- Employment Outlook of +7%, in line with the national average
- The East is bouncing back following a brief dip in confidence
- Candidates selecting roles based on prospects rather than pay
After a dip last quarter, the Employment Outlook in the East has bounced back to +7%, in line with the national average, according to Manpower, the global leader in contingent and permanent recruitment workforce solutions. The jobs market in the region is displaying an increase in confidence from last quarter, with businesses choosing to recruit a more permanent workforce.
The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 2,103 UK employers. It asks whether employers intend to hire additional workers or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming quarter. It is the most comprehensive, forward-looking employment survey of its kind and is used as a key economic statistic by both the Bank of England and the UK government.
“We saw a marked dip in hiring intentions in the East of England going into the final quarter of 2014, and, while the Employment Outlook remained positive, confidence was not at the levels we had become accustomed to,” says Krissie Davies, Operations Director at Manpower UK. “But as we head into 2015, it is very encouraging to see that the region is bouncing back and that confidence is filtering through the marketplace.”
“As confidence grows, the number of permanent roles is increasing. This is particularly the case in Chelmsford where we are seeing very strong demand for skilled telesales and administrative candidates with a high level of experience.”
“Elsewhere in the region, Ipswich is also experiencing a strong demand for skilled workers, but while candidates were once swayed more by salary offers, they are now taking a longer term view and actively seeking positions with better prospects and where they feel the working environment is a good fit.”
The national picture in early 2015 is positive, following 2014’s jobs bonanza, when we saw the highest level of job creation in 40 years. The national Seasonally Adjusted Net Employment indicates that, with an Outlook of +7%, 2015 will begin even more optimistically than the fourth quarter of 2014, when the Outlook was +6%.
Britain’s biggest companies are set to lead the job creation charge in early 2015 and, with an Outlook of +21%, more of the UK’s largest employers are planning to take on staff than at any point in the last decade. Many big businesses built up large cash reserves in the downturn. Now that confidence is returning they have money to invest in infrastructure and growing their workforces. The run up to Christmas has seen some of the UK’s biggest and best-known companies taking on staff in their thousands as they prepare for the seasonal rush. One good example is Royal Mail, which is recruiting 19,000 extra workers to deliver the nation’s Christmas gifts.
Across the regions, there are marked positive increases in the North East and South West, with the North East boasting the brightest Outlook among the regions, at +16%, its best showing for seven years and the South West following closely behind with an Outlook of +15%. Away from these highflying regions there is a more mixed picture across the UK. Wales (+4%) rose by three points, while the Scottish Outlook has continued to fall from a high of +8% in Q3 2014 to +2% this quarter. Northern Ireland is the only region in negative territory, with its Outlook falling back down to -4% after a surprise leap into positive numbers last quarter.
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For further information, please contact:
Brunswick – Ben Fry 020 7404 5959
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: #MEOSUK
NOTES
A ‘Net Employment Outlook’ is calculated by subtracting those employers who plan to reduce staffing levels from those who plan to hire staff. A positive result indicates that more employers plan to increase rather than decrease staffing levels; a negative result reflects the opposite. [% increase - % decrease]
Commentary and full details on every sector and region can be found in the survey report at manpower.co.uk/meos, or by calling the Press Office on 0207 404 5959/ [email protected]
For international comparisons and visual library with graphs, visit manpowergroup.com
Commentary is based on seasonally adjusted data where available. Full survey results for each of the 42 countries and territories included in this quarter’s survey, plus regional and global comparisons, can be found in the ManpowerGroup Press Room at www.manpowergroup.com/meos. In addition, all tables and graphs from the full report are available to be downloaded for use in publication or broadcast from the ManpowerGroup Web site at: http://www.manpowergroup.com/press/meos.cfm
Note that in Quarter 2 2008, the Survey adopted the TRAMO-SEATS model for seasonal adjustment of data. As a result, you may notice some seasonally adjusted data points change slightly from previous reports. This model is recommended by the Eurostat department of the European Union and the European Central Bank, and is widely used internationally.
About the Survey
The world leader in innovative workforce solutions, ManpowerGroup releases the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey quarterly to measure employers’ intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their workforce during the next quarter. It is the longest running, most extensive, forward-looking employment survey in the world, polling nearly 66,000 employers in 42 countries and territories. The survey serves as a bellwether of labour market trends and activities and is regularly used to inform the Bank of England’s Inflation Reports, as well as a regular data source for the European Commission, informing its EU Employment Situation and Social Outlook report the Monthly Monitor. ManpowerGroup’s independent survey data is also sourced by financial analysts and economists around the world to help determine where labour markets are headed.
About ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN) has been the world’s workforce expert, creating innovative workforce solutions, for more than 65 years. As workforce experts, we connect more than 600,000 men and women to meaningful work across a wide range of skills and industries every day. Through our ManpowerGroup family of brands – Manpower®, Experis™, Right Management® and ManpowerGroup™ Solutions – we help more than 400,000 clients in 80 countries and territories address their critical talent needs, providing comprehensive solutions to resource, manage and develop talent. In 2014, ManpowerGroup was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the fourth consecutive year and one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies, confirming our position as the most trusted and admired brand in the industry. See how ManpowerGroup makes powering the world of work humanly possible: www.manpowergroup.com
About Manpower UK
Manpower is the global leader in contingent and permanent recruitment workforce solutions. It is part of ManpowerGroup, the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, which creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness.
With a network of 300 offices in cities across the country, Manpower has provided organisations in the UK with a continuum of staffing solutions from the incidental to the strategic for 55 years, working with businesses such as BT, IBM, Royal Mail and Xerox to help them win.
In the Human Age, where talent has replaced access to capital as the key competitive differentiator, Manpower UK leverages its trusted brand to develop a deep talent pool, providing clients with access to the people they need, fast.
Manpower UK creates powerful connections between organisations and the talent they need to enhance their competitiveness and unleash their workforce potential. By creating these powerful connections, we help everybody achieve more than they imagined, and power the world of work.
For more information, see www.manpower.co.uk