Netherlands – European Commission calls on government to tackle rising number of freelancers

The European Commission is urging the Dutch government to tackle the surge in people working as freelancers, reports Dutchnews.nl.

In its recommendations, the Commission said that the government should tackle remaining barriers to hiring staff on permanent contracts and address the high increase in self...

World – People – Cobalt, Quess Corp, ZRG Partners, Gibbs

UK-based executive search firm Cobalt has appointed James Wakefield as its new chief executive officer with immediate effect. Wakefield first joined Cobalt in 2007 after working with international recruitment firm Michael Page. Prior to joining Michael Page, he served in the British Army and received...

Switzerland – Employment up in Q1

The number of employed persons in Switzerland rose by 0.6% in the first quarter of 2017 when compared to the previous year, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office.

Employment increased to 4.96 million in the first quarter from 4.93 million in the same period of 2016, a 0.6% increase. When...

Belgium – House of HR acquires Vielegis

House of HR, an HR services firm based in Belgium, announced that it reached a final agreement to acquire Vialegis, a specialist legal recruitment firm also based in Belgium. The transaction sees House of HR acquire 75% of the shares of Vialegis while the management retains 25%.

In a statement, Vialegis...

UK – Contractor demand falls in April, but permanent vacancies remain steady

Professional recruitment firms in the UK reported that demand for contractors decreased by 12% in April, year-on-year, while overall vacancy numbers for permanent roles increased by 0.3% in the same period, according to new survey data from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies.

APSCo’s...

UK – REC announces manifesto, calls on recruiters to engage and influence debate on jobs

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation today announced a manifesto for jobs, ‘Let’s build the best jobs market in the world’, with the aim of urging policy-makers to prioritise the continued success of the labour market. 

In its manifesto, the REC is calling on recruiters to contact...

Germany – BAP rejects Green Party comments on temporary work

Thomas Hetz, Chief Executive of the Federal Employers' Association of Personnel Service Providers (BAP), has rejected comments on temporary work made by Greens-Bundestag deputy Beate Müller-Gemmeke.

Müller-Gemmeke, who is also a spokeswoman for labour rights in the Green Bundestag parliamentary party,...

UK – Senior HR professionals using robots for talent acquisition

One in four senior HR professionals in the UK already use robotics in their HR or talent acquisition function, according to survey data from by global talent acquisition and management firm, Alexander Mann Solutions.

The data from Alexander Mann Solutions also showed that approximately 70% of senior HR...

Nigeria – Bayelsa state government plans to create 7,000 temporary jobs after $50 million World Bank loan (Sun News Online)

The Nigerian state of Bayelsa’s government said it plans to generate 7,000 new temporary jobs from the implementation of projects funded from a USD 50 million dollars development loan from the World Bank, reports the Sun News Online. Project Coordinator of State Expenditure Ayens Adogu stated that...

South Africa – Adcorp Holdings revenue up 3% as it plans to scale back African operations outside of South Africa

South Africa-based workforce management solutions group Adcorp Holdings Ltd. reported revenue yesterday for the year ending 28 February 2017 of ZAR 16.1 billion (USD 1.2 billion), an increase of 3.2% compared with a year ago.