In response to your front-page news story, ‘Mass redundancies lead to overloaded HR jobs market’ (Personnel Today, 10 May), I strongly believe that the position is nowhere near as bleak as you assert.
While there have been a series of redundancies in large organisations, which are distressing for those concerned, we must not forget the strength of the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) market.
SMEs contribute more than 50% of the UK’s turnover, and account for more than half of the UK workforce, according to figures from the DTI.
For many SMEs, recruitment is high on the agenda, and redundancy a far-off prospect. Small firms face a shortage of skilled workers, and are always interested in skills that HR professionals from larger firms can bring.
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HR roles in smaller organisations can offer real scope to develop broad experience in a dynamic and challenging environment – presenting HR professionals with diverse and exciting opportunities. A far cry from the doom and gloom of the current press coverage of the recent round of redundancies.
Lynne Hardman
Managing director, Hays Human Resources