Member Article

UK businesses say hiring is on the cards

More UK businesses expect to create jobs than not over the next 12 months - for the first time since the onset of the recession in 2008, although many jobs could be temporary or part-time.

A study conducted by the CBI and Accenture, questioning businesses employing more than one million people between them, found 51% of firms expect their workforce to be larger in 12 months’ time, with private sector workforces anticipated to grow across all regions.

Graduate job prospects and opportunities for apprenticeships were markedly postivie as +20% of organisations planned to increase their graduate in-take in the next 12 months and +34% of firms were growing their apprentice numbers.

Respondents demonstrated a restrained attitude to pay as more than a third planned a pay rise for staff below the Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation.

Almost 100% of firms in the study said flexible employment patterns, such as zero hours contracts and the use of agency workers, as vital or important to the UK economy.

Olly Benzecry, managing director for Accenture in the UK and Ireland: “The news that firms are expecting to grow their workforces is another welcome sign of the UK’s economic recovery. The skills agenda is critical to not only sustain this growth but to make it inclusive, increasing employability and opportunities for young people who are not in a job, training or education.

“UK businesses clearly recognise the value of closer collaboration with education and the need for more vocational training and apprenticeships, and this is starting to translate into action through initiatives such as Movement to Work. Even so, there is much to be done if the UK is to remain competitive in the global economy, attract investment and tackle the challenge of youth unemployment.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .