As the UK brings back measures to prevent further growth of Covid and a second nationwide lockdown is becoming an ever more real prospect, trends in recruitment are holding a mirror up to what is going on in larger society and continue to be in the same state of constant flux.
Agencies are doing their best to make sense of what’s going on and provide answers to anxious employers and staff, as expert comments and reports on recruitment industry issues in the changing climate often produce confusing results.
While the LinkedIn Confidence Report recently described a growth in confidence in the IT, construction and healthcare sectors, the education sector appeared to have taken a knock, and was lagging at the bottom of the pack. This is nothing new, an imminent crisis in teaching recruitment has been virtually a permanent feature in HR headlines since 2010.
But thanks to the coronavirus recession, numerous sources indicate an increase in applications for teacher training. UCAS figures show that applications are 15% up on where they were this time last year, and the Education Policy Institute have indicated that if this growth continues, the teacher recruitment gap will be closed for the first time since 2012.
A growth in teacher applications is common in times of recession, as people who have faced redundancy and in the case of coronavirus, furlough, see teaching as a stable career option, protected from the impulses of the wider economy. Similarly, the NFER (National Foundation for Educational Research) also reports that the numbers of teachers considering leaving the profession is much lower this year than in 2019. Maybe things aren’t as bad for the education sector as the LinkedIn Confidence Report indicated?
But the outlook for other sectors isn’t as positive, with the latest CBI/Pertemps Employment Trends Survey showing a 50/50 split between companies planning to maintain recruitment levels or increase their recruitment over the next 12 months, and those reducing or not recruiting at all.
And the FCSA’s September 2020 Workforce Barometer also reported a bleak outlook, including the ONS data that 11% of businesses are at severe or moderate risk of insolvency and the number of jobs posted online remain at 50% of 2019 numbers.
Predicting the future of recruitment is virtually impossible, and the only thing we can be sure of is that things will continue to change. Futureproofing your business to navigate the uncertainty is crucial to ensure that your company remains profitable both during the pandemic and after the dust settles.
Remaining compliant during a time of constant change is a huge challenge, with government in the UK and globally having to make fast decisions to reflect the shifting circumstances. This can easily result in non-compliance, and in turn generate consequences which could be both financially and reputationally costly. JMK have extensive knowledge about current legislation and keep up with all changes and will ensure that adjustments are made within our own and our partner companies where necessary to maintain compliance.
Supporting your staff is more crucial during uncertain times than ever, but this is new territory for everyone. JMK provide clients with up to date advice on helping your staff through the pandemic. Whether you are reopening your place of work or continuing to engage workers from home, we are helping companies around the UK protect and support their workers as things change.
Forecasting is necessary in all business to ensure that resources are available where needed and utilised efficiently. But forecasting is also a complex process even during steady times and predicting human resources expenses under these changing circumstances even more so. JMK are highly skilled in forecasting, allowing our partner companies to make more accurate and effective budgets for the future.
Many agencies are reporting a rise in requests for on-demand recruiting, providing employers with the opportunity to scale up or down their recruitment in response to constantly changing needs is crucial.
JMK are supporting our clients through these difficult times with PEO services, funding solutions and other services for recruitment agencies. From providing back office support to advice on IR35, JMK are proud to help our clients through the storm of the pandemic and beyond.
Since 2002, JMK have been compliantly consolidating back-office, accountancy and payroll functions.
We have evolved to provide a range of expert services; such as Professional Employer Organisation (PEO), or Back Office Support (BOS) or Funding, becoming a leading provider to the contracting industry.
We know every agency is different in some shape or form, even if only by a little, but important bit. Combining our knowledge and experience of multiple sectors enables JMK to support you all from recruiters and payroll, through to finance, compliance and management.
With JMK as your trusted partner, even the smallest team can process the largest payroll, regardless of payroll type.
Have a look at the wide range of services our Professional Employer Organisation (PEO) or Back Office Support (BOS) can provide to you and your business, it is far more than just payroll and finance.
