Employers
in the financial services sector are reporting their biggest surge in
recruitment since 1998, according to a new survey.
The
quarterly survey of 2,500 UK
employers by the Manpower recruitment agency found that companies planning to
increase the number of people they hire outnumbered companies that plan to cut
staff by 23 per cent.
Hazel
Detsiny, director at
Manpower, said the intention to hire was influenced by a perceived need to
employ additional staff to cope with stricter controls and legislation within
this industry, combined with a greater economic confidence and business growth.
She
said employers were still reporting that it is hard to find staff with the
right qualifications, and that contrary to much speculation, the recent expansion of the EU hadn’t
yet resulted in a flood of migrant labour.
“However,
there is an opportunity for employers to tap into new pools of labour from new
member states,” she said. “Our research also shows that one in five employers
would consider employing someone from the accession states to help fill this
need. In the short-term, however, lack of skills in many sectors is likely to
persist.”
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