UK – Hydrogen Group H1 revenue and NFI fall

UK recruitment firm Hydrogen Group (HYDG: AIM) reported revenue today for the full year ending 30 June 2019 of £64.1 million, a decrease of 9% in constant currency compared to £68.6 million during the same period last year.

Lower demand for contractors in the UK drove the decline in group revenue for...

Netherlands – Temporary workers’ hours down: ABU

The total amount of hours worked by temporary workers in the Netherlands decreased by 9% in the eighth period (weeks 29-32) of 2019, compared to the same period last year, according to the Dutch Federation of Private Employment Agencies (ABU).

ABU divides the year into four-week periods, with the eighth...

Switzerland – Temporary workers’ hours fall, but shows signs of stabilisation

The number of hours worked by temporary workers in Switzerland fell by 6.0% in the three months to July 2019 when compared to the same period last year, according to data from Swiss Staffing, the Swiss Federation of Staffing Companies.

The 6.0% decline was a slight improvement over the previous three...

Europe – Euro area and EU28 unemployment rates fall in July

The euro area (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate stood at 7.5% in July 2019, down from 8.1% in July 2018. This remains the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since July 2008. At the same time, the EU28 unemployment rate was 6.3% in July 2019, down from 6.8% in July 2018. This remains the...

UK – Employers deem training for contingent workers ‘ineffective’, study finds

A quarter of UK employers, or 24%, say training for contingent workers is ineffective, according to new research from City & Guilds Group.

The research found that that employers are failing to provide their vital contingent workforce with adequate learning and development opportunities despite also...

France – Freelance.com revenue rises 25.1% on back of strong domestic growth

French online staffing platform Freelance.com (EPA: ALFRE) reported revenue today for the second quarter ended 30 June 2019 of €57.6 million, an increase of 25.2% when compared to the previous year.

This was the 14th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth for the company.

Revenue for the six months...

Belgium – Temporary agency workers’ hours down in July: Federgon

The number of hours worked by temporary agency workers in Belgium in July 2019 fell by 7.03% when compared to the previous year, according to Federgon, the Belgian Federation of Staffing Agencies.

The decrease was due to the number of hours worked by temporary agency workers in the blue-collar sector...

UK – Business firms call on Chancellor to use the spending review to broaden the apprenticeship levy

A coalition of UK business bodies representing tens of thousands of employers and millions of workers has written a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid, urging him to use the spending review to broaden the apprenticeship levy.

According to the coalition, a reformed training and skills...

Spain – Paid overtime exceeds 166 million hours in 2018: Randstad

Employees in Spain reported more than 166 million hours in paid overtime in 2018, the second highest figure in the last ten years, according to data from Randstad Spain.

The data showed 166.17 million overtime hours, an increase of 13.1% compared to 2017, when there were 146.95 million overtime paid hours....

UK – Number of women working in IT falls compared to 20 years ago: APSCo

The percentage of women working in the IT space has fallen over the past 20 years in the UK, according to APSCo, the Association of Professional Staffing Companies.

“It’s shocking that the percentage of women working in IT is actually falling,” said Ann Swain, chief executive of APSCo. “While...