Half of employers expect to increase staff levels over next year

Almost six out of ten companies surveyed by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation in September said they intended to hire more permanent staff between now and Christmas. The latest JobsOutlook also reports a jump from 43 percent to 50 percent in the proportion of employers that expect their permanent headcount to increase over the next 4-12 months.

Employers also continue to value agency workers with nine out of ten planning to either maintain or increase their use of temps over the next year. The top three reasons given by employers for using agency staff are to manage peaks in demand, to cover leave or the short-term provision of a particular skill.

REC CEO Kevin Green said: “Our data shows that the growth in consumer and business confidence we have seen over the past few months has given employers the green light to press ahead with plans to take on more staff in permanent roles.

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“It’s also clear that as business picks up employers continue to appreciate the value of agency workers. Temporary agency workers are a vital part of the UK’s labour market, allowing employers to flex their workforce in response to fluctuating demand. Temp work is also a great way for people to get their foot in the door if they are after a permanent position. Nine out of ten employers tell us they have offered a permanent role to someone who started out at their business as an agency worker.”

• In the next three months, 58 percent of bosses plan to increase their permanent workforce (up seven points from the previous month)
• Looking further ahead over the next year, 50 per cent of employers plan to increase their permanent workforce (also up seven points from September’s figures)
• In the next three months over a third (36 percent) plan to increase their use of agency workers (up two points since last month).
• 30 percent of employers plan to increase their use of agency workers over the next 4-12 months.

JobsOutlook reports the responses of 600 employers questioned about their hiring intentions over the next quarter and the next year. Respondents are drawn from across the public, private and non-profit sector, and from across a range of industries and sizes of organisation.