Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest NewsEconomics, government & businessPay & benefitsRecruitment & retention

Recruitment freezes starting to thaw, CBI survey reveals

by Mike Berry 16 Nov 2009
by Mike Berry 16 Nov 2009

Employers are keeping a tight rein on pay, but recruitment freezes are starting to thaw and some of the dramatic changes made to working patterns during the recession are now being eased.

Research by the CBI and recruitment firm Harvey Nash found that half of the 243 employers surveyed were planning to freeze pay altogether, and that only 4% plan to make an inflation-beating rise.

But the number of firms operating a recruitment freeze has dropped from 61% in the spring to 37%. This was largely due to firms unfreezing parts of their organisation, and there was far smaller drop in the number of firms who have blocked new hires across the whole business.

The survey also showed that fewer employers see the need for some of the more extreme measures required to control costs earlier in the year, such as extended shut-downs, cuts in overtime, and bringing forward holidays.

John Cridland, CBI deputy director-general, said: “The worst of the recession may be over but firms remain ultra cautious about increasing pay. Market conditions continue to be very tough and growth in 2010 will be feeble, so pay is going to be squeezed for some time to come.”

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.

An IRS survey of pay trends found almost half of private sector employers were confident they would be able to offer staff higher pay awards in 2010 than they did this year. An increase of 2% was the pay rise cited most often.

Other CBI survey findings include:



  • Some 36% of employers said they had made or were considering changes to working patterns to cope with the recession, such as cutting shifts or agency staff.
  • The use of flexible working has risen, in particular teleworking, or working from home, has soared in popularity, with two-thirds of firms (66%) making use of it â€“ 20% higher than the 46% recorded just last year.
  • Half of firms said they had trimmed graduate opportunities. One-third (31%) continued to take their usual numbers and a fifth (19%) increased hiring.

CBI
Mike Berry

previous post
Public sector pay packets could be capped below prime minister’s salary
next post
Paternity leave extension consultation closes on Friday

You may also like

Skills receive £1.2bn boost in new industrial strategy

23 Jun 2025

How smarter collaboration can eliminate the workplace productivity...

23 Jun 2025

Low-paid could receive ‘Britannia’ dividend under Reform’s non-dom...

23 Jun 2025

Man who used company credit card for himself...

23 Jun 2025

UK engineering and manufacturing firms face hiring struggles

23 Jun 2025

Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer...

23 Jun 2025

Personnel Today Awards 2025: Final deadline today

23 Jun 2025

Aldi to hire for 1,000 new supermarket roles

23 Jun 2025

Seven ways to prepare now for the Employment...

20 Jun 2025

Sniff a lemon on World Productivity Day and...

20 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 Jobs
 

Search Jobs

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
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+