The JobsOutlook survey, which tracks future hiring intentions, also reveals:

Increased hiring intentions for permanent staff continues: Nearly two thirds (62 per cent) of employers say they are planning to increase their permanent staffing levels over the next three months, with a further 32 per cent planning to maintain staffing levels at the same rate   Over the longer term, 57 per cent expect to grow their permanent workforce with a further 42 per cent planning to keep it at the same level.

Rise in demand for agency staff: Thirty one per cent – nearly a third – of all employers said they were planning to grow their temporary workforce over the next three months with another 54 per cent planning to keep them at existing levels.  For the longer term, the trend is up higher with 26 per cent looking to increase their contingent labour force and another 63 per cent planning to keep them at their current levels. This represents a ten point rise between January and February and is good news in light of concerns over the potential impact of the Agency Workers Regulations.  April 1 since will mark six months since the regulations came into force on October 1 last year.

Two tier effect as a result of public sector cuts: A significant difference has now emerged in the workforce planning profiles of the public and private sectors. Public sector employers are now deploying a range of measures to reduce workforce costs including reduced pay and hours and increased redundancies.  Workforce planning in the private sector has now returned to a more stable state with nearly half of employers not making any new adjustments to their plans.

Skills shortages in 2012: Employers continue to report shortages of permanent staff in computing, IT and the telecoms sector. Technical and engineering headed the most sought-after skills in the temporary employment sector.

Commenting on the latest statistics, Roger Tweedy, the REC’s Director of Research said:

“The fact that nearly two thirds of employers continue to predict a slight increase in permanent staffing is clearly a positive sign that is likely to be bolstered by this week’s budget. Overall business and consumer confidence, although still fragile, also seems to be picking up.

“Last year, employer confidence began to build at this time only to fall away sharply over the summer, so it is still early days. However, there are signs that the current momentum in the jobs market will be more durable this time round.”

JobsOutlook is based on a monthly survey of employers with results based on a sample of 600 on a three month rolling basis. To subscribe to JobsOutlook, visit the website,

Key points of the Report are:

• Stronger rise in permanent placements but temp billings fall

• IT & Computing and Engineering/Construction staff most in-demand

• Permanent salaries fall for first time since October 2009

• Temp pay rises at fastest rate in four months

Overall demand for staff rose at the fastest pace in four months during February, as a sharper increase in permanent vacancies offset a slower expansion of temp vacancies. Sector data showed that IT & Computing was the most in-demand permanent staff type, while Engineering/Construction was the most sought-after temp category. 

The availability of candidates to fill job vacancies rose further in February, albeit at a weaker pace. For both permanent and temporary staff, rates of growth were the slowest in three months.  

Recruitment consultants reported a drop in permanent staff salaries during February for the first time since October 2009. In contrast, temp staff pay rates increased at the fastest pace in four months.   

Kevin Green, Chief Executive of the REC, says:

“The labour market is clearly improving as this month’s Report on Jobs shows the strongest performance on permanent placements for nine months. Demand for staff also rose at the fastest pace for four months, so jobseekers should take heart that there are vacancies out there. Slowly, private sector employers are becoming more confident as the gloom, caused by a slowing economy late last year and fears about the Eurozone, recedes.

“The temporary market has shown a slight decline since January and is essentially flat at present. However, agency work continues to provide an important outlet for employers and jobseekers with over a million temporary workers placed on assignments in any given week.

“We are seeing high demand in professional roles such as IT, engineering, legal and HR and chefs continue to be in demand within the hospitality sector. The other sector which seems buoyant is nursing, medical and care. We believe this is because NHS trusts are recognising that using high quality temporary staff when they are needed is a cost effective solution to maintaining a quality service when budgets are being squeezed.

“Looking ahead, we anticipate that unemployment will continue to worsen slightly over the next few months. However,  with these early indicators of the private sector starting to hire again, the labour market is likely to bounce back towards the end of this year and on into early 2013.”

Bernard Brown, Partner and Head of Business Services at KPMG comments:

“The latest report raises hopes of a Spring revival in the jobs market with a second successive monthly rise in the number of people securing permanent roles and the data also indicating that February saw the rate of growth accelerating to a nine-month high.  Put alongside recent news from the ONS which suggested that the last unemployment figures represented the smallest rise in almost a year and there may be signs that the market is displaying early signs of recovery.

“Yet cautious optimism must remain the watchwords because the picture is not as rosy for temporary positions.  Of course, the reduction in contract placements may yet be related to the Agency Workers regulations, but without buoyancy in both the permanent and temporary markets it is still too early to unfurl the bunting.

“For those who have found new employment, we are also seeing rates for wages reducing for the first time since 2009, with a real prospect of continued downward pressure as the year goes on.  Given the ongoing squeeze many are feeling as costs go up on the high street, it appears that the price of permanent employment is lower take-home pay, but this is an inevitable consequence of a competitive, yet still fractious, market.”

However, agencies’ temporary/contract staff billings fell slightly for the second month running.

The key points of the Report were:

• Modest increase in permanent appointments recorded

• Temp billings down slightly

• Candidate availability rises, but at slower rate

• Subdued pay pressures

Recruitment consultants reported a slower increase in job vacancies during January. Growth of overall demand for staff eased to the weakest for 27 months. Data suggested that Engineering/ Construction workers were the most sought-after in the latest survey period, in contrast to declines in demand signalled for Hotel & Catering staff.

The availability of staff to fill job vacancies continued to rise in January. However, growth of both permanent and temporary/contract staff availability eased from the strong rates recorded in December

Permanent staff salaries rose only marginally in January and at a much slower pace than the long-run series average. Hourly rates of pay for temporary/contract staff increased modestly following a slight decline in December.

Kevin Green, the REC’s  Chief Executive,, says:

“This month’s Report on Jobs highlights that there are glimmers of hope for the UK jobs market with permanent placements increasing for the first time in four months. This is the first positive indicator for some time that employers are looking to hire staff despite the ongoing weakness of the economy. It is particularly encouraging that six out of eight sectors surveyed show growth in demand, including engineering, IT and office professionals. The Report on Jobs also follows better than expected services data from the Purchasing Managers’ Index last Friday, which suggests that confidence is growing amongst consumers as well as businesses.

“Although temporary billings have contracted slightly over recent months, the latest figures show an improvement on December. This confirms that there is still little evidence that the Agency Workers Regulations have had a significant impact on hiring and employers are still making considerable use of flexible working arrangements.

“A major challenge in the jobs market is the disconnect between what employers are looking for and what jobseekers can offer. Better careers guidance is part of the solution, as is increased use of apprenticeships to get young people into employment with vocational skills development.”

Paul Alekna, Managing Director of Worcestershire based recruiter eResponse comments:

“As a whole there are people gaining more confidence in the jobs market all the time and we are seeing more and more people prepared to make a move to a new employer. Whilst this can feel as though it’s adding to short term candidate availability the reality is this leaves many highly skilled and hard to fill vacancies behind that can sometimes have a negative impact on team moral and business productivity.”

“As recent skills survey conducted across Redditch shows that 38% of businesses hired last Year to back fill roles created through people exiting their business.”

Bernard Brown, Partner and Head of Business Services at KPMG comments:

“Given the continued impasse surrounding the Eurozone and the knock on effect this has on business confidence, it is a welcome surprise to see a modest increase in the number of permanent job placements across the UK.  Perhaps employers are beginning to accept that they need to have the right people in place to kick start the economy?

“Sadly, though, the number of people hoping to fill these vacancies continues to rise and with unemployment benefit claimants up for the tenth month in succession, the competition to be the right candidate in the right place is tougher than ever.

“At least there are signs within some industries that things are looking up. Amongst the engineering, construction and IT sectors demand for permanent staff has increased since the turn of the year. With so much attention being paid to these sectors at the moment, close attention should be paid to see if this is a trend set to continue as the year progresses.”

“Never send a paper CV as it won’t get read” – Sending a paper CV is a friendly approach.  By all means, we are not saying this is the only way you should send in your CV to a potential employer.  However, a surface mail letter can increasingly often get you an interview in a case where an e-mail would get ignored or spam-filtered. By posting your CV, you are saving them the task of opening the email, downloading the attachment, opening it and then printing it.

“Wait for them to call you” – To get yourself noticed call and follow up on the resumes you’ve sent and the applications you’ve made.  Opportunity is often missed by people who sit and wait for one.  Turn a situation into an opportunity. Your CV is in a stack with 100 others.  The bottom line is if you don’t take steps to push it up to the front of the line, no one else will.

“Bombard them with everything you have to make sure you get noticed” – Bad idea.  Give them your CV, your cover letter, and your time in a phone call or face-to-face interview, but don’t give anyone your list of references or other documentation until it’s clear that mutual interest to move forward exists.  The last thing you want to do is apply your way out of consideration altogether!

“Don’t bring up money” – Do bring up money. In the first interview, make reference to expecting a salary that reflects your experience and skills.  Potential employers will get irritated sitting in an hour long interview only to find out at the very end that the salary does not meet your expectations. if you take the job without talking about money, you’ll have nothing to complain about when your first salary is nothing like as much as what you were expecting. You’ll be surprised how often this happens.

