Thu, 11 Dec 2014Tax, regulatory issues and apprenticeships are all high on recruiters’ wishlists for the upcoming election.

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) yesterday [10 December] released a manifesto for jobs in which it urges the next government to create the best jobs market in the world.

Among things it wanted to see were:

• An all-ages careers advice service
• An independent review of financial products to help flexible workers
• A simplified tax system
• Encouragement of the take-up of employer-led vocational qualifications
• Encouragement of employers to prioritise social mobility and diversity
• Expansion of the EU Services Directive to include professional recruitment agencies

At an REC event last night [10 December], where the manifesto was presented to members, the trade body’s chief executive Kevin Green said this was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to influence politicians and would-be politicians.

He urged recruiters to invite their local MPs into their business to show those MPs what the industry was about, how many people it employed and how many people it helped into employment.

The REC was not the only one with an election wishlist though.

Recruiter asked others in the industry what they wanted. The following is a summary of their wishlists:

Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) head of external affairs and compliance Samantha Hurley:

• Recognise the value of professional talent to the British economy
• Recognise the differences between the professional recruitment sector and the staffing industry as a whole
• Recognise the fact that a personal services company does not mean a tax dodger
• A new regulatory framework
• More action on late payment regulation

BRUIN Financial chief financial officer Colin Webster:

• Reduction of red tape
• Increase of the Employment Allowance from £2k to “something meaningful”
• Not to get hung up on European migration; it is a good thing for the UK economy

Medicare First and Capita Social Care Resourcing managing director Andrew Anastasiou:

• Specific considerations around social care recruitment in particular
• More done to highlight social work as a professional discipline rather than a vocational occupation
• Creation of a structured, government-led apprenticeship scheme within the care sector and an in-depth mentoring or shadowing scheme

Venn Group associate director Jodie Finn:

• Clarification of how the £2bn payment towards frontline services in the NHS that was announced in the Autumn Statement will be managed
• A freeze on National Insurance Contributions across the board for at least one year.
• Movement on eradicating the ‘pay-when-paid’ clause across managed service provider/recruitment process outsourcing contracts