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Latest in the Region: EMEA

52% of all employment is done by key workers

A new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) has called for countries to improve the working conditions and earnings of key workers who were essential during the COVID-19 crisis. The report, World Employment and Social Outlook 2023: The value of essential work, highlights the extent to which economies and societies depend on key workers, yet they are undervalued.

Key workers can be found in eight main occupational groups and in the 90 countries where data was available, 52% of all employment is done by key workers. However, on average, key workers earn 26% less than other employees, with 29% of them being low paid. The report recommends greater investment in physical infrastructure, productive capacity, and human resources of key sectors, among other recommendations, to ensure the continuity of essential services during future pandemics or other shocks.

Gilbert F. Houngbo, ILO Director-General commented: “Healthcare workers, supermarket cashiers, delivery workers, postal workers, seafarers, cleaners, and others supplying food and necessities continued to perform their jobs, day in and day out, even at the height of the pandemic, often at great personal risk. Valuing key workers means ensuring that they receive adequate pay and work in good conditions. Decent work is an objective for all workers but it is particularly critical for key workers, who provide vital necessities and services both in good times and bad.”

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49% of organisations in the GCC currently offer remote or hybrid working

Hays Middle East, part of Hays plc, the global workforce solutions and specialist recruitment company, has released its latest Salary Guide 2023 for the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC). The guide provides comprehensive salary data for over 400 roles across 13 industries across the region, with the latest workforce trends based on expert insights and the analysis of a survey of over 2,000 employers and professionals.

The guide has revealed that despite global disruptions, the GCC has remained stable, with continuous investment and diversification leading to a buoyant labour market in 2023, creating new jobs across multiple sectors and geographies in the region with this being exemplified by 85% of employers planning to recruit permanent employees. However, with 45% professionals looking to change organisations, greater competition for the best talent is to be expected.

Employers can leverage flexible working options to counter competition

Hays believes that offering flexible working options is a viable way for employers to counter the fierce competition. The guide shows that while only 49% of organisations in the GCC currently offer remote or hybrid working options, 20% of employers anticipate that employees will be required in the workplace more. Professionals place work-life balance and flexible working as a top priority when looking for a new job.

Addressing the skills dissonance is vital for future success

According to the report, employers and employees in the GCC have different perceptions of talent availability within their organisations. The guide indicates that while 82% of employees firmly believe they have the necessary skills to fulfill their role in 2023, only 35% of employers strongly agree they have the talent needed for the coming year. Employers and employees must work together to address this disconnect to ensure success in the future.

Growth on the horizon for Technology and Industrial Sectors, plus accelerated Emiratisation

The guide highlighted that technology remains the most active industry sector for hiring, with 77% of organisations increasing their headcount last year, thanks to consistent local and foreign direct investment in focus areas such as data, cyber security, and cloud solutions. Despite uncertainty in the global Technology sector, growth in the GCC continues at pace. Indeed, 88% of employers plan to recruit permanent employees in 2023.

In Saudi Arabia, the industrial sector is expanding at an exponential rate. With the Kingdom poised to take further advantage of its abundant natural resources and central geographical location, industrial diversification into new products and materials will lead to a focus on talent with experience, technical skills, and operational knowledge.

In the UAE, almost one in two (49%) of employers will ramp up their hiring of UAE national citizens this year as they work to meet Emiratisation quotas and diversify their workforce.

Sarah Dixon, Managing Director of Hays Middle East commented: “2023 promises to be a prosperous year for the labour market and the GCC in general, with new jobs being created across multiple sectors and geographies in the region through investment initiatives from a multitude of sources. The Hays GCC Salary Guide 2023 provides valuable insights for both employers and professionals, helping them navigate the recruiting landscape of today and stay competitive for tomorrow.”

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Sweden has most women in leadership roles

Findings from a survey conducted by Reboot Online have revealed that Sweden is the best European country for women to work in while the UK was ranked 12th.

