Search Results for: uk talent market

Employers face increasing challenge in finding the right person for the job warns CIPD

Employers face increasing challenge in finding the right person for the job warns CIPD

Employers face increasing challenge in finding the right person for the job warns CIPD

Employment prospects in the UK are improving, as the number of vacancies in the UK economy remain well above historic average levels, but the CIPD is warning that employers’ demand for skills and labour may not be met by supply. The latest Labour Market Outlook from the CIPD and The Adecco Group shows that employers’ near-term employment expectations have risen to a five-year high. This continued growth in demand for labour, while highlighting employer optimism, is set to lead to a further tightening of the UK labour market for employers, making it harder for them to find the skills and labour they need. Almost two-thirds (61 percent) of employers in the survey said that at least some of their vacancies are proving hard to fill.  By comparison, just over half (56 percent) of employers reported that they were currently having difficulty filling vacancies in their organisation during the same period in 2017. In response, more than a quarter (28 percent) said that they are raising wages to tackle their recruitment difficulties. The report authors also suggest that offering staff more flexible work and collaborative spaces could help with recruitment and retention.

(more…)

Manchester incubator aims to develop region’s strength in tech and research

Manchester incubator aims to develop region’s strength in tech and research

Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) has opened its new £2m tech incubator which it hopes will help create up to 2,000 jobs in data science and technology innovation companies over the next decade. Reflecting the ambitions of the updated Greater Manchester strategy to build on the city region’s strengths in technology and digital innovation, the incubator will provide start-ups with a wide package of business support services including: access to finance, talent and markets advice. Manchester is already a European top 20 digital city and this new incubator is designed play a role in strengthening the city’s status as a location for technology businesses over the coming years.

(more…)

IFMA finally announces plans for new facilities management chapter in United Kingdom

IFMA finally announces plans for new facilities management chapter in United Kingdom

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has approved a petition for the formation of a regional chapter within the United Kingdom. Talks about the chapter have been ongoing for some time. The people behind the creation of the new chapter claim it will offer facilities management (FM) professionals ‘direct localised support that taps into the global industry in ways not currently available in the UK market’. The formation of the chapter, which joins 136 IFMA chapters across more than 100 countries, comes at a time when IFMA, through its collaboration with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), is driving formation of practice standards via the International Organization for Standardization and working to more tightly integrate FM with the larger built environment industry. Details of the collaboration can be found at define.fm.

(more…)

Quarter of workers say job negatively affects their mental health and a third feel overworked

Quarter of workers say job negatively affects their mental health and a third feel overworked

Quarter of workers feel work negatively affects their mental health, finds CIPD report

One in four workers (25 percent) feel their job negatively affects their mental health, while nearly a third (30 percent) say their workload is too high, according to a brand new report from the CIPD, the UK Working Lives survey. Although the survey found that two-thirds of workers (64 percent) were satisfied with their job overall, one in ten (11 percent) report regularly feeling miserable at work. More than a quarter (28 percent) of senior leaders say that they find it difficult to fulfil personal commitments because of their job, while over a quarter (27 percent) say that their job does not offer good opportunities to develop their skills, jumping to two in five (43 percent) among unskilled and casual workers. Focusing on the three main groups in the labour market, those at the lower levels are far less likely to have access to skills and training, those in middle management feeling significantly squeezed by their workload and those at the top find it difficult to maintain a work/life balance.

(more…)

CIPD to co-chair Government’s flexible working task force

CIPD to co-chair Government’s flexible working task force

The CIPD has been invited to co-chair the UK Government’s new Flexible Working Task Force. The task force has been established by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to promote wider understanding and implementation of inclusive flexible work and working practices, bringing together policy-makers, employer groups, Unions and employee representative groups, research groups and professional bodies.  (more…)

A growing number of employers are driving demand for independent professionals

A growing number of employers are driving demand for independent professionals

A new industrial revolution is underway, with almost every organisation on the frontline. Executive leaders, notably HR Directors, are grappling with what this means for the structure and design of their companies and the composition of their people. Changing business models, new technologies to access people, skills and capabilities, are common threads, with widespread implications for workplaces. With more people working remotely, flexi-time and on contract, designing workspaces, for instance, has become more challenging. Economic challenges impact every business and reduce appetite for investment, notably in permanent full-time staff. But scratch below the shared surface and every situation is different.

(more…)

Enter the MIPIM bandwagon, towed by pink elephants

Enter the MIPIM bandwagon, towed by pink elephants

The old adage “once you spot a bandwagon, it’s probably too late to jump on” was certainly true at this year’s MIPIM if only for the increase in journalists sent by the national press (allegedly) hoping to catch a glimpse of men behaving badly and weaving tales of excess. Whilst the message of  #TimesUp was heard loud and clear in the property world after the recent expose at the Presidents Club, the reality is the hedonistic opulence actually came to an end in 2009 after the global crash. That was the year that the property market realised they needed to do things differently and it was the beginning of putting people first. But it takes time for thoughts to turn to actions and reality, and a number of senior women that I spoke to observed that what we are now seeing are results of change and a drive to continue that change.

(more…)

Fifth of employees think the stated core values and vision of their company do not reflect reality

Fifth of employees think the stated core values and vision of their company do not reflect reality

Fifth of employees don't think their company's core values and vision reflect the reality

Over a quarter (27 percent) of employees in the UK feel their organisation’s vision or values have too much corporate jargon and almost one in five (18 percent) say they don’t reflect what the company is actually like, claims a new survey. Research by Rungway found that more than half (52 percent) of employees can’t recite their organisation’s vision, and nearly half (49 percent) can’t recite their organisation’s values. Two in five (39 percent) also said they wish they had more involvement in contributing to their company’s vision and values. Among demographics, men (45 percent) are more likely than women (32 percent) to want to be involved in contributing to the company’s vision or values than women, and those aged 25 to 34-years-old are the most likely to be able to recite their company’s vision and values (both 64 percent). That said, they are also the most likely (31 percent) among age groups to say the vision and values have too much corporate jargon.

(more…)

Employers support post-Brexit immigration system that tackles skills and labour shortages

Employers support post-Brexit immigration system that tackles skills and labour shortages

Employers support post-Brexit immigration system that tackles skills and labour shortagesDemand for labour is likely to remain relatively strong in the near-term which is one of the main reasons why employers support a national approach to tackling the UK’s skill and labour shortages post-Brexit, in comparison with a regional or sectoral one. According to the latest quarterly Labour Market Outlook from the CIPD and The Adecco Group the preference for a national labour or skills shortage occupation scheme reflects the main reason given by organisations for employing EU nationals, which is that they have difficulty finding local applicants to fill lower skilled roles, as cited by 18 percent of employers. The national survey of more than 2,000 employers found that the relative majority of employers (41 percent) would prefer a UK-wide immigration system that is based on national labour or skill shortage occupations in the likely event of migration restrictions once the UK leaves the European Union. In contrast, around one in ten (13 percent) favour a sector-based policy and just 5 percent would back a regional policy.

(more…)

Skills gaps will increase this year and shortages will worsen following Brexit, predict employers

Skills gaps will increase this year and shortages will worsen following Brexit, predict employers

Skills shortages to increase this year and get worse following Brexit, predict employersHalf of employers believe that Brexit will worsen the UK skills gap and nearly a quarter (23 percent) believe that Britain is not prepared to compete on the global stage, which will become even more important following the UK’s exit from the European Union in 2019. These are the findings of a research paper entitled “Solving the UK Skills Shortage” from Rober Walters, totaljobs and Jobsite which claims that almost two thirds of employers (65 percent) believe that they will be negatively impacted by skills shortages in 2018, with this shortage predicted to be most acute at junior and mid management level according to over half (52 percent) of employers. According to the research, employers may have to look to different industries to find the transferable skills that are essential to grow. This means that there will be more opportunities for skilled candidates to use their knowledge and experience in different sectors, providing them with new challenges and opportunities in industries that they may not have considered before.

(more…)

HR teams are not sufficiently prepared to meet the fourth industrial revolution

HR teams are not sufficiently prepared to meet the fourth industrial revolution

HR teams are not sufficiently prepared to meet the fourth industrial revolutionMost people who work in HR now recognise how essential technology is for delivering more strategic value to their organisation, but a new report suggests that HR teams are not prepared to meet the fourth industrial revolution. A survey from ADP and IDC across eight countries in Europe found that over a fifth (22 percent) of Human Capital Management (HCM) processes are still inputted manually. Equally alarming, was the lack of communication between HR teams and IT departments, with 28 percent of respondents claiming that IT is only somewhat involved in HCM solution decisions, and 3 percent claiming it plays no role at all. Yet despite a significant number of respondents revealing that IT departments are not closely aligned with HR, the research pointed towards a shift in the attitudes of HR experts. When asked which new technologies they find increasingly important, 68 percent said end-to-end integration of all HR and talent systems and 64 percent said HR dashboard and analytics were very or extremely important. What’s more, 56 percent said social or collaborative features were also very important.

(more…)

Skill shortages and currency weakness contribute to three year low in economic confidence of SMEs

Skill shortages and currency weakness contribute to three year low in economic confidence of SMEs

Skill shortages and currency weakness cause three year low in economic confidence of SMEsConcern amongst small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) regarding the current economic climate fuelled by worries over a Brexit-related skills shortages, is at a three-year high, according to the latest Zurich SME Risk Index. It now sits at 56.38, indicating almost a 2 percent rise in perceived risk since Q1 2016 (55.43), and more than 3 percent higher than in October 2016 (54.55). SMEs attitudes towards economic growth, presently sits at a four-year low – with just two in five (40 percent) businesses confident that the UK economic situation will improve over the next 12 months. Similarly, the results regarding SMEs attitudes towards the international trade environment, reveals concern regarding overseas competition and currency rate fluctuations being at its highest in four years at 45.49. Equally, workforce challenges, namely the availability of skills and talent, is also an increasing concern for smaller businesses. Two in five (40 percent) SMEs now see workforce challenges as a major concern for their business; a rise of 8 per cent since October 2016, indicating that political issues are a major influence on the current attitudes of business owners in the UK.

(more…)