Author Archives: Steve Young

About Steve Young

Steve Young is the Managing Partner of Downtown Recruitment who are based in Thame, Oxfordshire. Downtown Recruitment provide a wide variety of temporary and permanent staff to the local area covering a wide range of disciplines across the commercial and industrial sectors.

There Are Only Three True Job Interview Questions!

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Steve Young

The only three true job interview questions are: 1.  Can you do the job? 2.  Will you love the job? 3.  Can we tolerate working with you? That’s it.  Those three.  Think back, every question you’ve ever posed to others … Continue reading →

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Changes to employment matters for the coming year

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Steve Young

The EU plans to increase parental leave from 3 months to 4 months and the UK must implement this by 8th March 2013. The qualification period to bring a claim of unfair dismissal will rise from 1 year to 2 … Continue reading →

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REC’s JobsOutlook: Employers show more caution but many still plan to hire in 2012

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Steve Young

This month’s REC JobsOutlook shows more employer caution with regards to hiring new staff. However, a significant number of businesses still plan to increase their workforce in 2012 and finding the right candidates remains a major challenge in some sectors. … Continue reading →

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UK unemployment increases to 2.64m!

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Steve Young

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 … Continue reading →

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Job index hits a 23 month high!

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Steve Young

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 … Continue reading →

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Downtown Recruitment, celebrates 25 years!

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Steve Young

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 … Continue reading →

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REC – Report on jobs

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Steve Young

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, … Continue reading →

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3 Reminders – for legislation taking effect from 1st Oct 2011.

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Steve Young

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 … Continue reading →

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Recent Survey Results

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Steve Young

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 … Continue reading →

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Firms hire on “attitude” over skills

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Steve Young

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 … Continue reading →

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