24.01.12
Will 2012 be a happy new year for UK workforce?
With unemployment figures at a 17 year high in December 2011, many are questioning whether we are truly recovering from the recession caused by the 2008 financial crisis.
Two leading figures at the forefront of the recruitment industry are claiming that we certainly are and that the green shoots are there and just need nurturing.
Tony Wilmot and Elliot Kidd, founders of one of the world’s first recruitment websites, believe that the current unemployment statistics are not matching up with the recent success of their website.
Tony Wilmot states:
“In the last month alone we have seen the number of companies signing up rise by 189%, what’s more the number of jobs being uploaded has increased by 214%. These phenomenal figures do not correlate to the employment statistics we hear on the news”
Recruitment is about supply and demand and from the performance indicated above both the supply and demand appear to be there.
The final Happiness at Work index for 2011 conducted by Badenoch & Clark showed that happiness has increased from its low at the end of the summer, when only a third of workers reported high morale. However workplace happiness still remains lower than at the beginning of 2011 when almost half stated they were happy in their job.
The research also showed that while half of those surveyed are unsure of what the future holds, just over a quarter are hopeful for further career opportunities in 2012. The research also found strong regional variation in levels of workplace optimism. One third of employees in the East Midlands and London expressed the greatest hope for 2012 with Scotland and North East with the least hope for career prospects.
Nicola Linkleter, Managing Director of Badenoch & Clark said:
“It is encouraging to see that workforce moral increased slightly towards the end of 2011. Many employees have had a very difficult last 12 months, contextualised by redundancies, high inflation and pay freezes. However these findings do seem to suggest there is a glimmer of growing hope as 2012 begins.”
“The government’s recent research findings into the nation’s happiness suggest that, on the whole, people are happy in the UK; nonetheless, satisfaction with work ranked in the bottom three categories. Whilst employers are operating in very difficult economic conditions, it is important they recognise that their employees’ morale can be easily affected by the high level decisions they are making on pay and benefits, or training and talent management, for example.”
The research by Badenoch & Clark summarises that with the UK’s workforce divided over their prospects for career progression in 2012, companies must now make a conscious effort to communicate their plans for careers and ensure employees feel that their work has value, and is valued, by their employer.
So research and advice appears to suggest that in order to have a happy 2012 employers need to maintain the happiness of their current employees’ and remain confident and positive with regards to the recruitment decisions they make for 2012.