Well for a start they all recently made the top 10 of the Sunday Times 25 best big companies to work for in the UK and their sales figures aren’t too bad either.

Listed in its core business principles, Goldman Sachs places people before ‘superior returns’ for shareholders.’ Their staff are happy with their pay and benefits, recognising ‘that their pay is fair compared with people in similar positions at comparable firms’ seeing them rank fourth.

KPMG were ranked third overall for Giving Something Back; last year nearly 7,000 staff contributed more than 67,000 hours of volunteering time in office hours doing pro bono work or getting involved in charitable activities; which the firm actively encourages.

Employees of Pets at Home reported that they have fun with their colleagues and feel that they have the support they need to provide a great service ranking second in employee wellbeing, they also ranked second in giving their employees a fair deal.

So how did they achieve such success; a Top Down approach, it starts in the boardroom and continues into the hiring room.

The uniting factor for all of these companies; their commitment to talent! Whether through developing employees from within, running internships or outsourcing all of these company’s know the value of their employees and how much the right team can affect their business. The bottom line; talent wins.

That’s not to say that it’s easy to become one of the best company’s to work for in the UK, and it’s certainly not easy to stay there. There are several common mistakes that can prevent a company from realising its full potential and breaking out of mediocrity.

Failing to Make a Team of “A” players a Priority

Author of Top Grading, Brad Smart suggests that “A” players — the top 10% of performers in any given field or position at a given compensation level — produce as much as 8-10 times that of “B” players — the next 25%.  These are the people who will drive your business to new heights; the movers and the shakers.

By choosing a candidate who can potentially do the job rather than hiring a candidate who will be a top performer you are limiting your organisations ability to succeed. A disparity in talent often leads to missed sales targets, delays in product introductions, and a lack of cost-cutting measures to help the organisation attain further profitability and remain competitive. To prevent this from happening focus on bringing “A” players into your organisation in every position, above and below.

A-players contribute more, innovate more, work smarter, earn more trust, display more resourcefulness, take more initiative, develop better business strategies, articulate their vision more passionately, implement change more effectively, deliver higher quality of work, demonstrate greater teamwork, and find ways to get the job done in less time for less money.  – Brad & Geoff Smart, 2007

Paying Below Market Value for Key Talent

The phrase ‘You get what you pay for’ has never been truer than when paying for great talent. When demand is high and the supply continues to get lower, (unless you can offer a very strong value proposition opposed to any other alternative), it is extremely difficult to attract “A” players. Failing to offer a suitable remuneration package leads to your candidate pool being filled with those who are either unhappy in their positions or those who are under qualified for the role. Don’t forget: top talent is typically happily employed and making things happen.

Offering below market rates will not attract the all important talent you require to drive your business forward. Limiting your pool of talent will result in missing performance targets and bring your organisation closer to that middle ground of mediocrity. Speak to a professional and find out what compensation will bring the “A” players on board to ensure you remain competitive in the talent game.

Maintaining a Long, Arduous Hiring Process

The key purpose of the hiring and interviewing process is to identify the top potential prospects for a position. To interview them, ensure they have the experience, skillset, and track record that you are looking for, and to show the candidates why they should work for your organisation opposed to a competitor. It is not an endurance race and nor should it feel like one.

If your’ interviewing process leaves you feeling as though you’ve run a marathon or the sheer thought of beginning the hiring process sees you breaking out into cold sweats then it’s fair to say it’s probably off putting to any potential candidate A player or not.

The limited supply of “A” players in the market means you should carefully consider the length of your hiring process. A good hiring process should last no longer than three weeks: any longer, and candidates will leave the process. They decide to stay where they are, they find other opportunities to pursue and take other jobs. Make it a priority to keep your hiring process down to three weeks or fewer to ensure you don’t lose the key talent your searching for.

Hiring Based on Interviewing Skills alone

The ‘I’ll know within the first five minutes if they’re the right person for the job or not’ can lead to dismissing potentially phenomenal talent from your hiring process. Whilst team fit and chemistry are important consider the role this individual will play within your organisation and take a moment to assess their abilities objectively. If they can talk the talk they can’t necessarily walk the walk. Some candidates perform superbly at interview stage, however being a good conversationalist alone does not lead to a top performing employee.

Interviewers should focus on the tangibles:

1. Experience (previous activity and practice either in doing the specifics of the role or something similar)
2. Proven Skill Sets (documented abilities in job performance and achievement)
3. Track Record of Success (demonstrated examples of repeated success not assertions)
4. Accountability (substantiated responsibility and delivery.

