Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Business performanceHealth and safetyEconomics, government & businessRecruitment & retentionLabour turnover

Have a rant: Recession? What recession?

by Personnel Today 28 Jan 2008
by Personnel Today 28 Jan 2008

The media hype around the looming recession merely serves to perpetuate the problem: businesses feel insecure and belts start to be tightened. However, while the economy is under increasing scrutiny, we are yet to experience a lull. In fact, salaries are higher than ever and the demand for skilled workers, especially in IT, is still strong.

Despite this, the recruitment sector in particular has been rattled. When the media starts to predict rises in inflation, human resources (HR) departments often fear they will be the first to feel the squeeze. HR directors may consider putting a freeze on recruitment – or even start to make job cuts. But this is simply a knee-jerk reaction, and often not the wisest course of action for the future success of the business.

Rises and falls in the economy and their knock-on impact on HR and recruitment are part of a cycle we have seen before and will no doubt see again. And while speculation about a recession is unlikely to die down just yet, when it eventually does, the scramble to recruit the best will begin again.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Instead of panicking, companies need to alleviate future recruitment issues by snapping up rare skills while the market takes a down-turn. HR teams need to prioritise projects that are essential to business growth and ensure they are well-resourced, whatever happens in the marketplace.

Companies should learn their lesson from this inexorable cycle and think proactively about the future. Instead of giving in to the squeeze, HR directors need to take the lead in ensuring the business has the skills and people to ride the wave and come out successfully at the other side.

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Helen Giles awarded MBE for services to homeless people
next post
Recession: testing times require tried and tested HR tactics

You may also like

Aircrew with cancer pursuing MoD for compensation –...

2 Jul 2025

Government publishes ‘roadmap’ for Employment Rights Bill

2 Jul 2025

Fall in entry-level jobs linked to rise of...

30 Jun 2025

Welfare cuts would ‘undermine workforce inclusion and business...

27 Jun 2025

Bank of England says NIC rise is dampening...

27 Jun 2025

Bioethanol plant closure could lead to 4,000 job...

26 Jun 2025

When will the Employment Rights Bill become law?

26 Jun 2025

Graduate jobs this summer ‘will be toughest since...

25 Jun 2025

Employers struggling with soaring candidate deception

25 Jun 2025

Skills receive £1.2bn boost in new industrial strategy

23 Jun 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today