs and uncertainty

The number of UK employers expecting to increase headcount in the next three months has fallen to a record low outside of the pandemicThe number of UK employers expecting to increase headcount in the next three months has fallen to a record low outside of the pandemic, as they grapple with rising employment costs and growing global uncertainties. This is according to the latest Labour Market Outlook report from the CIPD, which shows that the rate of employers expecting to increase headcount has fallen sharply among large private sector employers, and in retail in particular. In response, the CIPD is urging the government to closely consult with employers and business bodies to limit the potential impact the Employment Rights Bill could have on employer’s hiring plans as businesses face mounting external pressures. (more…)