Lack of Defined Career Paths

Key talent get promoted; they set career goals, they’re focused and they aim to over achieve. Most of all they are driven by what they need to do to get to that next level. The main reason an “A” player will consider a new opportunity or changing jobs is the potential for development.  They want the ability to advance and grow their experience, skills, and knowledge.

To hire top talent, you need to map out the potential career path available, even if the path is dependent upon many variables. If the possibility exists, the position will hold a much higher chance of attracting the calibre of talent desired. This is not only important for hiring but also to prevent existing top performers from becoming dissatisfied and unhappy with their career potential within your organisation.

No Outside Agencies

Locating and attracting the key talent and “A” players is not easy. By eliminating outside agencies and relying on job board or referrals you are not only limiting your pool of candidates but placing a time burden on internal HR and recruiters. Whilst employee referrals are great they are limited and this is just the beginning. Someone will still have to call the referrals to qualify them and to get them interested in the position and the company. This in itself can be a daunting task as it is a common practice today for many people to not return phone calls, costing your organisation time and money which could be better spent.

In addition “A” players are not looking at or responding to newspaper ads and nor can they simply be located by a keyword search. The majority are happily employed and busy driving their present company forward. A tactical approach by someone who understands the market and what will attract an A player is required to get the best talent.

The Feeding Frenzy

Not using a professional recruiting service is only surpassed by using as many as you can find on yell.com to fill one position. Creating a non-exclusive, contingency search environment and to the recruitment firms who participate, this means the Grand National. The search parameters change from “How do we find you the best talent in the market?” to “How quickly can we fill this position in order to beat the competition?” The nature of the situation reduces an important and crucial process to who can reach the finish line first. The priority switches from quality to quantity.

Companies who excel in the art of talent acquisition understand that using the right executive recruiter or search firm is not a cost-prohibitive transaction. It is an investment. By engaging an experienced resource to deliver top talent companies gain a strategic advantage, allowing them the best choice from the absolute best talent available. It’s a decision that in the long run results in an exponential return on investment!

Stop Interviewing When Empty Seats Are Filled

Whilst finding the best talent for your open positions should be a top priority, do not stop keeping an eye out for that potential next ‘A’ player addition to the team. Develop a good relationship with your preferred recruitment firm and they will keep their eyes open and ears to the ground because you never know what or who is just around that corner. Even an initial discussion regarding a potential ‘A’ player to consider for the future will pay dividends in the long run. Speculatively reviewing potential key talent is not only a great way of keeping on top of changes in your industry but can also signal changes in your competitors ambitions.  Your recruiter will keep in touch with them and you have the benefit of building the best team possible to move your business forward.

Tolerating Low Performance

Jack Welch, past CEO of GE and one of the top CEOs of all time, made a policy each year of letting the bottom 10% of the performers go in every division. The idea was to replace them with “A” players, thus continually building his organisation with an influx of strong new talent. It’s great to have a wonderful culture in an organisation where everyone is happy and there is no goal pressure. Allowing individuals, however, to miss performance targets year after year has tremendous consequences. It conditions the company and the employees to accept and tolerate below level behaviour and drowns the organisation in a sea of mediocrity. No matter how good your product or service is, without great talent, your organisation can’t compete.

Bill Gates of Microsoft summed it up succinctly: “Take my 20 best people, and virtually overnight, Microsoft becomes a mediocre company.”

Do not lower the bar and tolerate sub-par performance, you risk losing your top performers and breeding an atmosphere of mediocrity. If an employee falls below the minimum acceptable level, give them an opportunity to make up the difference. If they are not willing or unable to do that, then tough management decisions need to be made.

Lack of Training and Development

‘A’ players know their value and expect to advance and develop within an organisation. So leadership and training is critical to securing and retaining your best performers. Peter Drucker, the management guru developed the concept of a knowledge worker in 1959. As one of the first to predict major changes in society based on this idea, he saw the shift of business and the economy away from success in manufacturing to success from the ability to generate and use knowledge. When companies equipped employees with information through training, development, and education, they were then better equipped to make decisions which allowed them to perform better and thus the organisation would grow.

Educated employees tend to take responsibility for their productivity. They are innovative and often manage themselves. A study on talent in 2009 found that when comparing organisations with high-quality development programmes, against those without, the median revenue per employee was doubled. This is a clear indication that employee training programmes can actually pay for themselves.

