Sweden – Hedera Group acquires medical staffing firm

Swedish recruitment services firm Hedera Group announced that it has acquired Baehrendtz & Haeger, a Swedish medical staffing and training firm, for SEK 23 million (€2.3 million).

Baehrendtz & Haeger is a niche employer of gynaecology and obstetrics and provides staffing for clinics in Sweden....

France – CTG acquires Paris-based Soft Company

US-based CTG (NASD: CTG) announced yesterday that it acquired Paris-based Soft Company, a consulting and engineering firm with expertise in both business and information systems. The all-cash transaction is valued at USD 16.5 million, not including potential future earnouts, for Soft Company’s USD...

UK – Unite Union wins legal victory against On-Site Recruitment over workers’ employment status

The UK Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled yesterday that a worker who was considered self-employed by his company was in fact an employee and had been denied worker rights such as holiday pay.

Unite, the UK union took the case on behalf of pipefitter Russ Blakely against the employment agency On-Site Recruitment...

UK – Recruitment firm Blu Global apologises after applicant was turned down for job because he was British

Recruitment firm Blu Global has apologised to an applicant who was told by a recruitment consultant that he could not apply for a job because he was British.

The Salisbury Journal reports that Michael Fowler had applied for a lorry-driving job but then received an email from a company employee informing...

Germany – Most job ads demand vocational training or degrees, finds study

Vocational training and completed degrees are the most in-demand educational qualifications in job ads, according to a study from the Federal Employers' Association of Personnel Service Providers (BAP).

The study, BAP Job Navigator, looked at more than 800,000 job offers and 32,700 training places advertised...

South Africa – Unemployment rate drops to 26.7% in fourth quarter

South Africa’s jobless rate decreased by 1.0% in the fourth quarter of 2017 to 26.7%, when compared to the previous quarter, according to the results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey from Statistics South Africa.

Figures from the survey showed that unemployment fell by 330,000 on the quarter. However,...

EMEA – GDPR and new minimum wage rules are among 2018’s biggest regulatory developments

The new year will bring a host of new legal developments that impact the workforce solutions ecosystem.

SIA’s Legal Calendar 2018 for EMEA highlights the legal changes and developments expected to affect the workforce environment.

Among the key changes include the EU General Data Protection Regulation....

Sweden – Wise Group Q4 revenue up 20%, but profits down as group announces leadership changes

Wise Group (WISE:SS), the Swedish staffing firm reported revenue for the fourth quarter ending 31 December 2017 of SEK 232.0 million (€23.4 million), an increase of 20% compared with the same quarter last year.  

Italy – Temp agency workers up 23.6%

The number of temporary agency workers in Italy for the month of December 2017 increased by 23.6% on an annual basis,  according to figures from Ebitemp, the bilateral organisation for temporary employment representing employers’ associations and unions.

Meanwhile, the total payroll of temporary...

UK – Wage growth set to rise by 3.1% in 2018, finds Bank of England

Real wages are set to grow by 3.1% in 2018, up from 2.6% last year, according to a new report from the Bank of England.

The report surveyed more than 360 businesses across the UK, accounting for approximately 845,000 employees. The Bank of England suggested that wages should begin to rise above the rate...