Jobseekers
should be wary of reports that the recruitment market is bouncing back, warn
researchers from the Recruitment Confidence Index (RCI).
The
latest figures in the report – which is produced by the Cranfield School of
Management and the Daily Telegraph in association with Personnel
Today – suggest that jobseekers are still going to find it tough to secure
that dream job with the number of employers predicting a rise in recruitment
activity down from 55 per cent last quarter to 51 per cent.
However,
the number of employers predicting no change in the number of hires in the next
six months is up from 31 per cent to 35 per cent.
When
it comes to recruiting managers and professional staff, the number of employers
predicting a rise in activity is down from 39 per cent three months ago to 32
per cent this quarter. The majority – 61 per cent – say the number of managers
and professionals they hire will stay the same.
Professor
Shaun Tyson from Cranfield School of Management said that although the UK economy
has been performing well, there were potential problems ahead at home and
abroad, which help to explain why business confidence remains so flat.
"At
home, the housing market has been fuelling UK demand, but the price increases
that we have seen are probably unsustainable” he said. “There are also fears
that government spending plans will force up taxes.
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"Looking
abroad, there is the uncertainty surrounding the Middle East and threats of
global terrorism, but there is also the possibility that after the US presidential
election and the UK’s general election, taxes will rise in both countries,”
Tyson added.