Absence of a Performance Management System

Performance management is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity for any company looking to grow their business. A good system allows a company to set clearly defined goals and objectives and to track employees’ activity and assess this information easily in relation to their employees’ performance.

The key to performance management is in your systems ability to diagnose problem areas. This in turn allows the employee to receive targeted training and coaching which can immediately improve performance. Maximising your employees’ potential and driving your business forward. It can also be used to identify areas of achievement and offers the opportunity to recognise and reward those who have made outstanding contributions to push your business forward and break free of mediocrity.

The most successful and admired companies in the UK work hard to avoid these traps. By making recruiting key talent a top priority they have broken free of mediocrity and achieved great success in their respective industries.

We would like to hear your views on the points raised in this article, please feel free to leave a comment or email us directly at info@key-appointments.co.uk

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Therefore, gross domestic product (GDP) would receive a £2.3 billion boost for every bank holiday that was scrapped, helping Britain compete more effectively in the global market.

Approximately 47 per cent of businesses are hit by the scheduling of bank holidays as they are forced to close, whilst only 14 per cent benefit through extra trade with restaurants and hotels amongst those to do the best out of the additional holiday days.

Economist Daniel Solomon said ‘The bank holidays mean that eight of these 261 weekdays – or three per cent of weekdays – are taken as time off by many workers. This puts downward pressure on productivity and hence GDP.’

This year Good Friday and Easter Monday celebrations cost the UK in the region of £4.7 billion. With plans for May Day to be traded in, in favour of St George’s Day in April for England and St David’s Day in March for Wales, or a Trafalgar Day in October should we be reconsidering the rest of the bank holidays to boost the economy and relieve pressure on business owners?

We would like to hear your views on the points raised in this article, please feel free to leave a comment or email us directly at info@key-appointments.co.uk

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Guest Blogger Jennifer Holloway of Spark, personal branding for business discusses LinkedIn invitations and how to get the most out of them.

If you, like me, remember Viscount biscuits, clackers and pencil rubbers that smelt like grape, you probably remember the Readers’ Digest prize draw*.  You’d receive a personal invitation through the post from someone called Tom Champagne (seriously…I’ve checked it out and he was a real person) inviting you to take part in the draw to be their next big winner; but you knew that, apart from the fact it had your name at the top, there was nothing personal about this invitation – you were one of thousands receiving the same letter.

So what did you do with this impersonal invitation?  

Apart from the first time I got one (when I dutifully sent back the slips and in return got nothing more than more bumpf from Readers Digest) they promptly went into the recycling.  Because I’d quickly learnt that the invitations that deliver the most value, that are worth replying “Yes” to, are the ones that come with a personal relationship attached.  Which brings me to LinkedIn…

There are two schools of thought when it comes to LinkedIn:

School 1: It’s about quantity not quality ie LinkedIn is a tool to connect you to as many people as possible, whether you know them or not, as the more people who you’re connected to the more opportunities can come your way.

School 2: It’s about quality not quantity** - LinkedIn is a tool to connect you to a select group of people, who you have met or would like to meet, with a view to forming a relationship which may mean more opportunities come your way, plus you can send more opportunities others’ way.

I’m firmly in the second camp, believing that gaining a connection without having any sort of relationship with them makes that person simply a number in your network.  And as The Prisoner made clear, no-one likes being a number. So whichever road you take, I strongly believe the personal touch matters - especially when it comes to the invitation you send.

Instead of sending a message with the standard wording, “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn,” you should see the invitation as an opportunity not only to connect with someone, but to get across something about your personal brand (not least that you believe in being personal).

So when you’re next sending an invitation, here’s 5 tips to make it personal:

#1 – Include a salutation
preferably one that’s chatty and matches your personal brand

#2 – Explain where you got their name from
(if you don’t already know them) eg “I saw you give a presentation at the Tech Conference last week.”

#3 – Explain why you’re getting in touch
eg “I’ve checked out your profile and notice we work with the same group of people.”

#4 – Suggest a further action
usually a way for you to build the relationship further and make it more valuable for both of you eg “I’m in your neck of the woods next Thursday and wondered if you’re free for a quick coffee.”

#5 – Include some insight into your personal brand
subtly giving clues to what makes you tick eg “I get a buzz out of connecting people so if you’re coming to the next Tech Conference and would like to meet my CEO, just let me know.”