Reboot SEO Agency found that the UK has the highest number of women in leadership positions of all the European countries studied, taking into account wage equality for similar work and estimated income – that’s 317 active-duty leadership positions in 2022. However, the data revealed a disappointing 11.6 paid full weeks of maternity leave which equals a score of 6.9/ 100 for the UK.

The Reboot Online survey also showed that Sweden is the best European country offering the best work opportunities for women in 2023, with a combined total of 241.4 points out of a possible 300. It is unsurprising that Swedish women thrive in the workplace, as the data showed that there are plenty of opportunities for women in leadership positions (93.1/100) which equates to 13.8 fewer points than neighbouring country Norway in third place.

Following in second place was Finland with a combined score of 227.6 out of 300, 13.8 fewer points than Sweden. Finland scored 86.2/100 points for women in leadership positions and economic opportunity. That equated to 65.5 more points for women in leadership than Estonia in seventh with 20.7 out of 100 for this category.

In third place is Norway with a combined total of 213.8 points out of a possible 300, 6.8 more points than Lithuania in fourth. The data showed that the country offers 39.9 full paid weeks of maternity leave, which gave them a score of 55.2/100, equal to the maternity leave in Finland.

Turkey is the country with the least economic opportunities for women

In last place is Turkey, scoring 31 points out of a possible 300. Despite its poor performance, the country surprisingly earned more points for women in leadership (27.6/100) than countries known to champion gender equality, such as Austria (13.8/100 points).

Naomi Aharony, CEO and Co-Founder at Reboot SEO Agency commented: “The overall results have suggested that there is some progress in terms of gender equality in the workplace in Europe. Norway, Finland and Sweden ranked highly, indicating that there are some improvements being made. Although, the disappointing positions of European countries such as Austria and Czech Republic reaffirm that the progress towards gender parity remains slow in Europe.

Although it is good to see some advancement, women still face numerous challenges when it comes to gender equality in the workplace that involves not only the wage gap, lack of leadership representation, government incentives and work-life balance.”

Full report can be found at https://www.rebootonline.com/

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This totals 5% of its workforce

Dell has announced plans to lay off 5% of its workforce, or about 6,650 employees, according to an SEC filing.

The cuts at Dell come as demand for PCs and laptops has slowed globally. Global shipments of PCs were down 28% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to industry analysts at IDC. Computer shipments at Dell fell 37% for that same period, while competitors Lenovo, HP and Apple were down 28%, 29% and 2%, respectively.

Shares of Dell closed down 3% Monday.

In a memo to employees, Jeff Clarke, Co-Chief Operating Officer at Dell, said the cuts were made in an effort to “stay ahead of downturn impacts.” He said the moves Dell had already implemented, like limiting travel, pausing external hiring and reducing outside services spending, were no longer sufficient.

Clarke said: “Unfortunately, with changes like this, some members of our team will be leaving the company. There is no tougher decision, but one we had to make for our long-term health and success.”

As of Jan. 28, 2022, Dell had 133,000 total employees, according to a company filing with the SEC. In the memo to employees, Clarke said Dell has navigated economic downturns before, and “emerged stronger” as a result.

“We will be ready when the market rebounds,” he wrote. But this is cold comfort for those who have lost their jobs.

The company’s layoff announcement marks the latest round of job cuts in the tech industry, as PayPal on Tuesday announced plans to cut 2,000 jobs. In January, Google revealed plans to lay off more than 12,000 workersMicrosoft disclosed plans to cut 10,000 employees and Salesforce announced plans to lay off 7,000 workers.

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Gender pay gap also remains an issue in the workplace

A new report by team building company Wildgoose revealed that 27% of women have pregnancy discrimination as a key concern in the workplace, highlighting the need for UK businesses to address their policies and culture.

The 2022 Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace Report found that women are significantly less likely to state that their workplace is inclusive. Only 75% of female employees believe their workplace is inclusive, compared to 88% of male employees.