“Don’t write a personal mission statement” – The summary or objective at the top of your CV is your own, personal mission statement; it tells whoever is reading it, ‘This person knows who they are, what they’ve done, and why it matters.’ Your Summary shows off your writing skills, shows that you know what’s significant in your background, and it offers a focal point to your resume. Don’t skip it, no matter how many people tell you it’s not necessary or important. It is.

Have you been given bad advice in the past with regards to job seeking? Comment below to help out current job seekers!

Between October- December 2010 absence statistics have shown that;
 
·         31,000 women took sick days citing stress, depression or anxiety, compared to 11,000 men.
·         74% of stress-related absences were made by women, with only 26% of absences being taken by men.
 
The research follows the release of the DWP Survey, ‘Health and well-being at work: a survey of employers’ which revealed that only 17% of employers have any form of stress management advice and support in place for their employees.

Furthermore, The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) absence management annual survey report recently highlighted that stress is the second biggest cause of short term absences and one of the leading causes of all long-term absences for non-manual workers.
 
Commenting on these findings, Diane Buckley, Managing Director of Legal & General Group Protection, said:
 
 “Stress is one of the leading causes of long-term absence so employers should ensure that good quality support is available in the workplace to help women before they reach this point.
 
“Legal & General’s early notification programme, Workplace Recovery, utilises its exclusive partnership arrangement withCBT Services Ltd to help get people back to work. For example, employees who are absent from work because of stress are offered up to 24 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) from this provider. Over 76% of such employees were able to return to work within 18 months of diagnosis.

Providing a recruitment industry perspective on the jobs outlook, Kevin Green, the REC’s Chief Executive,  says:

“The labour market will remain fragile for the first part of 2012. However, it is important that we do not systematically talk the jobs market down, especially as employer confidence is the principal driver for job creation.

“The engine room for new jobs will be small businesses. Most of these do not have HR or personnel departments and are perhaps not reflected in the CIPD’s assessment. Our own data shows that, although employers are currently cautious about permanent hiring, a significant number will consider bringing in new staff over the coming year.One priority in 2012 must be to address the current skills mismatch which means that many employers and recruiters are actually reporting a shortage of suitable candidates.”

Green continued:

“In addition, the UK’s temporary and contract work market remains strong and continues to provide a crucial outlet for business and for workers. The REC/KPMG Report on Jobs shows that monthly temp billings have continued to increase over the last year and the forward-looking REC Jobs-Outlook shows that over 80 per cent of employers are planning to increase or maintain their temporary staffing levels over the next 12 months.

“Our own forecast is that unemployment will peak at around  2.75 million and that there will continue to be significant demand for staff, especially at the higher end of the jobs market. By the end of 2012 the private sector should be in a position to absorb ongoing public sector cuts.

“An early and effective end to the sovereign debt crisis in Europe would restore much needed confidence,  encourage banks to lend and businesses to invest. This is turn would help to kick-start the UK’s job creation machine and

Thinking of badmouthing your employer or work colleagues on a social networking site? After the case of the Apple employee, whose dismissal for doing just that was this week upheld by an employment tribunal, you’d be well advised to think again.

On the face of it, social networking outlets such as Facebook and Twitter might appear to offer people an arena for venting their spleen on any issues, including gripes and grievances about work.

But although they may well be your own private views, such forums are often viewable by anyone, and you may face repercussions from your employer if you choose to write about work issues, regardless of whether it’s from your desk, home or mobile phone.

Many companies now have a social media/blogging policy as part of their contractual terms with employees, providing clear limitations about the permissible contents of a blog. This may also limit use of your work PC to access social media websites (or other sites) during work hours.

Such policies put employers in a much stronger position when they want to take action against employees writing things they don’t approve of. In serious cases, giving vent to your feelings about work could amount to gross misconduct and, therefore, instant dismissal.

Employment Tribunals are starting to get to grips with the use of social media sites, and have recently upheld a number of dismissals against employees for gross misconduct relating to blogging about work.

In the case of the Apple worker, his colleague (also a Facebook “friend”) told his boss about the offending posts. Apple has a very clear social medial policy prohibiting employees from making critical comments about its brand on social media sites, which undoubtedly helped the company win the tribunal.

In another recent case, a Metroplotan Police Office was sacked for posting “deeply offensive messages” about a colleague on Facebook. You would expect to be disciplined if you acted in this way face to face, so why not in the cyber world?

Some would argue that the ability of an employer to reach out even to private blogs smacks of Big Brother. However, there is an implied term of “trust and confidence” incorporated into every contract of employment, together with a further obligation not to bring your employer into disrepute. Such implied terms override the “where, when and how” such comments are made.

