Today’s labour market statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), based on data from August-October 2017, shows that employment fell again. Commenting, Recruitment & Employment Confederation chief executive Kevin Green says:
“Employment has fallen for the second month running while vacancies are going up. With more people from the EU leaving the country and fewer arriving to work, it’s getting harder for employers to secure the number of people they need to fill roles. If they can’t find candidates, they won’t be able to meet demand, which means there is a risk that they won’t be able to grow and could even end up downsizing, relocating or closing down.
“Employers will need to continue to be resilient in 2018 as candidates are getting scarcer. Our data shows that some hirers are combatting skills shortages by increasing starting salaries to attract candidates, but this isn’t translating to a pay rise for the wider workforce – inflation is still outstripping pay growth by a long way.
“The government needs to take responsibility to ensure employers can plan ahead, be prosperous next year and keep creating jobs for people. What employers need is certainty about their access to EU workers – the transitional deal in the single market and what will happen afterwards – as well as certainty that the EU staff already performing vital jobs for them can stay. The business community will be looking closely at the next round of Brexit negotiations.”
1. For more information, contact the REC Press Office on 0207 009 2157/2192 or pressoffice@rec.uk.com. An ISDN line is available for interviews on 0207 021 0584
2. The number of people in employment for August to October 2017 was 56,000 fewer than for May to July 2017. Last month’s data (July to September 2017) showed the number of people in employment was 14,000 lower than for April to June 2017.
There were 798,000 job vacancies for September to November 2017. This was up 14,000 compared with June to August 2017 and up 45,000 compared with a year earlier.
3. Jobs transform lives, which is why we are building the best recruitment industry in the world. As the professional body for recruitment we’re determined to make businesses more successful by helping them secure the people they need. We are absolutely passionate and totally committed in this pursuit for recruiters, employers, and the people they hire. Find out more about the Recruitment & Employment Confederation at
www.rec.uk.com
