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Employers want to hire, but workers want more

Employers advised to revisit their skills requirements and train people on the job

The UK labour market is looking buoyant with the Net Employment Outlook rising to +21%. The latest number is up two 2% since last quarter but down 10% on Q2 2022. This is according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey.

With record low unemployment and a historically tight labour market, employers are still struggling to attract skilled talent. In response, workers can’t find employers that fit their pay and skills needs. ManpowerGroup suggests that employers revisit their essential skills requirements and consider what can be learned on the job.

In the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, 2,020 UK employers were questioned about whether they intend to hire additional workers, maintain their current headcount, or reduce the size of their workforce in the next quarter (April to June 2023). The survey is a key economic indicator by the Bank of England and the UK Government.

The report revealed that employers across all sectors are planning to increase headcount. The IT sector tops the list, with a Net Employment Outlook of +48%, an increase of 14% from last quarter and 8% up on Q2 2022. The figures for the IT industry are more than twice the national average Net Employment Outlook.

Next on the list are:

  • Communication Services (+36%)
  • Transport, Logistics, and Automotive (+27%)
  • Financials & Real Estate (+27%)

Regionally, East Midlands is in the lead with a Net Employment Outlook of +29%, up 23% from last quarter, followed by the South West (+26%) and London (+24%).

Chris Gray, Director at ManpowerGroup UK, commented: “Our survey continues to show strong hiring intentions despite the economic climate, but hiring intentions are not translating into filled vacancies.”

 “There is a mismatch between what workers want and what employers are offering. Employers across the country are still keen to take on new talent, and workers want to take on higher paying roles with greater development opportunities. However, they aren’t seeing these jobs advertised. Job descriptions are going unread because they aren’t offering the skills growth workers want. Employers need to be clear about the progression opportunities and the training they are providing.”

“In a time of economic uncertainty and a cost-of-living crisis, we’re seeing that existing employees are reticent to move to new jobs and would rather take on more over-time or a second or third job to make ends meet and continue to develop. We have to be looking to bring those inactive back into the workplace and this requires structural changes to make this a realistic option. Government has an opportunity in this week’s Budget to help make this happen – an improved childcare offer and support for over 50s and long term sick could make a real difference.”

“Demand for highly-skilled tech talent continues to grow and we see this across all sectors. This growth is positive for workers, as businesses continue to deliver today while transforming for the workplace of tomorrow. This growth has a knock-on effect as new and different roles emerge, from project and change managers to newly skilled production workers. The opportunities are numerous as British industry works on future-proofing itself. To meet the demand, employers must re-evaluate what is essential and what is desirable in a candidate, and consider whether the role could be filled with a candidate who is 60 to 70 per cent fit for the role, and could be trained for the future.”

 “We are encouraged to see demand for workers the length and breadth of the UK – employers in all regions plan to expand headcounts. This is true especially of the East Midlands, which has seen hiring optimism surge since last quarter. Our insights tell us that a great deal of this demand stems from small and medium sized businesses which continue their optimistic streak in the region.”

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68% of global recruitment firms reported an increase in revenue in 2022

77% of staffing firms have implemented a digital transformation strategy

According to Bullhorn’s Global Recruitment Insights and Data (GRID) 2023 Industry Trends Report, firms with the highest revenue gains were twice as likely to have digitized their data as those with the greatest revenue losses and nearly twice as likely to use automation heavily. While 77% of staffing firms have begun implementing a digital transformation strategy, many are still in the early stages. Only 30% said they use self-service technologies such as chatbots to streamline operations and engage candidates, and only 17% heavily leverage automation throughout their business.

More than two-thirds (68%) of global recruitment firms reported an increase in revenue last year, and a similar number (67%) expect to improve performance again in 2023.

Winning new business becomes the top priority

For the first time in six years, staffing firms cite winning new clients (40%) as this year’s top priority, most likely due to continued economic uncertainty and intensifying competition. The second biggest priority is digital transformation (34%), followed closely by candidate acquisition (33%).

Despite feeling optimistic about their business growth prospects, global recruitment firms continue to face client-related challenges. The most pressing is an increase in job requisitions that are too specialized or demanding (according to 22% of respondents), followed by a reduction in overall job requisitions (17%), and a lack of communication from clients (15%).

Engaging existing talent leads to higher revenue gains

Candidate acquisition remains a challenge: 56% cite the talent shortage as a top challenge in 2023, an increase from last year. However, firms that followed certain best practices in engaging candidates were 30% or more likely to report revenue gains in 2022. These best practices include engaging with passive candidates in the firm’s database, soliciting referrals from candidates, and using candidates’ preferred methods of communication, among others.

