The chief executive of the recruitment industry body, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, sees light at the end of the tunnel as regards the recession – and temps could be the first to benefit.
While the Office of National Statistics reported that the number of people out of work in the UK rose 244,000 to 2.22 million in the first three months of 2009 - the rate rising from 6.7 percent to 7.1 percent, the largest since 1981 - Kevin Green offered this assessment of the situation: ’Although the ONS figures show a significant jump in unemployment, the rate of deterioration in the jobs market is showing signs of easing according to the latest REC Report on Jobs. As demand returns to the economy, employers’ initial focus is likely to be on hiring temporary, contract and interim workers.
’A flexible workforce will help businesses respond to this demand by providing a stepping stone back into work for the unemployed. It is crucial, then, that the current consultation on implementation of the Agency Workers Directive in the UK protects the flexibility of the temp market and does not hamper employers’ ability to hire temporary workers.’
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Recession - Good News for Temps!
- Publish Date: Posted 12 January 2012
- Author: AP Group