UK – ‘Political and economic uncertainty’ is the top challenge faced by UK employers

According to the REC’s (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) latest JobsOutlook survey, ‘political and economic uncertainty’ is ranked as the top challenge faced by a third of businesses.

The survey, which polled 601 employers, also shows that 21% of businesses say a shortage of suitable candidates...

Germany – Number of job vacancies up in Q4 2016

The number of job vacancies in Germany increased in the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to the previous year, according to data from the Institute for Labour Market and Professional Research of the Federal Employment Agency (BA).

In the fourth quarter of 2016 there were 1,044,000 vacancies nationwide,...

Spain – Amazon to create 500 new jobs in 2017 (Telecompaper)

Amazon is set to create 500 new permanent jobs in Spain in 2017, reports Telecompaper. The announcement of the jobs is expected to bring Amazon Spain’s total workforce to 1,500.  The Spanish expansion is part of the company's recently-announced plans to employ 15,000 additional staff across Europe....

World – Hays net fees boosted by growth in Germany and Australia while UK slows down

International recruitment firm Hays (LON: HAS) reported turnover for the six months ended 31 December 2016 with a 7% increase on a like-for-like basis compared to the previous year. The company also reported net income increased by 3% on a like-for-like basis.

Switzerland – Michael Page Swiss Job Index shows number of job ads up in February

The number of job vacancies posted in February in Switzerland increased by 32.5% compared to the same period last year, according to the Michael Page Swiss Job Index. This is the largest increase in over a year since the publication of the index in 2012.

Between January and February 2017, published job...

UK – Tax incentives fuel growth of self-employment sector

An analysis by the Resolution Foundation which examined the growth of self-employment found that one of the key drivers of this growth has been the tax advantages enjoyed by the self-employed.

The Resolution Foundation found that the numbers of self-employed workers grew by 22% to 5 million since the...

UK – School spending on supply teacher agencies grows by a fifth in three years as MPs warn teacher shortages worsening (Telegraph)

School spending on supply teacher agencies in the UK has increased by 18.5%, from £469 million in 2012-13 to £556 million in 2015-16 as MPs warn that the Government has no long term strategy to address staff shortages, reports the Telegraph.  The demand for supply teachers is high enough that...

Poland – Recruitment agencies illegally exchanging personal data (Radio Poland)

Polish recruitment agencies have been illegally exchanging personal data and creating blacklists of unwanted potential employees, reports Radio Poland. Polish Deputy Labour Minister Stanisław Szwed has said that the problem is difficult to investigate, adding that his ministry is considering different...

Netherlands – Employment agency workers found guilty of human smuggling and fraud (InterAksyon)

A Dutch court has ruled that officers of employment agency Gyron Crew are guilty of human smuggling and fraud in a court victory for Filipino seafarers who worked for inland shipping in the Netherlands, reports InterAksyon. The court stated that Gyron took advantage of the vulnerable positions of the...

Netherlands – ABU reports staffing growth

According to the Dutch Federation of Private Employment Agencies (ABU), hours worked by temporary workers increased by 4% and turnover grew by 4% in period 1 (weeks 1-4) compared to the same period last year.

ABU divides the year into four-week periods reported, with the 1st period the most recently ended....