Firms fight to find new staff
INCENTIVES GIVEN TO ATTRACT WORKERS
Chris Gray, UK director of recruitment giant Manpower, said firms were stepping up their fight for the best staff.
“We have seen big increases in counter offers, in some cases 10-15 per cent higher starting salaries,” he said. “It has always been there but is now prolific.”
It emerged as Manpower revealed a record half of employers are looking to take on staff between now and the end of the year.
The clamour comes as firms struggle to get enough candidates because of a jump in demand in some sectors, coupled with nervousness about moving job in the wake of the Covid crisis and the aftermath of Brexit. The survey, whose findings are used by the Bank of England and the Government, asks more than 2000 employers whether they plan to take on more workers, reduce or maintain staffing levels over the coming three months. The latest poll found 32 per cent more planned to hire rather than fire staff in the final three months of this year – a record. The worker shortage in many industries is prompting more than a quarter of employers to raise wages in the final three months of this year. Firms are offering bonuses, extra holiday, flexible working and other incentives in order to bag staff. “We are seeing employers lowering their standards,” said Gray, who added that firms were also opting to train up recruits.