The two practices most correlated with success were redeploying candidates and database utilization. The firms that lined up the highest proportion of workers for new roles before the end of their assignments and those that most frequently filled a position with a candidate already in their database were twice as likely to report revenue gains last year and 50% more likely to expect gains in 2023. However, fewer than 10% of firms use automation to redeploy candidates.

Gretchen Keefner, SVP, Global Enterprise Business at Bullhorn, comments:  “This year’s survey highlights a clear relationship between business performance and technology adoption. This makes a compelling case for firms to invest more in digital transformation to future-proof their businesses, despite economic challenges and uncertainty in the jobs market.”

“Acquiring new clients has once again become the top priority for recruitment firms, and it’s still crucial for firms to focus on delivering a more modern, personalized, and connected candidate experience because the talent market remains tight. Firms that use technology to increase their efficiency and provide a streamlined experience will set themselves apart from the competition.”

Read the full report here.

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Nearly 78% of employers gave pay raises in the past six months

Compensation top of mind despite recession concerns

According to a survey by iHire, 77.9% of US employers gave pay raises in the past six months, despite economic downturn concerns. The pay raises were given due to merit, performance, pay compression or the rising cost of living.

Lisa Shuster, Chief People Officer at iHire commented: “Compensation is top of mind for employers and their workforces. Now is the time for organizations to ensure they are compensating employees fairly while avoiding pay compression. The good news is that most employers do not appear overly worried about a recession and continue to invest in their most valuable business asset: their people.”

Of the 436 employers surveyed, just 22.1% had not given raises recently. Of that 22.1% that did not give a raise, 69.6% said they couldn’t afford to give raises, and 32.6% said they were preparing for an economic downturn or tightening their 2023 budgets. In addition, 13.0% reported poor or stagnant employee performance, and 13.0% were unsure how to determine fair compensation.

iHire also surveyed 305 workers and found that 23.9% of respondents had asked for a raise in the past six months, and 60.3% got a raise upon asking, according to the report. Of the 76.1% of workers who had not asked for a raise, 50.0% already received a raise recently and 25.6% did not know how to negotiate their salary. In addition, 23.2% were afraid to ask or approach their supervisor for a raise and 11.0% did not think their performance was deserving of a raise.

For the report, iHire surveyed 436 employers and 305 workers in 57 industries across the US in February.

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Over 97% of UK companies are not giving enough support to female employees

Employers need to re-evaluate job perks for women

Less than 3% of jobs offered by UK employers advertise benefits necessary to help women thrive. This is according to new research from the job search engine Adzuna.

The company looked at more than one million job ads in March 2023 to find out how many postings promoting perks aimed at women. The results revealed the dire need for employers to step up.

In Adzuna’s analysis, they found:

  • 29,501 of the 1,043,451 job ads cited perks aimed at retaining and supporting women.
  • only 17,638 ads promoted enhanced maternity or parental leave.
  • just 6,410 postings offered some support with childcare costs.
  • only 821 job ads mention menopause support; of those, just 30 postings offer paid HRT therapy. This is despite evidence showing that 1 in 10 women aged 45-55 leaves the workforce due to symptoms of menopause.
  • only 5 UK job ads offered menstrual leave.

Recent research by YouGov found that almost half of Brits favour of the introduction of menstrual leave legislation. A further 40% of women said they regularly get period pain which is severe enough to affect their ability to work. Some countries have realised the negative impact that this time of the month has on women in the workplace. For example, Spain recently introduced legislation allowing three days per month of state-paid menstrual leave for those with incapacitating periods.

Adzuna’s research also found that fertility benefits such as egg freezing and IVF support are rare, with only 51 job ads mentioning these perks. Various large tech companies offer these benefits, but hiring in large tech companies is currently depressed, so there are limited options for women seeking fertility benefits from employers.

In contrast, many employers are offering popular perks such as duvet days (619 job ads), unlimited holidays (953 ads), and free gym membership (3,912 ads).

Paul Lewis, Chief Customer Officer at job search engine Adzuna, comments: “Women remain woefully undersupported in the UK workplace. Instead of duvet days or free gym membership, employers need to focus on benefits that support female employees. In particular, evidence shows menopause and menstruation are top factors making it harder for women to thrive at work, even leading many to drop out of the workforce. Women shouldn’t need to suffer in silence; employers need to step up, introduce open dialogues around these topics and add more flexibility for women juggling their health with work. Furthermore, keeping women in the workplace is key to filling skill gaps, so introducing benefits that help attract, support and ultimately retain women makes sense from a business as well as a societal perspective.”

