Netherlands – Robot employment agency set to train people how to work with robots (NL News)

Dutch robot employment agency Smart Robotics is set to offer a training course to teach people how to work with robots, reports NL News. The company aims to start this three-day training program by the end of this year and intends to start by training 300 people per month. “We want to retrain people...

World – Randstad reports organic revenue up 7%, boosted by European business

Randstad (RAND: NV), today reported revenue for the fourth quarter ending 31 December 2016 of €5.5 billion, an increase of 7% on an organic basis compared with €4.9 billion a year ago.

The financial results for the fourth quarter were broken down as follows:

UK – Jobs Tsar and TUC look at self-employment

Matthew Taylor, the Jobs Tsar, has said there is evidence businesses are using self-employment laws to avoid tax, reports BBC.

Taylor stated that new flexible ways of working were very good for many businesses and people, but said a complicated tax system and lack of clarity in the law meant that employers...

Netherlands – More than 122,000 freelancers lost work due to new law (NLTimes)

More than 122,000 freelancers in the Netherlands lost work due to a new law against false self-employment, reports the NL Times. The figures were based on a study by the Chamber of Commerce that showed that 18% of the approximately 700,000 freelancers in the country had lost work due to the new Deregulation...

UK – Declining supply of EU workers contributing to labour shortages

UK sectors which employ a high number of EU nationals are beginning to experience skills and labour shortages which could be due to a slowdown in the number of EU workers seeking jobs in the UK, according to the latest Labour Market Outlook from the CIPD (Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development)...

UK – Number of available jobs in London down by 2%, number of professionals seeking jobs declines

According to the latest Morgan McKinley London Employment Monitor, January saw a 2% year-on-year decrease in the number of jobs available along with a 29% reduction in the number of professionals seeking jobs, when compared to the same time last year.

The report showed that on a month-to-month basis,...

Italy – Court blocks labour law referendum (Reuters)

The Italian court rejected a trade union-sponsored petition calling for a vote to repeal the key provision of a law known as the Jobs Act, which made it easier for companies to hire and fire employees, reports Reuters. The legislation had come from former prime minister Matteo Renzi. Renzi stepped down...

UK – Plumber wins legal battle over working rights in ruling that could affect gig economy (BBC News)

A UK plumber has won a legal battle against Pimlico for working rights in a case that could affect the gig economy, reports BBC News. The plumber, Garry Smith, wanted to reduce his working days at Pimlico Plumbers following a heart attack. Pimlico refused to reduce his working days and took away his...

World – Ireland, Sweden and Denmark rank as Most Attractive Staffing Markets

Ireland, Sweden and Denmark Rank as Most Attractive Staffing Markets Strong Prospects in Both Emerging and Established Markets as Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) has issued its 2017 report on the Most Attractive Staffing Markets Globally.  Sixty different staffing markets were assessed across six...

Ireland – Number of finance professionals looking for jobs following Brexit increases

According to new data from Indeed, the number of British and Europeans searching for financial sector jobs in Ireland has increased.

 
Job searches from the UK for senior financial sector roles in Ireland jumped in the eight-week period after the Brexit vote. UK based job search for ‘auditor’...