Umbrella company contractors might be interested to hear the REC’s opinion on the latest unemployment statistics.
Data from the ONS, released on Wednesday, showed an increase of 114,000 in the number of people without a job. The UK now has 2.57 million unemployed people, 991,000 of them between the ages of 16 and 24.
Tom Hadley, the Director of Policy and Professional Services at the REC, said that although these figures were worrying, there is still significant demand across a range of sectors. However, the government needs to address the disparity between the skills available and the needs of business.
With 21.3% of the UK’s young people out of work, the coalition must implement measures such as an NIC holiday for companies that hire young jobseekers. The recruitment industry is already contributing through the Youth Employment Charter, but the business community as a whole should become more involved.
The REC expects unemployment to plateau at around 2.6 million. The UK has a resilient jobs market and we do not expect unemployment to reach 3 million. Employers are always going to be looking for workers with the right drive and skill set to help their firms compete. And despite the Agency Workers Directive, there is still a high demand for contractors and temporary workers, he added.
Contractors working in the hospitality industry could be set to benefit from next year’s Olympic Games. Despite a reduction in consumer spending, the hospitality industry has continued to create jobs and Ian Burke, a director of Caterer.com, said he expects demand to increase further as we get nearer to London 2012.
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