UK – Best Connection Group loses appeal in Sports Direct case

Best Connection Group Ltd., an employment agency that supplied workers for Sports Direct’s warehouse in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, lost its appeal against fines for paying less than the minimum wage, according to the UK Ministry of Justice.

Best Connection was fined £263,000 in 2016 and ordered to pay...

UK – Recruitment firm says skills shortage jeopardises rail link

HS3, the planned fast rail link between the cities of Manchester and Leeds in the UK, is destined to fail unless more is done to ensure the rail industry has the talent it needs to meet anticipated demand, according to rail and construction recruitment specialist One Way. The company warned that the...

France – Government unveils labour law reform details (Reuters)

Prime Minister Édouard Philippe and Labour Minister Muriel Pénicaud on Thursday announced details of the full plan to overhaul the labor code. Reuters reported the rules, scheduled to take effect next month, would make it easier for employers to hire and fire workers; allow employers in some instances...

Spain – Adecco report finds 33% suffer from post-vacation depression (Agencia EFE)

A report released by Adecco Spain found that 33% of workers suffer post-vacation blues from lack of energy and motivation as well as sadness, Agencia EFE reported. Some ways to for workers to reduce post-employment depression include not returning the day immediately before work begins, dividing the...

World – International growth in Hays offsets UK decline

International recruitment firm Hays (HAS: LSE) today reported net fee income growth of 6% on a like-for-like basis for the full year ended 30 June 2017 compared with the same period last year.

Net Fees, which comprise revenue less remuneration of temporary workers and other recruitment costs, were £954.6...

Italy – Number of temp agency workers up in June

The number of temporary agency workers in Italy during June 2017 was up by 37.3% compared to the previous year according to the latest figures from Ebitemp, the bilateral organisation for temporary employment representing employers’ associations and unions.

Ebitemp figures showed that the number of...

Europe – Euro area unemployment reaches lowest rate since 2009

The euro area (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 9.1% in July 2017, down from 10.0% in July 2016. This is the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since February 2009, according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

The EU28 unemployment rate was...

UK – Business confidence falls to lowest level since last year but firms expect to increase hiring

Overall business confidence fell to 17% in August, its lowest level since August 2016, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.

The share of firms reporting higher business confidence decreased by 7 points to 38% and those reporting lower confidence increased by...

UK – Interquest provides trading update, expects to report decrease of 14% in Net Fee Income for first half of the year

Specialist IT staffing firm InterQuest Group (ITQ: LSE) has provided a trading update ahead of its interim results for the six months ending 30 June 2017.

Interquest announced on 15 June 2017 that it was facing challenges in the political and trading environment resulting from Brexit, the result of the...

UK – Unite calls on NHS to outlaw umbrella companies

British and Irish trade union Unite has called on the NHS to outlaw umbrella companies operating throughout the organisation.

Unite stated that after the introduction of new rules in April which effectively outlawed agency workers operating in the public sector from being paid on a non-PAYE basis, some...