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Recession fears turning businesses to temp workers
Demand for temporary staff has increased for UK businesses amid recession fears , trumping the employment for full time workers , according to a new survey from KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation ( REC ).
The survey revealed a rapid downturn of permanent placing from 49.3 points in March to 44.2 points in April – the fastest decline since the beginning of lockdown in 2021 – whereas the temporary index climbed from 52.5 points to 53.3 over the same time period .
Sridhar Iyengar , MD of Zoho Europe , said : “ Businesses turning to temporary staff is an indication of the struggles some are facing in these testing economic conditions . However , this is a short-term solution and companies need to ensure they are agile and resilient enough to cope with any disruptive market factors .”
Britain ’ s economy has outperformed experts ’ forecasts , avoiding a technical recession , as leaders such as the EY ITEM Club now expect growth to 0.2 %, up from the – 0.7 % contraction projected in January ’ s Winter Forecast . However , it remains jittery and has knocked business confidence .
The decline ’ s links to business concerns have led to many adapting their strategies in a bid to avoid long-term contracts and directing them to take on temporary staff who can help them grow but be quickly let go if necessary .
Demand , as well as pay , is also rapidly rising as businesses try to outbid competitors for talent , with the permanent staff salary index jumping to 61.4 points and temporary staff pay hitting 57.9 .
Communication and leadership among most in-demand skills by employers
LinkedIn released its annual report on the most in-demand skills for 2023 , and communication and leadership rank as two of the top five most in-demand skills in today ’ s competitive job market . The other skills landing in the top five are management , customer service and sales . The LinkedIn report is based on data gathered from LinkedIn job postings and member activity , providing a unique and valuable perspective on the job market ’ s current and future needs . to build these important skills and utilise them daily in their professional lives to enhance their career .”
More than half of all Fortune 500 companies offer in-house Toastmasters clubs , including Amazon , Bank of America , Caterpillar , General Electric and Google . These employers have found the Toastmasters programme to be an effective staff development tool that benefits their organisation .
An effective way of building and enhancing these valuable skills is by joining Toastmasters International , the global organisation devoted to communication and leadership skills development . Toastmasters offers a supportive setting where people can practise and improve these and other soft skills . In addition to public speaking , a typical Toastmasters club meeting gives members an opportunity to engage in active listening , provide and receive constructive feedback and practise time management .
“ In the current job market , job candidates need to possess the skills that are most sought after by employers , and Toastmasters offers a supportive and cost-effective place to develop and improve these skills ,” says Matt Kinsey , Toastmasters ' 2022 – 23 International President . “ Our organisation prides itself on helping individuals
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