UK – Permanent staff placements and temp billings up in February, REC finds

The number of people placed in permanent jobs by recruitment consultancies across the UK increased for the nineteenth consecutive month in February, according to the latest Report on Jobs from IHS Markit/REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation).

The report also showed that temp billings grew at...

France – Firms face fines if gender pay gaps are not erased (BBC News)

French companies will have three years to close their gender pay gaps or face fines under new proposals, reports BBC News. The proposal was brought forth by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe to unions and employers. If passed by parliament, the measure will be rolled out by 2020. Men are paid on average...

Spain – Women rally and stop work over gender inequality on International Women's Day (BBC News)

Women workers in Spain have gone on strike today, International Women’s Day, protesting gender inequality and sexual discrimination, reports BBC News. Work was halted as part of a 24-hour strike organised by the 8 March Commission and backed by unions and some of Spain's top women politicians including...

UK – PageGroup full year revenue up 9.8% in constant currency, strong overseas growth offsets weakness in UK business

International specialist recruitment firm PageGroup (MPI: LSE) reported revenue for the full year ending 31 December 2017 of £1,371.5 million, an increase of 9.8% in constant currency compared with the same period in 2016.

Germany – Yoh acquires IT recruitment firm GECO Deutschland

Technology staffing firm Yoh acquired GECO Deutschland, a Hamburg, Germany-based specialty IT recruitment firm. Yoh reported the acquisition expands its IT specialty staffing practice area internationally.

The transaction closed 1 March; terms were not disclosed. GECO Asia and GECO Systems were not included...

Germany – Number of job vacancies up in Q4

The German Labour market saw an increase of 12.1% in the number of job vacancies during the fourth quarter of 2017 when compared to the previous year, according to survey data from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB).

The IAB’s data reported approximately 1.18 million vacancies in the German...

Europe – Women earned 16% less than men in 2016, Eurostat finds

In 2016, women in the EU earned on average 16.2% less than men according to data from Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU.

The 16.2% gender pay gap in the EU means that women earned on average €0.84 for every euro a man makes per hour.  Across the EU member states, the gender pay gap in...

UK – Staff turnover on the rise as businesses face skills gap

Nearly half, or 40%, of companies in the UK say staff turnover has increased since June 2016, according to a study from London First and Lloyds Banking Group.

The study, ‘Building the workforce of the future’ also showed that 62% of firms across the UK say they face challenges in hiring...

UK – Union calls on government to act on Swedish Derogation

The Trades Union Congress is calling on ministers to take action and end the Swedish Derogation, which they say is a ‘legal loophole’ that lets agencies and employers avoid paying agency workers the going rate.

“The loophole allows bosses to pay agency staff less, even when they do identical roles...

UK – Average advertised salaries reach highest level in nearly two years

Average advertised salaries in the UK for January reached its highest level since April 2016, according to data from Adzuna.

Data from Adzuna showed a 2.9% increase in January 2018 when compared to last year. The average advertised salary in January stood at £33,369. The last time it was higher was in...