The recent upturn in the UK’s economic outlook is causing a surge in demand for the country’s temporary workers, a survey from the REC has discovered.
The Confederation’s JobsOutlook survey found that short and medium-term term temporary hires have risen to their highest rate since mid-2018, with the trend being attributed to the support that agencies are providing businesses looking to reopen and scale their operations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey also suggests that the clamour for permanent staff has remained unaffected as lockdown restrictions have begun to ease.
Commenting on the current hiring market conditions, Recruitment Manager at Recruitment Solutions (NW), Louise O’Brien, said:
“The recent candidate market has been rapid, so good candidates are super-active and are getting snapped up quickly. To keep up with this we’re seeing more hiring managers taking guidance from their consultants than ever. They know the perfect candidate doesn’t exist, so personality is really being prioritised in the selection process.
We’re also seeing an increased emphasis on on-the-job training in workplaces as businesses are also focussing on keeping great staff. It’s great to see the confidence growing again regarding hiring.”
And on the extra steps hiring managers are taking to attract candidates and keep their teams, Louise says:
“Hiring managers are aware they need to be more flexible, particularly around topics such as remote-working and working-from-home.
This is also true for the temporary recruitment marketing with temp-to-perm hires on the rise.”
