UK – Self-employment growth driven by highly-skilled freelancers, not the gig economy, study finds

Growth in self-employment in the UK is being driven by highly skilled freelancers and not the gig economy, according to a report from IPSE, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed and Kingston University.

The report found that the growth of highly skilled freelancers outstripped...

Middle East – Gulf jobs on the rise, driven by higher oil prices

The gulf job market is set to grow at an average rate of 9% this year, according to research from online recruitment portal GulfTalent.

The research was based on a survey of more than 1,100 CEOs and managers from firms across the Gulf Cooperation Council. It showed that the biggest driver of employment...

France – Government plans tighter controls on the unemployed (Reuters)

Reuters reports that the French government plans to tighten controls on the unemployed and increase penalties against those who fail to look hard enough for a job. The government is set to triple to 600 by 2019 the number of staff dedicated to monitoring job seekers and add a further 400 by 2020, the...

UK – Staffing 360 Solutions expects revenue and gross profit growth in the fourth quarter

Staffing 360 Solutions Inc., a staffing provider with operations in the UK and US, announced preliminary unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter of 2017 with  expected revenue of $59.5 million, up 29% from the $46.1 million reported in the same period of 2016.

The group announced that...

UK – Staffline Group makes three acquisitions including Endeavour Group Limited, UK Distribution Personnel and M&B Staff Services

UK-based staffing and employability organisation Staffline Group announced that it completed the acquisition of Endeavour Group Limited ("Endeavour") and its subsidiary Vital Recruitment Limited.

The acquisition is expected to be earnings neutral in the current year and is being funded out of...

Netherlands – Government announces action program to deal with healthcare staffing shortages

The Dutch government has announced a ‘Working in Care’ action program to reduce staffing shortages in the healthcare sector, which it has sent to the House of Representatives.

The program follows data from the UWV, the Dutch employment insurance agency, which showed that the number of healthcare jobs...

UK – More than half of candidates make up their minds about a job during the first interview

More than half, or 53%, of candidates in the UK make a decision about a job opportunity during the first interview, according to research from Robert Half UK.

Robert Half’s research also showed that 24% of jobseekers decide whether a job is a fit for them within five minutes of their first meeting....

UK – SThree first quarter gross profit growth boosted by Continental Europe, but sees weakness in UK market

International recruitment firm, SThree (STHR: LSE) published a trading update for the first quarter ended 28 February 2018 with group gross profit up 8% year-on-year in constant currency.

Group gross profit was boosted by growth in Continental Europe and sector-wide growth, particularly in Life Sciences,...

Belgium – Federgon supports temporary work in the public sector

Federgon, the Belgian federation of staffing agencies, announced that it supports a recent government decision to allow temporary work in the public sector.

Earlier this month, the Council of Ministers approved the Royal Decrees, which now allow both federal and state-owned companies to use agency work. Federgon...

Ireland – Unemployment down in Q4 2017

Unemployment in Ireland was down for the fourth quarter of 2017, marking the twenty second quarter in succession where unemployment has declined on an annual basis, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 6.4% for Q4 2017. During the...