FROM JUNE's RECRUITER MAGAZINE 

Which way do you think the vote will go in June’s referendum and how do you anticipate the results affecting your business?

Gethin Roberts Managing director, Drivers Direct

“My gut feeling is it will be very, very close. I think we will stay in because people don’t particularly like uncertainty. As much as we want to come out of the EU, the reality is we don’t really know what it’s going to be like if we do. We know what we have now so, business-wise, we are certainly better off – the more certainty we have, the better it is for business. Things won’t change that much because we will stay in and things will continue as they are now.”

Richard Collins Executive director & head of commercial consulting, Insight Executive Group

“If the predicted economic instability happens, then a recession would lead to a reduction in permanent recruitment and an increase in interims, as organisations will be hesitant to recruit perms. In a change management-focused recruitment business, leaving the EU will likely increase demand as government bodies and government-contracting companies implement the effects of changes and new legislation. In public sector procurement (our specialism), removing EU contract regulations could have a big effect on how the government buys. If legislation is scaled down or removed, candidates from the private sector will find it easier to work in government roles.”

John Mortimer Chief executive, Angela Mortimer

“The correct vote is to vote out. That will ensure a renegotiation of real meaning, which will result in some serious, long-overdue changes in the EU set-up. The probable result will be to remain, though. There is a risk that the inability of the EU (and the UK government) to sensibly deal with anything more serious than bent bananas, could leave us with sclerosis on an ‘out’ vote, and a poor situation would have to visibly die before anything was done. This might take 10 years, and there may be a bit of a fuss during that time. Either way, it will make no difference to the UK agency business, even for those that have operations in Europe mainland. All agencies in Europe work to local law, which is still local.”

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