Spain – Court rules against Deliveroo in employment rights case

A Spanish court yesterday ruled in a landmark case that a rider for food courier firm Deliveroo should have been treated as an employee and not as self-employed.

The decision is the first ruling over the rights of Deliveroo’s riders in Spain.

The case involved rider Victor Sanchez, who was fired for...

UK – Most employers support rights for agency and zero-hours contract workers to request stable contract

Two-thirds of employers back the introduction of a new right for agency workers and zero-hours contract workers to request a stable contract, according to survey data from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

The right to request a stable contract potentially allows agency workers to...

Sweden – Poolia and Uniflex to merge

Swedish staffing firms Poolia and Uniflex have announced an agreement to merge to create a Nordic staffing powerhouse.

The boards from each firm unanimously decided on the merger and plan to have each share in Uniflex replaced with 1.7 new shares in Poolia.

The merger is subject to approval at the extraordinary...

Belgium – Temporary workers’ hours up in April

The number of temporary agency hours worked  in April recorded an increase of 0.13% compared with April of 2017, according to Federgon, the Belgian Federation of Staffing Agencies.

Federgon reported that the number of hours worked by temp workers in the blue-collar sector decreased by 0.21% in April...

Netherlands – Revenue in temporary employment sector up 12%

First-quarter revenue in the Dutch temporary employment sector saw an increase of 12.1% when compared to the same period last year, according to Statistics Netherlands.

In addition to temporary employment agencies, employment agencies and personnel management also fall under the temporary employment sector....

UK – Education minister wants to stop recruitment agencies from charging ‘excessive fees’ to recruit teachers

Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds has launched a clampdown on agencies charging schools “excessive” fees to recruit staff and advertise vacancies, in a push to help save money and tackle “unnecessary costs”.

“Many schools rely on supply teachers at some point in the year to cover...

South Africa – CSG Holdings full year revenue up 22.2%, staffing division up 14%

South Africa-based CSG Holdings (CSG: JSE) reported revenue increased by 22.2% to ZAR 2.13 billion (USD 168.7 million) for the year ending 31 March 2018, when compared to the same period last year.

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

Kenya – Summit Recruitment & Search announces merger with recruitment firm Kama Kazi Africa

Kenya-based recruitment firm Summit Recruitment & Search announced that it has merged with boutique recruitment firm Kama Kazi Africa, also based in Kenya.

No financial details of the transaction were disclosed.

Kama Kazi will take on the name of Summit Recruitment & Search. The group focuses on...

Europe – Euro area and EU28 unemployment rates fall to lowest levels since 2008

The euro area (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate stood at 8.5% in April 2018, down from 9.2% in April 2017. This is the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since December 2008, according to data from Eurostat, the statistical body of the European Union.

The EU28 unemployment rate fell to 7.1%...

Belgium – Most temporary workers are satisfied with their jobs, Federgon finds

Most temporary workers in Belgium are satisfied with their jobs, according to a study from Federgon, the Belgian federation of staffing agencies.

Federgon’s study, which outlines the profile of temporary workers and the characteristics of their employment in 2018, found that 86% are generally satisfied...