The areas of inclusion that companies need to focus on differ regionally. The report found that discrimination against pregnancy in the workplace, for example, insufficient maternity/paternity allowances, was most common in the East Midlands (35%).

The report surveyed employees from 133 UK workplaces, asking whether their workplace is an inclusive environment, where their organisation could improve, and whether they have experienced discrimination or inequality at work.

The report also revealed that almost one in five female respondents had experienced discriminatory behaviour in the workplace. A further 13% said their companies did not deal with the issue. Clearly, there are real flaws in the culture at many UK workplaces, where efforts are not being made to help women feel respected and safe.

Another cause for concern is the gender pay gap. More than a quarter of employees said they know they or a colleague receive less salary than someone else in the same position. Twenty-nine percent of female respondents said they experienced pay disparity in the workplace, compared to only 25% of males.

Pay inequality is more prevalent in London. The report found that employees in the North East are most likely to receive ‘pay parity’; however, 20% of people in the North East were aware of instances in their company where salaries were unequal.

Pay parity is vital in creating an inclusive workplace, whereas unequal pay causes employees to feel unrecognised for their work.

Jonny Edser, Managing Director at Wildgoose, commented: “With a potential recession around the corner, businesses will be looking to optimise performance as much as possible. One way to do this is by making sure they’re a meritocracy, where people can make the most of their abilities and rise regardless of their gender or background. By combating discrimination, they’ll also be creating a more harmonious working environment and higher job satisfaction.”

 “With so many workplaces suffering from inclusivity issues, it’s important that companies make efforts to bring their people together. We know how effective social activities can be in forming bonds between colleagues and creating a level playing field. And that has to be the aim: to make employees realise they’re all equal.”

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More than a quarter a seeking help to cope with stress

Financial worries are top the list of factors affecting workers’ productivity. This is according to a new survey conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The survey revealed that almost one-third of workers (approximately 8.2 million people) said they experienced low work productivity due to financial concerns. A further 31% said that they expect a similar scenario within the next year. With the country facing a massive cost of living crisis, these figures are no surprise.

According to the study, 20% of the British public (13.4 million people) were already living in poverty in 2020/21, with 7.9 million being working-age adults. The projections were also not positive. The New Economics Forum estimates that by December 2024, 43% of UK households will not be able to afford a decent standard of living.

The survey found that 40% of workers have experienced physical and mental strain due to their financial pressures a further 32% lose sleep. In addition, a quarter of respondents reported feeling depressed.

For those who are affected mentally:

  • 26% are seeking help to cope with stress
  • 20% expect to speak to a mental health professional or receive counselling
  • 19% plan to seek advice from their GP

The mental health crisis in the UK is growing, with the waiting list for mental health patients at a record 7.2 million and a waiting time of 47 weeks, according to data from October 2022.

The British public are looking for appropriate pay increases to deal with soaring prices. The respondents were asked to choose a suitable increase from 1% to 12%.

34% said a 5% pay rise sounds ‘about right’

34% felt the same about a 10% rise

People who voted for Tories in the last election found 5% to be fair (41%)

People who voted for Labour said 10% would be appropriate (43%)

Retired Brits also agreed with the 5% rise (35%)

Jonathan Merry, CEO of Moneyzine.com, commented: “The figures paint a grim picture, but also show how much employers need to rehash their duty of care policies and refine their outreach to struggling employees. Although limited in their power, firms need to keep their ends up to support their workers in these testing times.”

Read the full article here.

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HR Tech market is predicted to grow to $39.9 billion by 2029

The fourth annual campaign for Europe’s TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards has been launched and recognises innovation, excellence and growth in the HR Tech and RecTech industry.

Alex Evans, Managing Director at TALiNT Partners commented: “Talent tech continues to enable the transformation of HR and Recruitment as both employers and recruiters adapt to the changing expectations of candidates, clients and their own employees. The value of the global HR Tech market is predicted to grow to $39.9 billion by 2029 – but who will lead the market and drive innovation?”

