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View All NewsUK – Most businesses planning to maintain or increase their use of agency workers
Four in five, or 81%, of UK businesses, are planning to maintain or increase their use of agency workers in the run up to Christmas according to the latest JobsOutlook survey by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).
They survey also showed that 23% of UK employers plan to take on more permanent staff in the next three months, with 3% planning a reduction in their permanent workforce.
However, the survey of 600 employers reveals that large organisations (250+ employees) are less likely to take on new permanent staff in the short term when compared to smaller businesses.
“The latest official figures show that employment remains at a record high,” REC Chief Executive Kevin Green said. “Our data suggests that this positive trend is set to continue, with employers actively looking to take on more staff in the last quarter of the year. Small businesses in particular are performing well and are seeking to grow. Strong consumer spending over the last few months has been a boon to the UK economy.”
There also appears to be differences between businesses based in the South East and those based in the rest of the UK. In the South East (including London), 77% of employers expect to increase or hold their existing temporary staff in the next three months. Meanwhile, 98% of employers based in the North plan to increase or maintain their temporary workforce in the same period.
Overall, economic confidence has fallen according to the latest survey as 25% of employers surveyed in July - September think UK economic conditions are improving. This compares to 48% that cited improving conditions before the EU referendum (survey period March - May).
The survey also shows that employers anticipate a shortage of candidates for permanent and temporary roles in engineering, tech, construction and health & social care.
- To keep up to date with the data on UK professional employment trends, follow Staffing Industry Analysts’ monthly UK Professional Recruitment Trends report which is provided for for APSCo and covers hiring trends for both permanent employees and temporary staff. Offering dedicated insight into the recruitment of professional talent available. The latest version is available here: