The March edition of the REC’s JobsOutlook report showed that employer confidence in February increased to its highest level in 12 months. It also held good news for both temporary and permanent job candidates.
62% of employers said they intend to hire more permanent staff over the coming three months. Only 6% of respondents said they might reduce their permanent headcount over the period. Looking further ahead, 57% expect to increase the size of their permanent workforce and 42% intend to keep it as is. That suggests that only 1% of employers will be making redundancies.
31% of employers also intend to hire more temporary staff this quarter, whilst 54% say they will maintain their current level of temps. 26% will increase their temporary workforce over the longer term and 63% will maintain their current level.
In the public sector, employers are trying to reduce their workforce costs by cutting hours and pay and making more redundancies. In the private sector, almost 50% of employers see no reason to change their workforce plans.
Employers are still struggling to find suitably qualified staff for permanent roles in the computing, IT and telecoms sectors. Temps with skills in engineering and technical are also in high demand.
Roger Tweedy, the director of research at the REC said the latest figures are positive and although business confidence remains fragile, it is improving. We had a similar scenario this time last year, but employer confidence dropped sharply over the summer months. However, confidence in the jobs market seems to be more durable this year.
© 2012 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Image: posslope2_2 by posslope2_2