“The TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards shine a spotlight on the best solutions for employers and recruiters to enhance service and experience for candidates and contractors. This campaign recognises excellence across a spectrum of awards with a judging panel comprising buyers, investors and advisors from across the talent ecosystem to make it an award worth winning.”

The 2022 winners included Bright Network, Sonovate, Sova Assessment, Paiger, HireVue, Worksome, Eli Onboarding, Pixid, Talos360, Mercury and Eightfold AI (see who won which award and why here).

Georgios Markakis, Managing Partner at Venero Capital Advisors also commented: “Venero is proud to partner with the TIARAs and once again sponsor the Champion of Champions Award to showcase Work Tech solutions which exemplify innovation, value and impact.”

Despite high inflation and recession fears, $19.4bn was invested in HR/Rech in 2022 – the second-best year for the sector according to research from Venero Capital Advisors – with 132 deals in Europe, UK & Ireland.

Ken Brotherston, CEO of TALiNT Partners said: “The alumni of finalists and winners of the TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards represent challengers, disruptors and transformers across a spectrum of business growth, from high potential, early-stage start-ups to scaling SMEs and established market leaders. They have validated game-changing innovation and excellent customer service with solid case studies and testimonials.

“This year we will once again celebrate the Talent Tech Stars who are championing innovation in different parts of the talent ecosystem and enabling employers and recruiters to adapt and transform. Our judges will look for good financial performance, well-executed innovation, customer service that goes beyond the norm, the best return on investment in people and profit with purpose. They will also look at their ambition, vision and the change they are championing.”

The judging process for the TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards is designed around the expectations of buyers and investors, based on key performance metrics, case studies and testimonials. Our impressive and influential panel of judges from companies including LinkedIn, ManpowerGroup, Optima Corporate Finance, AMS, and Reed Talent Solutions will follow our rigorous judging process to decide the winners in 14 categories.

The entry deadline for the 2023 awards is Friday 21st April with finalists announced in early May. This year, winners will be announced at a black-tie gala dinner on Thursday 29th June at the Montcalm, Marble Arch, in London.

To find out more about this year’s award categories and to start your entry, visit https://talenttech.tiara.talint.co.uk/.

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Mexican labor reform decreases agency work volume of business by 80%

The regulatory outlook for the staffing industry remains negative for the next six months in 13 countries, according to the World Employment Confederation’s recently released Staffing Executive Regulatory Outlook report. The impact changes in regulation are expected to be neutral in seven countries and positive in four.

Overall, the staffing industry anticipates regulatory changes to have a positive impact in the Netherlands, Spain, UK and Italy.

The report noted following the Mexican labor reform implemented in September 2021, agency work is no longer allowed in Mexico, decreasing the volume of business by 80% compared to the situation before the reform. However, agency work can continue operating in “specialized services” falling outside the core activity of the user company.

In Europe, the expected negative regulatory changes include:

  • A new regulation on the maximum length of an assignment in Sweden.
  • A new regulation on statutory sick pay and pensions in Ireland.
  • Discussions and possible regulation on the overall protection of agency workers covered by collective labor agreements in Germany, linked to the EU Court of Justice proceeding.
  • Discussions on the use of agency work in the healthcare sector in both Denmark and France.
  • A new law entering into force in Norway on maximum length of assignment and a regional ban in the construction sector.

The biannual poll includes responses from executives of 24 different national staffing federations. It was conducted in October.

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New look shifts focus to frontline workforces

South African fintech company, SmartWage, known for pioneering the ‘on-demand pay’ model in South Africa has rebranded. The new brand aims to re-establish the company’s commitment to making HR and Payroll easier for companies with deskless employees.

Now called Jem, the organisation helps employees take advances without getting into a payday debt cycle. This comes off the back of accelerated company growth, an evolving product line and a renewal of their ambitious vision.

