Thu, 26 Apr 2012

Employer confidence in Q1 2012 grew to the highest level ever recorded since the Recruitment & Employment Confederation’s (REC’s) JobsOutlook survey began.

The survey of 200 UK employers shows that 72% of employers intend to hire more staff permanent staff in the next three months, with only 3% of firms expecting their permanent workforce to shrink over the next 12 months.

Meanwhile, 34% of firms are looking to take on more agency workers in the next three months, with only a 21% looking to decrease agency usage, which drops to 16% in the next 12 months.

The report also revealed employers continue to be pleased with the service they receive from recruitment agencies – with 91% rating themselves as satisfied.

REC director of research Roger Tweedy notes: “Our measure of employer confidence has reached a record high point. But the growth in confidence was less than last month so it will be important to track whether increasing employer confidence is a continuing trend or whether it’s peaking.”