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Young Brits demand corporate cards to cope with the soaring cost of living

Businesses less keen to respond

People do not want to use their personal credit cards for work expenses due to their concerns about tight personal finances. Companies, however, are slow to respond to this demand.  This is according to research commissioned by Emburse.

The survey looked at expense processes within UK-based businesses, questioning employees about business policy enforcement about spending and employee preferences around business travel expenses and other related costs.

According to the research conducted by Censuswide, 16-34-year-olds were most likely to prefer corporate cards over personal cards (55%) compared to just 41% of those over 55.

Of these younger respondents, 47% said the cost-of-living crisis is the key factor. This is unsurprising considering that 78% of 16-24-year-olds reported cost-of-living increases, compared to 42% in January/February 2022.

The reasons that 94% of young employees want a corporate card include the following:

  • Long expense reimbursement processing time incurring the risk of late fees
  • Preference for not mixing personal and business spend
  • Streamlining the expenses process
  • Concerns about their own finances
  • Low credit limits
  • Ease in managing expenses at the end of a trip.

The data also revealed a limited desire to use personal cards for air/hotel points which can later be used for personal leisure and travel – only 10% of employees mentioned this as a reason to use personal cards.

According to the survey, only 6% of employees are required to use corporate cards at mid-size and larger companies. The majority of organisations do not use corporate cards. This is likely due to increased fraud cases due to cost-of-living hikes.

Jamie Anderson, Chief Revenue Officer at Emburse, commented: “We’re all feeling the impact of rising prices, so it’s more important than ever for companies to listen to employees and understand how best to support them. This is even more important for younger employees who often earn less and may not have large amounts of credit available. When almost half of young workers say that the cost of living makes them want a company-paid card for their expenses, it’s something that companies should seriously consider. It’s an easy – and free – way to show employees you care.

 “Giving employees credit cards also makes sound business sense. By setting restrictions on how and when, and where they can be used, it’s much easier to control purchases in advance, instead of having to wait for expense claims to come in after the fact. They also give much easier, accurate and timely insight into corporate spend, and the rebates that come back will also benefit the corporate coffers.”

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Over 97% of UK companies failing to adequately support women in the workplace

Fewer than 3% of job ads on offer in March offer support to women

According to new research from Adzuna, UK employers are failing to prioritise supporting women in the workplace, with fewer than 3% offering benefits necessary to help them thrive.

Adzuna analysed over a million job ads advertised in March 2023 which revealed the number of postings promoting perks aimed at women – and the dire need for employers to step up.

Overall, only 29,501 of the 1,043,451 job ads available cited perks aimed at retaining women in the workplace and supporting them to thrive. Only 17,638 ads promoted enhanced maternity or parental leave, and just 6,410 postings offered some kind of support with childcare costs (including on-site daycare or backup childcare).

Despite recent evidence showing 1 in 10 women aged 45-55 leave the workforce due to symptoms of the menopause, only 821 job ads mention menopause support, and of those just 30 postings are offering paid HRT therapy.

Only five UK job ads offered menstrual leave. Research by YouGov has found nearly half of Brits are in favour of the introduction of menstrual leave legislation, and 40% of women said they regularly get period pain bad enough that it affects their ability to work. Some countries are waking up to the huge negative impact this has on women in the workplace: Spain has recently introduced legislation allowing three days per month of state-paid for menstrual leave for those with incapacitating periods.

Fertility benefits such as egg freezing and IVF support are also rare, with just 51 job ads mentioning these types of perks. LinkedIn was one of the first companies to offer UK its staff these benefits, covering up to £21,000 towards IVF (around £5,000 per cycle) or adoption costs from 2019, and following in the steps of Facebook, Google and Apple in the US. But with hiring in large tech companies currently depressed, women seeking employers offering fertility benefits are facing limited options.

Other popular perks found by Adzuna included duvet days (619 job ads), unlimited holiday (953 ads) and free gym membership (3,912 ads) continue to be offered by many employers.

Paul Lewis, Chief Customer Officer at job search engine Adzuna, comments: “Women remain woefully undersupported in the UK workplace. Instead of duvet days or free gym membership, employers need to focus on benefits that support female employees. In particular, evidence shows menopause and menstruation are top factors making it harder for women to thrive at work, even leading many to drop out of the workforce. Women shouldn’t need to suffer in silence; employers need to step up, introduce open dialogues around these topics and add more flexibility for women juggling their health with work. Furthermore, keeping women in the workplace is key to filling skill gaps, so introducing benefits that help attract, support and ultimately retain women makes sense from a business as well as a societal perspective.”