It may take more time to type a personalised message than simply hitting the send button, but I believe the value of forming a relationship and not just a connection will ultimately deliver; you’ll have someone who has bought into your personal brand and that’s worth more than just being a number.

If you’d like to read more blogs about using LinkedIn, here they are.  And let me know how you feel about personalised or standardised invitations – I could be on my own on this one!!!

*It may still be going but I no longer get the letters – man, I could be missing out on millions!

**At a recent New Media Breakfast I spoke at in Edinburgh, I asked for a show of hands and 95% of people were in the second camp: quality not quantity.

 For further information about personal branding for business please visit Jennifer’s website www.sparkexec.co.uk

Step 1 – Employment History

You’ve just seen an advertisement for your dream job that you would give your left arm for and then you realise that you will need to tackle your CV.  The mere prospect alone of wading through your employment history can be off putting but it needn’t be.  The best CV’s aren’t long or have lists of qualifications, they show potential.

Your CV is an introduction to you, it’s a talking point for interviews and recruiters.  Employers do not expect you to be able to fit your life’s experience into a couple of pieces of A4 but they do expect you to be able to highlight relevant skills and examples of you demonstrating them. Easier said than done I hear you saying?

The first step is to read the job description thoroughly and make notes next to the points they are asking for i.e. skills, qualifications. When have you used this system or when did I demonstrate this skill?

This is something we all naturally do when we first look at a job description, it’s how we know we are interested in the role and that we could do the job. It may help to talk it through with someone, you can often remember things in conversation that you may otherwise feel like you were clutching at straws on your own.

Once you’ve got notes of things you’ve done which demonstrate these skills you need to organise them into bullet points under the relevant employers.  This will now form the basis of your CV.  The next step is to flesh it out a little and transform the couple of words you noted down into clearly written, well formed sentences.

Once you have written each bullet point, consider the type of language you have used.  Is it positive?  Negative?  In-different?  Using positive language such as: achieved, contributed, demonstrated etc. places your experiences and you into a positive light but don’t overdo it.

Congratulations you are one step closer to your next career move!

CV template

Top 10 tips for writting the perfect CV

Covering letters

Understanding each stage of a job application

We would like to hear your views on any of the points raised in this article, please feel free to leave a comment or email us directly at info@key-appointments.co.uk

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1 April 2012

Statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay increase

As of the 1st of April 2012 the standard rate of statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay will increase from £128.73 to £135.45 per week. Statutory sick pay will increase from £81.60 to £85.85 per week from the 6th April 2012.

6 April 2012

Changes to income tax thresholds come into force

The personal allowance for income tax will increase by £630 up-to £8,105. In addition the threshold at which employees pay a higher rate of income tax (40%) will be reduced to £34,371 from £35,001.

Contracting out of state additional pension abolished

As of the 6th April 2012 contracting out of the additional State Pension on a defined contribution basis will be abolished by bringing into force the relevant provisions of the 2007 and 2008 Pensions Acts. From this date forward employees will automatically be brought back into the State system and they will start to accrue entitlement to additional State Pension instead. Employers and employees in money purchase/defined contribution occupational schemes will then both pay the standard rate National Insurance contributions instead of the reduced rate.

Qualifying period for unfair dismissal increases to two years

On the 6th April the qualifying period for an employee to bring an unfair dismissal claim will increase from one year to two years. The increase will only apply to employees who start a new job on or after the 6 April 2012.

Changes to tribunal procedure come into force

A ‘fundamental review’ as described by the government has proposed changes in Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure. These substantial changes are expected to be introduced from the 6th April and include;

• Employment judges will hear unfair dismissal cases alone in the tribunal, unless they direct otherwise.
• The maximum amount of a deposit order, which a tribunal can order a party to pay as a condition to continuing with tribunal proceedings, will increase from £500 to £1,000.
• The maximum amount of a costs order, which a tribunal may award in favour of a legally represented party, will increase from £10,000 to £20,000.
• Witness statements are to be taken “as read” unless a tribunal directs otherwise.

Increase to lower earnings limit for national insurance contributions comes into force

The allowed lower earnings limit for primary Class 1 national insurance contributions increases from £102 to £107.

Changes to health and safety reporting requirements come into force

 The Reporting Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (SI 1995/3163) are amended. The required period of incapacity following an injury caused by an accident at work, which triggers the employer’s requirement to report the accident to the enforcing authority, increases from more than three days to more than seven days. In addition the deadline by which the employer must report the accident increases from 10 days to 15 days.

