UK firms are hiring, despite recession: survey

London
The Statesman
At a time when the UK economy is reeling under the impact of the financial crisis, more than half of the companies are hiring, says a latest survey.

The companies are recruiting specific talent, such as strategic consultants, sales managers and new business people to help their organisations ride out the recession.

A report by Online recruiter Jobsite.co.uk said that 53 percent of the companies surveyed are still hiring, with the majority of hires (80 percent) in the shape of permanent, full-time staff. The most sought after talent are sales managers (27 percent) to help the company bring in more revenue, new business staff (22 percent) to attract more clients and officer managers (19 percent) to maximise business efficiency.

“For those looking to hire, its likely that theyll get a quality recruit for less than they would have pre-recession, as candidates have adopted a more flexible approach to finding work. This includes a reduction in salary, hours and bonus expectations, as well as a rise in those seeking temporary contracts,” the report said. The survey is based on the views of more than 4,000 employees and 500 HR managers from companies of different sizes.

The report said about 55 percent of the HR managers surveyed are concerned about the effect of the recession on their companies, with a quarter even worried that their business may collapse.

The report found that the most popular recruitment are for administration staff (33 percent), middle management (29 percent), and graduate entries (27 percent), staff such as IT support (14 percent) and skilled manual workers (13 percent), the hardest to find. Meanwhile, some of the firms, particularly in the automotive, construction and hospitality sectors, have put a freeze on their recruitment plans.

Besides, 13 percent of charities, 25 percent of media, sales and publishing organisations and 13 percent of the telecommunication firms have put their recruitment on ice. The report also said that recruitment freeze requires careful management to stop it from having a negative impact on the remaining staff.