Permanent recruitment has grown from 4% to 7% in the last three months, according to the latest RCSA (Recruitment & Consulting Services Association) Quarterly Business Manager Survey. The survey has also shown a 5% drop to 92% in on-hired and contractor placements.
RCSA CEO Julie Mills believes this is a sign of the country’s economic recovery. “When there's a rise in permanent hiring, it's a sign that employers are confident they have the work and the revenue to keep people on long-term. And in past downturns, it's been a sign for the recruitment sector that the worst is over and the recovery has begun in earnest.”
According to RCSA, business confidence amongst its members is also on the rise, with 72.5% of business owners expecting business to grow in the next quarter, representing an increase of 6% from the previous survey.
Economy is slowly picking up, but not all numbers are positive yet. Staff turnover has, in fact, pulled back from past high levels. “It will take some time for recruitment businesses to return to the size and profitability we saw before the downturn. Now, smart managers will be looking at ways to keep their best people, so that they don't get lured away once the sector heats up. Providing things like career development, quality education and flexible hours will be high on the agenda again," commented Mills.
According to the report, engineers top the list of skills shortages that businesses are faced with, followed by nurses and other health professionals, IT and telecommunications and building professionals.
