Recruitment 2.0

The demand for candidates with tech skills rose by 10% in the UK last year, as the total number of vacancies reached 1.3 million[1]. As Snapchat followed Google and Facebook by announcing expansion plans in the UK that demand – and the competition – will continue to soar. Here are six ways to improve your hiring strategy and recruit more tech talent into your business:-

The NHS is facing a widely reported staffing crisis, highlighted by frequent reports throughout this winter period of A&E departments unable to cope with unprecedented patient levels.

Technology will yet again be the driving force behind changes to HR practice and hiring processes in 2017. Here are the 6 tech trends HR can’t ignore this year:-

The Governor of the Bank Of England (BoE), Mark Carney raised the alarm bells over automation in his speech at Liverpool’s John Moore University earlier this week, describing the ‘machine age’ as one that will ‘mercilessly’ destroy jobs. He warned of 15 million jobs being replaced by automation – around half of the UK workforce.

The UK’s public sector employs over 5.3 million people but employee levels are falling and the sector faces a series of threats, including automation and a crisis in the teaching profession.

The Chancellor’s much anticipated Autumn Statement was released yesterday. We summarise the main points and their impact on HR below:-

Engineering contributes significantly to the UK’s economy. Engineering UK reports a sector turnover of £1.2 trillion, representing 27% of GDP and an industry which employs in excess of 5.5 million people, yet it faces troubling skills shortages.

Uber drivers yesterday won a unique case in an employment tribunal after judges ruled they were entitled to the national living wage, sick pay and holiday pay. The case involved just two drivers but leaves Uber exposed to further claims and has far reaching implications for all employers operating on a similar basis. Four courier businesses are also facing action, with the first case scheduled for November.  

It is now four months since the Brexit referendum and the predicted deterioration in the UK’s jobs market is yet to materialise. The Office for National Statistics revealed that, at 0.5%, the UK economy exceeded growth predictions from July to September, buoyed by a strong performance across the services sector.

The UK's digital skills shortage has reached a critical point. A further 745,000 workers[1] are needed in the workforce by 2017 yet it lags behind on digital adoption and ranks highest in the world for digital pessimism.