In your corner: REC Campaigns and Policy news - 25 February 2021

The REC has commissioned a ground-breaking study looking at the economic and social impact of the recruitment industry. The Recruitment for recovery report and its findings should make us all proud. The report reveals that:

• Someone finds a new permanent job through a recruiter every 21 seconds
• The work of professional recruitment firms supports £86 billion in gross value added across the economy, the equivalent of 4.3% of GDP, larger than either the accounting or legal industries.
• Four in five (78%) people who found a job through a recruiter said it was a good match for them.
• Each year, over 300,000 unemployed people use the recruitment industry to secure a permanent role, more than twice as many as those who go through the Job Centre.
• Two in three businesses (63%) said that working with a recruitment agency had helped them increase the diversity of new recruits.

We hope the report makes you walk a bit taller and please share it widely. Use the findings to talk to your MP where possible to promote the good work that you do and let them know what you want from the government to help you do good work.

Light at the end of the tunnel

After a tense start to the year in every aspect, spring is around the corner and so is the sense of hope. For England, the PM recently announced a roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions with a full lift being planned for 21 June 2021. In Scotland, a significant reopening of the economy, including non-essential retail, hospitality, and other services is expected by the end of April, with more details to be revealed mid-March. In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced on Friday that stay-at-home restrictions could be eased in three weeks and we expect to hear more about Northern Ireland’s plan to lift restrictions on 1 March. Those all depend on strict conditions being met, the priority remains supressing the virus.

We welcome the announcements and the clarity it gives businesses to plan ahead. Business confidence in making hiring decisions has weakened throughout the pandemic and these announcements will help strengthen business confidence.  To further business confidence the REC is calling on government to extend and enhance its Coronavirus Support package for business in the upcoming Spring budget on 3 March.

REC's new JobsOutlook report is due on Friday with the latest insight on employers' confidence and hiring intentions. Look out for that!

New UK/EU trading relationship following the end of the Transition Period

The Government has welcomed the European Commission's draft data adequacy decision recognising UK’s data protection standards and setting out that the UK’s standards are ‘adequate’.  This is a step closer for the EU to complete the technical approval process which, if done swiftly, will lead to a final data adequacy decision ahead of the 30 June deadline. We will be watching this space and you can find REC's latest guidance here.

Following feedback from stakeholders, including the REC, the Home Office has published an updated version of its Right to Work leaflet which employers can use during the grace period (1 January to 30 June) to clarify requirements to EEA employees. The materials also include a RTW factsheet and information on the new Points-based immigration system with relevant Q&As as well as updated information on Frontier Workers.

Campaigning for all healthcare recruiters

To raise the concerns of our members on access to vaccines and testing, as well as issues around fair pay for agency workers, we have written to both the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport in Scotland and the Minister of Health for Northern Ireland. REC member H1 Healthcare has also launched a petition calling on the Scottish Government to include agency nurses and carers in its COVID-19 bonus scheme. The £500 one-off payment, announced in November 2020, is restricted to NHS and social care employees – we would urge all members to sign the petition.

Please remember that all frontline healthcare agency workers in England can book their COVID-19 vaccination appointment direct with the National Booking Service

Non-compete clauses

This week the REC submitted our official response to the government’s consultation on the reform of non-compete clauses. Our response set out the reasons why the reforms should not be implemented and the detriment that restrictions on non-compete clauses could have for the recruitment industry. REC members can help to influence the outcome of this consultation by contacting their local MP. We have a template letter which members can use to explain why the proposed reforms should not be implemented.