Simon Ellis, Co-Founder and CEO of Jem said: “We gave ourselves the literal name ‘SmartWage’ when our core focus was on our on-demand pay product, but after listening closely to our customers for the past two years, we realised that there was a need for so many other HR and Payroll products that satisfied the unique needs of companies with frontline employees. So we built those products – like our Payslips system which lets you send payslips to employees over WhatsApp. Our product range and ambitions outgrew the SmartWage brand. We needed a name that could reflect both who we are today and our long term vision.”

About Jem

Jem was founded in May 2020 by Simon Ellis and Caroline van der Merve. They started out offering financial wellness products to employers, including on-demand pay and financial education, and now give employers the ability to do much more. Over the past 12 months, Jem has cemented its status as the market leader for HR and Payroll Systems for companies with deskless employees. It has grown exponentially, with an eight-times increase in its user base and companies like KFC, Edgars, Defy Appliances, Mukuru, and Twizza are using their systems. This growth is a clear indicator that companies of all sizes with deskless employees are starting to acknowledge that enterprise software built for office-based employees does not suit the needs of their deskless workforces.

Caro van der Merwe, Co-Founder and COO commented: “In the world of HR, most processes are still done manually. Existing software like SAGE, Workday and Oracle are missing the ‘last mile’ of HR: connecting with deskless and distributed workers. What we see is that day-to-day, most large companies that employ deskless workforces haven’t found a way to digitally communicate with their employees, so despite plenty of HR & Payroll software, much of their processes remain paper-based. If we can save employers time and money through digitisation, helping them communicate clearly, efficiently and dynamically with their employees we can add real value to their operations.”

The numbers tell the same story. 90% of deskless employees don’t have or don’t use email, but 97% of formally employed people in South Africa use WhatsApp. In a country where the majority of people have less than five apps on their phone, it makes sense to leverage an existing distribution channel to help employers automate many of their HR processes. This is the fundamental reason why Jem uses WhatsApp to send payslips, process leave requests, manage salary advances and communicate with frontline employees.

Simon explained the origin of the name: “Since announcing the rebrand the most common question has actually been around our name. The oldest form of long-distance communication is through drums. They were used for centuries to connect people in faraway communities. The most well-known ‘talking drum’ of them all is the Djembe. Our name comes from the middle of that word. Connecting the office with its faraway, deskless employees is at the heart of what we do, and our new name is a constant reminder of our purpose.”

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Over 200 recruitment leaders attend live gala dinner at The Grosvenor in Dubai  

Winners of TALiNT Partners’ TIARA Recruitment Awards MENA 2022 were revealed at a Gala Dinner at The Grosvenor in Dubai yesterday, attended by over 200 CEOs, senior executives and leaders from the region’s top recruiters. Held in the glittering Windsor ballroom at the Grosvenor Hotel, the finalists arrived to a red carpet welcome for the drinks reception.   

Ken Brotherston, CEO at TALiNT Partners commented: “If last year’s recruitment market was all about resilience, then this year is all about maximising opportunities.” The MENA region is booming and there has never been such a shortage of talent, and that in itself is the biggest challenge for our industry. Clients are demanding more innovation and solutions from the sector and it those companies that are meeting this demand head on who were at the forefront of the event.  

Darren Grainger, Managing Director at NES Fircroft was awarded The Leader of the Year Award. A very worthy winner who was commended for his people orientated leadership, personal investment, commitment to the growth of his team and his ability to improve the business whilst supporting client needs.  