Amendment to s.147 of the Equality Act 2010 comes into force

Section 147 of the Equality Act 2010, which sets out the conditions for a valid compromise agreement, is amended to address concerns about the drafting of this section and the validity of compromise agreements made under it.

9 April 2012

Basic state pension increases

The basic state pension increases from £102.15 to £107.45 per week.

This list should be not treated as exhaustive, and in no way constitutes legal advice. If your require information about any of the points raised within this article you should seek legal advice, Key Appointments would be happy to provide the details of a trusted advisor.

 We would like to hear your views on this points raised in this article, please feel free to leave a comment or email us directly at info@key-appointments.co.uk

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The term Workfare is most commonly used to refer to the Governments Work Experience initiatives.  The Work Experience scheme is aimed at anyone aged 16 – 24 who has been unemployed and claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) for a period of thirteen weeks or more.  A Work Experience placement can last between two and eight weeks and if you are eligible for the scheme you can find your own Work Placement.  This can give anyone who is young and unemployed the opportunity to get relevant experience in a working environment or industry that they may be unfamiliar with.

The real controversy arises if after nine months you find yourself unemployed and aged between 18 -24 or after twelve months of unemployment and aged 25 or over you may be asked to take part in the Work Programme.  Not to be confused with the Work Experience scheme.  The Work Programme is targeted at helping the long term unemployed gain work experience and stay in the ‘employment loop’.  Participants continue to receive their JSA in lieu of wages paid by the ‘employment provider’.  This has led to accusations that major employment providers are using participants of the Work Programme in a manner akin to ‘slave labour’ or to replace real vacancies.  Whilst some participants feel that they are being undervalued not everyone’s experience has been negative.   Some participants have found the experience beneficial and it has helped them to gain full time employment.

So is workfare worthwhile?

Being unemployed can be demotivating and lower your self-esteem.  Creating a vicious cycle in which it can seem impossible to break free.  A work experience placement can help to re-build confidence and in some cases add valuable experience to your CV.   However feeling undervalued or taken advantage of creates real animosity and a negative working environment for all concerned.

The real question is; If a Work Placement is to offer real benefit and value to all parties should it be mandatory and should JSA be received in lieu of wages?

We would like to hear your views on the points raised in this article, please feel free to leave a comment or email us directly at info@key-appointments.co.uk

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The impact of sickness absence on a small business can be great – but managed effectively the effects can be significantly reduced.

Here are 5 tips to help manage sickness absence in your business:

Look for patterns
Identifying the reason for the absence will help you to understand how to deal with it appropriately. It will also help you to assess if the absence is genuine. It is worth looking for patterns in absence – do absences occur during a particular shift? On a certain day of the week? When a particular task is required? Or when working with a particular member of staff?

Always conduct a return to work interview
This is the employer’s opportunity to understand the nature of the absence and to identify if there are any underlying health issues. Is there something that you, as an employer, can do to reduce the number of sickness absence days? Is there equipment you can provide? Or are there issues which require further investigation such as bullying? A return to work interview will also allow you to assess whether or not disciplinary action may be necessary. And if employees know that a return to work interview will be carried out for every absence it may encourage them to change their behaviour

Keep in touch with employees who are absent
Employers are often worried about contacting employees when they are absent from work – but, done sensitively (and in-line with any medical advice) contact with employees can help to keep them engaged with the business during a period of absence. You should make sure your Absence Management Policy includes reference to maintaining regular contact during absences.

Keep records

Keeping good records is a key element in managing sickness absence. All contact with the employee should be recorded. This will help you to see any patterns in sickness absence, and in the case of any long term absences it will help you to make decisions and help your case if the issue ever went as far as an employment tribunal

Ensure your employment management policies are clear and up to date

Your employment management policies are your most important tool when dealing with sickness absence. Clear guidelines set out in your policies mean that both you and your employees are aware of the process that will be followed and the any possible outcomes. Having these policies in place and managing all sickness absence in line with them will help you to reduce the instances of sickness in the long term and significantly reduce its effects.

This information is a general statement of law and is not applicable to any particular individual or set of circumstances and should not be substituted for advice.

