| UK jobs growth continues to slow |
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| Tuesday, 11 March 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 2 UK mobile phone market Transport and communications employers are the least optimistic of all business sectors surveyed, intending to take on as many staff as they plan to reduce (0 per cent). “With the UK mobile phone market reaching saturation point, there are less growth opportunities in this part of the telecoms market contributing to keeping hiring plans stable,” according to Cahill. Business sectors recruiting above the national average are the utilities (+12 per cent), community and social (+9 per cent), and manufacturing (+8 per cent) employers. Hiring confidence has improved in the hotels and retail sector (+5 per cent) by four percentage points over the last quarter but has declined by eight points on the year. On the high street (+6 per cent) employer hiring plans are cautiously optimistic reporting a modest decrease from last year (+12 per cent Q2 2007). Employers in the hotel and restaurants sub-sector (+3 per cent) also reveal a sizeable decrease in hiring confidence from last year (Q2 2007 +20 per cent). Migrant labour Showing encouraging signs this quarter are employers in the construction sector (+1 per cent). The Outlook is an increase of six percentage points over the quarter and reveals a no change figure of 88 percent. Cahill says that, despite concerns over falling house prices and increased costs of raw materials, employer hiring confidence in the construction sector is positive. He adds that employers have benefited from the influx of migrant labour and consequently have built up strong workforces. Concerns over a slowdown in the jobs market could, however, threaten the availability of migrant workers as they seek work elsewhere in Europe. “In this situation, employers will need to think carefully about their retention and recruitment programmes,” Cahill warns. Regional differences At a regional level, all employers report positive or neutral hiring plans over the next three months. Employers in the East (+11 per cent) are the most optimistic of all regions surveyed whilst those in the North West (0 per cent), East Midlands (0 per cent) and South West (+2 per cent) are the least optimistic about their hiring intentions. Employers in all of the regions surveyed, with the exception of the East, reported decreases both year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter in their hiring plans. Employers in seven of the 12 regions surveyed anticipate a hiring outlook equal to or above the national average. Across the countries surveyed in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, employers report varying degrees of positive hiring activity, although employers in 10 of the countries are reporting less optimistic Net Employment Outlooks compared to Quarter 2 2007. Employers in Romania, Poland, Greece, South Africa and Norway are most optimistic about adding to their workforces. In contrast, hiring optimism among Irish and Spanish employers fell considerably from one year ago. Notably, compared to Quarter 2 2007, Outlooks improved slightly in Austria and France, while the Outlook remained stable in Germany. Related articles
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