The full list of TIARA Recruitment Award winners and highly commended finalists is as follows:   

The Specialist Recruitment Company of the Year  

  • Winner – Salt  
  • Highly Commended – VHR  

 The Contract Recruitment Company of the Year  

  • Winner – Marc Ellis  

 The Client Service Award  

  • Winner – VHR  

 The Growth Recruitment Company of the Year  

  • Winner – Sthree  
  • Highly Commended – Halian  

 The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award  

  • Winner – NES Fircroft  

 The Best Recruitment Company for Emiratisation  

  • Winner – Mark Williams Recruitment  
  • Highly Commended – ERC International  

 The Best Talent Attraction Strategy Award  

  • Winner – Marc Ellis  

 The Talent Solutions Company of the Year  

  • Winner – Gini Talent  

 The Best Recruitment Company to Work For  

  • Winner – Robert Walters  
  • Highly Commended – Marc Ellis  

 The Leader of the Year  

  • Winner – Darren Grainger, Managing Director, NES Fircroft  
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Talent Solutions

TALiNT Partners and Stratigens are proud to announce a strategic partnership which will provide an unparalleled range of talent intelligence solutions to the needs of our members, partners and clients.

Alison Ettridge, CEO of Stratigens said “Companies do research on their customers, their markets and their competitors to inform decisions all the time. With Stratigens, they can now do research on the greatest asset –access to the workforce and people they need to deliver their strategy. Our partnership with TALiNT Partners will support our mission of putting human capital at the heart of business decision making. We are really excited about working with the team to overlay the insight that TALiNT Partners’ network brings with labour market data to empower HR, TA and business leaders to make critical strategic decisions.”

Ken Brotherston, CEO of TALiNT Partners added “for some time we have been looking for a partner to support the insight generated by our network with global workplace data to bring a unique offering to the market. Stratigens is the perfect partner to help us achieve this and together we look forward to continuing to help raise capability in how employers find and keep the people they need, and how staffing and talent solutions providers can better support their clients.”

About Stratigens

Stratigens software is helping the world’s best companies make smarter decisions about where to grow, who to hire from and the diversity of their workforce. We join the dots between the labour market, economics and locations. Putting human capital intelligence at the heart of decision making.

We live in a world rich with skills and geo economic data, but the data is messy, unstructured, big and in thousands of places. Stratigens uses the latest in machine learning and big data to gather, extract, categorise and label the data, and put it into a format that’s easy to digest. So our clients can make smarter, faster, more informed decisions.

Stratigens – https://www.stratigens.com

About TALiNT Partners

TALiNT Partners connects the talent ecosystem. We bring together a global network of leading employers and solution providers to make better talent and technology decisions. Providing intelligence, insight and peer-to-peer networking that drives quality, innovation and improves inclusion across the talent ecosystem

TALiNT Partners – https://talintpartners.com/

 

If you would like to know more about the partnership, please contact Ken Brotherston, CEO of TALiNT Partners, ken@talintpartners.com

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Acquisition strengthens Nash Squared as a major MSP

Nash Squared, a provider of talent and technology solutions, has become a major force in Managed Service Provision with its recent acquisition of Het Flexhuis – a Managed Service Provider (MSP) of talent and recruitment services based in The Netherlands.

Het Flexhuis has a strong track record in delivering outsourced recruitment services for government, public services, and commercial organisations and will operate as an independent brand within Nash Squared’s recruitment business Harvey Nash.

Bev White, CEO of Nash Squared, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Het Flexhuis into the Nash Squared family. It is our vision to help our clients access talent and technology in every way possible, and offering a high quality MSP solution is an important next step for us. Het Flexhuis brings enormous experience and expertise with them, and I am excited by the potential.”

Occo Lijding, MD of Harvey Nash The Netherlands, commented: “This represents a step change in how we can help and support our clients in talent and technology. I have long admired the team at Het Flexhuis, and when we met I was struck by how similar our values and ambitions were. They are the perfect fit for us, and I look forward to working with them.”

Frederieke Schmidt Crans, Managing Director, Het Flexhuis commented: “We are thrilled and excited to become part of Nash Squared. Our company was established ten years ago with a mission to create a world-class MSP with great people and processes at its core. We see joining Nash Squared as the natural next chapter in that success story.”

