An increase in the time taken for the Criminal Records Bureau to carry out checks on candidates is hitting recruiters.
Steven Benton, director of Rye-based social care recruiter Trustinus Recruit, told Recruiter that enhanced CRB checks for jobs such as child protection social workers were taking between two and three months compared with one month a year ago.
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The growth in graduate recruitment is now being reversed, said Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters.
Gilleard was responding to a survey of 100 companies by market research firm High Flyers, which showed graduate vacancies had fallen by a fifth since last year for students graduating this summer.
HR departments should seek professionals that can adapt to an ever-changing work environment brought about by the recession, according to HR recruiters.
Claire Needham, director at Network HR, told Recruiter that her clients currently require candidates to be “calm, professional, resilient and adaptable in the current changing marketplace”.
Yesterday’s rise in unemployment to 1.92m is not all bad news.
Mark Cahill, Manpower UK’s managing director, says that after a period of uncertainty, in which many employers put off making any changes to staffing levels, temporary recruitment could be given a boost.
Supermarket chain Asda is to create 7,000 new jobs.
In a statement, Asda said it would work with government and private recruiters to find full and part time work for people that have been unemployed for more than six months.
Asda added that it plans to open nine new stores, while its online division will hire 2,000 new staff.
Fresh Approach Solutions has signed a deal with an Omani-based recruiter, MCBS, to combine international resources with local personnel.
Going Green: Obama is good news for renewables
The latest report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has found 36% of employers expect to make redundancies in Q1.
Andrew Smith, chief economist at KPMG, says: “The speed of deterioration in the labour market is breathtaking. Higher unemployment will weaken demand which in turn will lead to higher unemployment.”
The renewables recruiter has secured two new contracts, increasing its European business.
James Lindemann, director of Netsource Executive, told Recruiter the company had secured exclusive contracts with E.ON in Germany and recently signed a contract to be a supplier to Siemens.
Harvey Nash has expanded its global executive search and leadership services business into Poland with the acquisition of Fila & Myszel Associates (FMA).
According to Harvey Nash, the new, combined business will serve existing and new clients in Poland, many of which are foreign multinationals with growing investments and operations in Eastern Europe.