World – IKEA to create 4,000 net jobs worldwide (CNBC)

Swedish-based furniture giant IKEA said it plans to cut approximately 7,500 jobs worldwide over the next couple of years, mainly administrative staff in central support functions, reports CNBC. The 7,500 redundancies amount to nearly 5% of the company’s total workforce. However, IKEA estimates that...

UK – GMB trade union agrees to drop out of planned Black Friday DPD courier walkout after legal threat

GMB, a UK-based trade union has acquiesced to demands from parcel delivery service firm DPD to drop out of a planned Black Friday gig economy walkout after the company threatened to sue the trade union.

According to The Guardian, the GMB union represents DPD’s couriers and the company said that a planned...

Switzerland – Companies struggle to find staff in key sectors

Switzerland’s skills shortage is on the rise in 2018, according to the latest Skills Shortage Index compiled by The Adecco Group Switzerland in collaboration with the Swiss Job Market Monitor from the University of Zurich. 

The Index compares the number of vacancies in occupations to the number...

Spain – Part-time employment rate falls in 2018, Randstad finds

The part-time employment rate in Spain fell to 13.9% in 2018, a decrease of 1.1% from last year and the lowest figure in the past seven years, according to findings from Randstad Spain.

Randstad’s data found that 2.71 million persons had a part-time contract in 2018, a decrease of 3.7% to 2017’s figure...

Europe – Amazon workers across Europe to protest warehouse conditions on Black Friday (Business Insider)

Amazon warehouse workers are planning to stage protests against working conditions in coordinated protests across Europe today on Black Friday, reports Business Insider. In the UK, the biggest protest is set to take place at Rugeley, near Birmingham, with upward of 100 people expected to attend. The...

Finland – VMP Q3 revenue growth driven by staffing business

Finnish HR services firm VMP Plc reported turnover yesterday of €31.1 million for the third quarter ended 30 September 2018, an increase of 12.3% compared to the same period last year.

VMP has a comprehensive offering of staffing, recruiting and organisational development, and self-employment services....

South Africa – CSG Holdings H1 revenue up 7.7%, but reports reduced profits

South Africa-based CSG Holdings (CSG: JSE) reported revenue increased by 7.7% to ZAR 1.13 billion (USD 81.3 million) for the six months ended 31 September 2018, when compared to the same period last year.

CSG Holdings is a provider of outsourced personnel services, industrial and mining services, and...

Sweden – Veteranpoolen revenue and profits surge in Q3

Veteranpoolen AB, a Swedish firm that offers household services and staffing services and claims to be Sweden's largest employer for retirees, reported net sales yesterday of SEK 88.3 million (€8.5 million) for the third quarter ended 30 September 2018, an increase of 29.4% when compared to the previous...

UK – “Flexible working can be key to cutting the skills gap and boosting UK productivity” – Staffing Quote of the Week

Claire Walker, co-executive director of policy and campaigns at the British Chambers of Commerce is urging UK businesses to embrace new ways of working.  “Flexible working can be key to cutting the skills gap and boosting UK productivity” she said.

Businessleader.co.uk reports that Walker, who...

World – Tech Roundup: Zenjob, Technically Compatible, Sendhelper

Zenjob, a Berlin-based tech startup for temporary employment, has raised €15 million in Series B financing round, led by AXA Venture Partners. Additional capital investors are current investors Acton Capital Partners, Redalpine, and Atlantic Labs. Zenjob helps large and medium-sized businesses find...