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Search engines combine forces to accelerate Adzuna’s growth in the US

On Tuesday, 14 June, Adzuna announced their acquisition of the US job search engine Getwork.

The Getwork team, under the leadership of Brad Squibb, will be working alongside the Adzuna team, intending to accelerate Adzuna’s growth in North America.

Getwork links job seekers with vacant roles at North American companies by indexing millions of verified jobs daily directly from tens of thousands of employer career sites.

Adzuna, with headquarters in London, UK, Indianapolis, IN, and Sydney, AU, uses AI-powered technology to match people to jobs. The company has recently launched in Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and Mexico. Their operations now cover 20 markets globally.

The two companies will operate as independent brands with their own established communities.

Doug Monro, CEO, and Co-founder of Adzuna, comments: “Adzuna acquiring Getwork will help us supercharge our growth in North America. The Getwork team’s stellar reputation for great service and delivery has led them to be trusted by an impressive roster of household name companies in the US. It’s also a great fit as their team and mission are so aligned with ours. The US enterprise market is crying out for strong alternatives to existing offerings and we’re looking forward to combining Adzuna’s marketing expertise, global footprint and programmatic job matching technology with Getwork’s deep industry knowledge and reputation to deliver even better for our customers. The US is the fastest-growing part of our business and this acquisition will accelerate our profitable growth trajectory.”

Brad Squibb, President of Getwork, comments: “Adzuna is a truly global business, operating across 20 countries, which creates an exciting opportunity for us to scale into new markets with the help of a brand that has already paved the way for international expansion. We can’t wait to join Doug and the team on this journey.”

 

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Despite efforts there is still massive room for improvement in UK management and reporting

In research released today, findings reveal a lack of focus on progressing diversity in the workplace. In the study conducted by SD Worx, it was found that while 68% of UK companies are committed to removing unconscious bias in the recruitment process, many have failed to implement a reporting system to track progress on meeting ED&I objectives.

The survey revealed that only 26% of UK companies evaluate managerial commitment to achieving ED&I-related objectives. A further 32% admitted having no systems allowing employees to report discrimination.

The UK ranked third in its commitment to removing unconscious bias at 68% when it comes to ranking. Ireland ranked first at 74%, with Belgium coming in second, at 69%.

As far as rankings for equal access to training, the UK is slightly lower than other countries, with 64% of companies investing in equal access to training and development. Ireland (72%), Belgium (71%), and Poland (69%) topped the list.

While 64% of UK companies include transparency about ED&I goals and actions to attract a diverse workforce in their mission statement and corporate values, only 60% of the UK companies surveyed said that they promote ED&I in job advertisements, social media, and their websites.

The survey also revealed that countries vary in their level of focus concerning educating and involving managers in their ED&I policies. For example, in the UK, 60% of companies stated that they actively involve their managers in ED&I policies, and 60% provide internal training on the topic.

Colette Philp, UK HR Country Lead at SD Worx commented: “It’s no longer enough for businesses to say they prioritise diversity and inclusion. Instead, they must prove their commitment to achieving a more diverse workforce, both internally within their business and externally to attract talent.”

“There is more awareness than ever before regarding diversity in the workplace and it’s a deciding factor for many when it comes to searching for a role or staying with a business. A diverse workforce brings new experiences and perspectives and an inclusive environment allows individuals to thrive. If businesses aren’t already putting ED&I as a top priority, it’s essential they act now to do so.”

Jurgen Dejonghe, Portfolio Manager SD Worx Insights, added: “It’s important that companies start investing in an active reporting system about their actions concerning diversity, equality and inclusion. On the one hand, that data offers a strong basis for optimising the diversity policy with concrete and consciously controlled actions. On the other hand, such a system also provides clear evidence whether companies are effectively putting their money where their mouth is and not making false promises to (future) employees.”

For ED&I initiatives to be successful, change needs to come from the top, with proper rollouts and reporting system to track their progress.

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