It is not just careless comments on social media sites that can land you in trouble. There have been numerous instances of employees facing disciplinary action for criticising bosses or work colleagues verbally or otherwise.

There is a big difference between harmless banter and comments that go to the heart of the employment relationship and thereby undermine that all-important “trust and confidence” term in your contract. It will be a matter of fact and degree in every case and some will be easier to determine than others.

Relevant factors would include whether the employer was identifiable, the impact on the employer’s image, the nature of the comments posted, and who was privy to them (if customers or clients, this would surely work against the employee).

In this harsh financial climate, there are bound to be a tetchy relationships at work, but there is a fine line between what is acceptable and what is not. If you cross the line and unreasonably badmouth your employer or work colleagues, you could find yourself out of a job.

The monthly report found:

Temps still in strong demand:  Despite the Agency Workers Regulations coming into force in October demand for agency staff remains strong. Twenty eight per cent of employers said they would be increasing their temporary workforce over the next three months with another 52 per cent keeping it the same – an overall rise of five points on last month. For their longer term use, 83 per cent of employers interviewed were looking to increase or keep their temporary staff levels at their current levels.

Employers confident about growing workforce in the long-term: In the next 12 months, 59 per cent of employers are planning to grow their permanent staff while another 35 per cent say they intend to keep it at the same level as today, a dramatic leap of 20 points on last month. This in turn has boosted the overall confidence ‘Barometer’ rating which is up three points suggesting that despite continuing economic uncertainty, employers are now taking a more robust view of their workforce plans for 2012.

Employers remain cautious about short-term permanent hiring: Of the employers questioned, 35 per cent intend to keep their current headcount the same, confirming employer caution for the final months of the year.  One in ten have plans to decrease their workforce.  Fifty four per cent of employers plan to grow their permanent workforce in the next three months restoring the five point drop recorded last month.

Slight shift in possible impact of public sector cuts: 82 per cent of public sector employers are expecting some degree of impact as a result of the cuts. This is a sign that they are more aware of what the cuts entail, and of how they will impact. At the same time, 23 per cent of private sector employers expect public sector cuts to have a serious impact on their own business. On a more positive note, 15 per cent of public sector employers expect the cuts to have no further impact on staffing levels in their organisations – compared to six per cent last month.

Here at eResponse we’ve seen an increase of over 40% in temporary staffing versus the same period last Year for temporary workers across the Worcester and Redditch recruitment centres.

Paul Alekna commented: Employers across the Worcestershire County realise that managing a flexible workforce adds significant value to their business infrastructure and it’s ability to meet ever changing demands.

Businesses are also gearing for longer term aspirations and with that comes a new wave of employment activity, in most cases permanent opportunities, for those with specialist skills that can support new projects and continued business enhancement.

Commenting on the latest data, Roger Tweedy, the REC’s Director of Research said:

“Despite latest forecasts pointing to slower economic growth, there are at least a few positive signs for the jobs market. Permanent employment opportunities will remain constrained in the short term but longer term hiring intentions provide glimmers of hope.

“Employers are also recognising the benefits that temporary staff can add in supporting seasonal demand and workforce flexibility during these uncertain times. Hiring intentions for temps are up on this time last year despite the Agency Worker Regulations coming into force in October.

“Although the full impact of these Regulations will not be apparent until the first tranche of workers end their 12 week qualifying period, the early signs are that temporary and contract work will continue to provide a key outlet for employers and workers.”

In total, 57% of people leaving their job did so voluntarily, a figure that has declined almost every year since 1996. This is the second-lowest proportion in 15 years, down moderately on last year’s figures but an increase on 2009, when the voluntary-involuntary ration was nearly 1:1.

The trends for people working in the public sector voluntarily or involuntarily leaving their main job during the recession remained little changed, but involuntary public sector job leavers have more than doubled since 2010.

The private sector saw a small overall rise in recession time job losses, with the number of those leaving voluntarily briefly outnumbered by involuntary job losses around Christmas 2008 and New Year 2009.

The ONS figures also show that younger workers are more likely to leave their jobs than older workers.

Paul Alekna, Managing Director, eResponse Recruitment says: “This comes as no surprise as active Worcestershire employers are finding it harder to generate quality applications on the open jobs market. Whilst some of the pressures on people looking to leave had eased during 2010 we are seeing what would be candidates opting for an extended stay in roles in the hope they avoid ‘last one in, first one out’ syndrome.

For businesses in Worcester, Redditch and the surrounding borough communities eResponse is seeing a continued increase in demand for quality, skilled personnel who can hit the ground running so this pattern won’t diminish quickly. Our team of resourcers spend most of their day sourcing new and future applications and one of our main reasons for continued placement success and growth this Year is down to our ability to self generate applications through an established referral network.”