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Hays Middle East releases GCC Salary Guide 2023

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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Survey ranks UK 12th best European country for to work in

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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Female employees are 54% more likely to suffer from anxiety, survey reveals

Why women are taking strain at work

A new study has revealed that female employees are 54% more likely to suffer from anxiety and twice as likely as men to work through illness – an issue known as presenteeism.

The study revealed that, during the last year, female employees experienced more work-related health implications than men. In addition to their raised anxiety levels, they are also 17% more at risk from excessive stress due to work life. In addition, 35% said that their mental health had worsened in the last year because of the workplace.

With International Women’s Day (IWD) being observed on 8 March, these statistics put a spotlight on the disproportionate health implications that women face due to their workplace. This year’s IWD theme is #EmbraceEquity, to encourage employers to support women’s health and well-being in the workplace.

According to the survey, 27% of female employees have experienced insomnia, making them 42% more susceptible to sleep deprivation. This is important to note, considering that the first signs of burnout, anxiety or depression are insomnia and trouble sleeping, according to the NHS.

A study of over 1,000 employees also found that sore backs, shoulders, or necks are experienced at a rate 58% higher in women than men. In addition, other physical health concerns were 60% more likely in women.

These results suggest that employers aren’t doing enough to support women in the workplace. In further support of this indication, a recent study across the UK-wide study into employee health and well-being found that 85% of employees would like their company to be more proactive in boosting employee health, well-being, and healthy habits. The study also found that:

  • Training managers to provide better support will help (33%).
  • promoting the use of sick leave when people are struggling with physical or mental health is important (32%).
  • employees want access to stress management training (25%).

It is not a benefit for employees to feel supported; companies benefit too:

  • 38% of employees feel more productive at work.
  • 33% of employees feel engaged with the work they do.
  • 31% say they’re less likely to seek job opportunities elsewhere.

Kate Palmer, HR Advisor and Consultancy Director at Peninsula, says: “Equality should be at the forefront of employers’ priorities and, as recognised by International Women’s Day, the only way to achieve this is through equity. Widespread prejudices against women and damaging biases such as: they’re unable to juggle a career and family, or be as resilient as men in the workplace, can often lead to women having to work longer and harder than their male counterparts just to access the same opportunities, even if it means working when they are unwell.

 “ All employers should consider offering an employee assistance programme and trained mental health first aiders to help identify individuals struggling with their mental health at an early stage, and signpost them to professional resources. Knowing women may be more at risk should be a prompt for employers to proactively implement these measures.”

Ruth Tongue, director of employee wellbeing company Elevate, says: “Equity is not something to only be addressed once a year – companies must think strategically about how to support women in their workplace.

 “Employers should offer emotional and mental wellbeing support for everyone via counselling, supyesport sessions with experts on stress management and championing women in the workplace by offering recognition not only financially but also visibly through promotions and praise.”

 

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2023 recruitment trends revealed

Flexible working and greater use of tech top the list

Recruiters predict a greater demand for better pay, flexible working, a greater reliance on tech, and a positive working culture in 2023. This is according to new research by digital payroll solution Cool Company. The research also revealed that 25% of recruiters believe businesses will rely more on the contract workforce in the coming months.

According to the study, flexible, tech-driven working lies on the horizon. The research found that 53% of recruiters agree that flexible working is the main priority of current job candidates

A further 50% said we would see a greater reliance on technology – including remote interviewing (40%). Diversity and inclusion were also high on the list at 39%.

Twenty-five percent of agencies believe there will be greater demand for the contract workforce, with 58% saying they experienced a significant uplift in overseas contractor placements last year. A further 35% suggested an increase in contractors working remotely in the UK.

Almost half of the recruiters surveyed believe that one of the best ways to attract top talent is flexible working, including remote working. A further 40% suggest hybrid working is a key benefit. In addition, one in five recruiters think that the global talent shortage will continue to be a challenge for businesses in 2023, suggesting that anything that gives a competitive edge must be considered.

Other projected talent-grabbing trends included increasing employee benefits (43%) and creating a positive working culture (40%). Increased pay is, of course, always a factor (50%).

Kris Simpson, Country Manager UK at Cool Company, comments: “The UK employment scene is facing something of a perfect storm at the moment. With a global talent shortage and a local cost of living crisis, employers are having to do a lot to both retain their existing employees and attract new talent to their businesses.

‘The contract workforce has the potential to provide the answer to that problem. With highly skilled professionals available more or less on demand. But like employees, contractors are looking for a better work-life balance, meaning that placements that allow for remote working are a lot more appealing. While competitive remuneration remains a key draw.”

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