If you would like to know more about Turner Consulting and the services they provide please visit www.turnerconsulting.co.uk

Car maker Nissan has revealed a new hatchback concept car, INVITATION, which will be produced at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, creating 400 new jobs at the plant and a further 1,600 elsewhere at Nissan in the UK and amongst its UK supplier base.

Tesco also announced this week that they will be creating 20,000 jobs in the UK over the next two years by improving stores and opening new ones.  Commenting further that the new jobs would include full and part-time positions; alongside some apprenticeship placements for new employees offering a range of opportunities for those seeking employment in the UK.

The good news continues as Jaguar Land Rover’s decision to invest in the creation of 1,000 new jobs at its plant in Solihull will take affect this year.  The news follows their announcement last year to build a £335m engine plant in Staffordshire, which experts believe could help to create an additional 3,600 jobs in the automotive supply chain.

Other companies also in the news;

• Holiday resort operator Centre Parcs is adding a fifth UK resort in Bedfordshire creating 3,000 new jobs

• Hotel and Restaurant group Whitbread will create over 10,000 jobs across the UK during the next 3 years

• Eye care company Optical Express is to create 100 new customer care jobs and will hire an undisclosed number of other new employees as it rolls out 24 new clinics across the UK and Ireland.

 We would like to hear your views on the points raised in this article, please feel free to leave a comment or email us directly at info@key-appointments.co.uk

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Guest Blogger Russell Smith of Russell Smith Chartered Accountants discusses, when you know its the right time to recruit.

“If you want a job done properly, you have to do it yourself”

Great piece of ‘wisdom’ that is utterly useless if you want to grow a business and earn more profits. The truth is, if you want to increase your income and grow your business you have to recruit a team.  If you already have a team, to grow further you will need a bigger team.

Sure, I’ve read the ’4 hour work week’, but look at all the top business successes that you know – they all have a team and are a master at managing that team.

Personally, I think the team management part of business is by far the hardest, but it is also the most fun and enjoyable part. As an employer I also feel a certain moral obligation to create employment given the current unemployment figures.  However, if you want to look at it in purely business terms – if you want to be bigger, you’ll need a team.

Finding a team is one thing, that’s the easy part.  Finding a great team – well, that’s an art form.  I’ve been obsessed with recruitment for the last 3 years because it is those decisions that will have such an impact on business success.  Your team should be leading YOU to greatness, not the other way round.  You’ve got to hire people who are better than YOU, not the other way around.  If you honestly think you are the best person to do the work, then good luck to you, but you won’t grow your business.

Anyway, let’s assume you want to employ that next person.  How do you know when the time is right?  Here’s a quick tip – if you believe you can afford 50% of their salary (you’ll know this by checking out your profit forecast) then hire them.  They will make up the missing 50% in their contribution to the business and in freeing you up to do the important stuff.

For further information about Russell Smith Chartered Accountants and the services they offer please visit www.rsaccountancy.co.uk

]]> http://www.key-appointments.co.uk/blog/when-should-you-recruit-a-new-team-member/feed/ 0 http://www.key-appointments.co.uk/blog/cause-for-optimism/ http://www.key-appointments.co.uk/blog/cause-for-optimism/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:21:08 +0000 admin http://www.key-appointments.co.uk/blog/?p=1165 In the final quarter of 2011 UK unemployment figures rose 0.1% to 8.4% according to statistics revealed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). However in January the rise in recruitment figures and the number of people entering employment does give cause for optimism.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions has said: “There has obviously been an unwelcome increase in unemployment since the summer but the latest unemployment figures show some signs that the labour market is stabilising.”

The number of people unemployed rose 48,000 to 2.67m and those now in employment rose by 60,000 to 29.13m. Charles Levy of The Work Foundation welcomed the rise and said it “is in sharp contrast to the steep falls recorded in the autumn”.

The department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman commented further that “The number of people in employment is higher than last month’s published figure, and the number of unemployed people is steadying.”

Adding that “the increase in those claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance has slowed and our welfare reforms are having a positive impact, with overall benefit claimant numbers falling by around 40,000 in the last 18 months.”

Additional positive news can be found in comments made by the CIPD regarding government policy helping youth and long-term joblessness.

In addition John Philpott, Chief Economic Advisor at the CIPD recently commented that “As long as there is a relatively benign outcome to the eurozone crisis we expect the 2012 jobs recession to be milder than that suffered in 2008-9,”.

We would like to hear your views on this points raised in this article, please feel free to leave a comment or email us directly at info@key-appointments.co.uk

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