UK unemployment rose by 128,000 in the three months to October to 2.64 million, the highest level since 1994.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the jobless rate was 8.3%, up from 7.9% in the previous quarter.
Youth unemployment rose to 1.027 million, the highest since records began in 1992, beating the previous record set only last month.
The number of people out of work and claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance rose by 3,000 to 1.6 million in November.
However, the rate of increase in the claimant count showed signs of slowing down.
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The Reed Job Index has risen by 4 points this month to stand at 133. The figure is up by 20 per cent year on year and has hit a 23-month high. This means employer demand for new staff has continued on an upward curve from last month. And while more than half of the areas covered by the Index have delivered a rise in demand this month, the increase has been particularly marked in London, the South East and the North West.
“The latest Reed Job Index shows that confidence about the future has continued to increase right across the private sector, in spite of last week’s gloomy economic pronouncements,” says James Reed, Chairman of reed.co.uk’s parent company Reed Global. “Not only is employer demand up by twenty per cent year on year, newly available private sector jobs are at their highest level since the dark days which followed the last banking crisis.”
Downtown Recruitment this month celebrates 25 years in business in Thame. Originally started in 1986 by Suzanne Young the successful recruitment agency is now run by her son Steve Young. They are located in spacious offices in the centre of Thame on the 1st floor at 109 High Street above Steamer Trading. Downtown enjoys an excellent reputation with its large and loyal client base as well as being complimented on its friendliness and professionalism by applicants seeking employment.
Despite the gloomy national forecast the company has seen a sizeable increase in business in 2011. Both the temporary and permanent divisions are showing an increase in activity for the first 8 months of the current financial year, defying economic trends.
Downtown offers recruitment services in wide ranging categories in both temporary and permanent sectors and can supply people from warehouse operatives to senior management level. Downtown’s professional team of Sarah, Jane, Pam and Steve has between them over 40 years of experience in recruitment.
They have a reputation for listening carefully to clients needs and delivering the right staff in a competitive market. They also have highly efficient systems to attract the right candidates as well as providing advice on new legislation and practices for clients.
Downtown welcome enquiries from any companies in the area that have recruitment needs and can be rest assured that their needs will be carefully considered.
The latest “Report on Jobs” from the REC has reported the first fall in permanent placements (by recruitment agencies) in over two years during October 2011. Commenting on the results Bernard Brown, Partner and Head of Business Services at KPMG, said “Nervous employers are placing recruitment decisions on hold amidst concerns over the economic outlook, in many cases choosing instead to plug the gap with temps.
Other key highlights of the report included; an increase in temp billing, further increase in job vacancies reported, stagnation of permanent salaries and availability of staff improves at sharper pace.
Here are three reminders of legislation all taking effect from 1st Oct 2011 which I have previously published.
(1) Agency Workers Regulations - Giving Temporary workers the same rights with regard to pay and holidays after a 12 week qualifying period.
(2) Default Retirement Age – has now been scrapped.
(3) Nation Minimum Wage – Increases to £6.08/hr for anyone aged 21 or older.
A recent survey of 6000 UK workers revealed the following main points:-
1. Men still earn more
Male workers are paid an average of 18.5% more than their female counterparts.
2. Finance has the widest pay gap
Of the industries analysed, the gender pay gap is widest in Finance and narrowest in Marketing.
3. Jobseekers move for money
Over 30% of workers enjoyed their last pay rise as a result of a job change.
4. Bonus is king
The opportunity to earn a bonus is the UK’s most sought after job-related perk.
5. Happiness is a salary of £24k
The average salary for the 20% of respondents who said they love their job is £24,158
Employers prioritise job applicants with the right attitude to work rather than the skills listed on their CVs, new research shows. With school leavers facing rocketing higher education fees, recruitment group Reed polled over 1,000 business owners to see what key traits employers look for in job seekers. It discovered that 96pc of employers would hire someone who did not have a complete set of skills but displayed the right attitude over an applicant with the perfect skills but who lacked the right mindset. Two thirds of employers said they if had to reduce their workforce they would fire someone with a perfect skills set over someone with deficient skills but sporting the right attitude. The employers ranked the top six “essential” attitude qualities as “commitment, honesty, trustworthiness, adaptability, accountability, and loyalty.”
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Students have made a record number of applications for graduate jobs this year, with almost 40% applying early to beat the rush, a new report suggests.
The number of graduate job applications reached an all-time high of 343,000 in 2010-11, up a third from the year before, the study of 17,851 students at 30 UK universities revealed.
An unprecedented 37% of finalists made job applications last September or October. In total, 59% of finalists scrambled for places by March 2011, the study by High Fliers Research found.
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The holiday season is in full swing so we thought it would be useful to include some general points about holidays.
How much is the holiday entitlement?
From April 2009, the rate increased to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave per year (pro rata for part time workers). This equates to 28 days per annum for a full time worker.
Do bank holidays count towards holiday entitlement?
An employer, or a recruitment agency can include bank holidays as part of the annual entitlement. There are usually eight bank holidays a year, so this would allow a full time worker an additional 20 days holiday. 2011 and 2012 both have an additional bank holiday for the Royal wedding and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. However, where the worker works on a bank holiday, as the bank holiday has not counted as part of their holiday leave, another day of annual leave must be given so that the holiday entitlement is met.
Can I tell an employee when to take their holidays?
Yes. There are provisions within the Working Time Regulations 1998 whereby an employer can give an employee notice as to when they want them to take their annual leave. It can be advantageous to include certain provisions in your contract towards this end.
I have an employee who has said they are ill whilst on holiday leave and wish to take the time as sick leave and use their holiday at another time. Should I allow this?
Strictly speaking, yes. In light of a decision by the European Court of Justice, if an employee becomes ill during or just before a period of annual holiday, they can ask to convert the period of holiday concerned to sick leave and take the annual holiday at another time.
Does holiday accrue for employees on long-term sickness absence or are away on maternity or other family leave?
Employees on long-term sickness leave will accrue holiday whilst they are absent from work and if they are unable to take their annual holiday entitlement in the holiday year, they should be allowed to carry this over into the next holiday year. Employees on maternity leave or other types of family leave will also accrue holiday whilst they are away and must be allowed to take this holiday when they return.
The Government has announced that the National Minimum Wage for adults 21 or over will increase on 1st October 2011 from £5.93 to £6.08 per hour. This equates to an increase of 15p (an increase of 2.5%).
Vince Cable (the Business Secretary) commented that more than 890,000 of Britain’s lowest-paid workers will gain from these changes, that they are appropriate and reflect the current economic uncertainty whilst at the same time seeking to protect the lowest-paid workers in the UK.
Additionally, the minimum wage for 18 to 20 year olds will increase by 6p to £4.98 an hour. The rate for 16 to 17 year olds will rise by 4p to £3.68 an hour, while for apprentices it will go up by 10p to £2.60 an hour.
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