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MELTING THE EMPLOYMENT
FREEZE
The subject of unemployment
is always sure to stir up strong opinions and probably start and
argument depending upon whether you are happily employed, unhappily
employed….or unemployed.
There is always doubts and
criticism expressed concerning the criteria and statistical
definition of “unemployed” whenever the official figure is
released. Whether you accept the technical definition or not, most
people probably think that the ‘real’ unemployment figure is
understated and camouflaged by the ‘dodgey’ exclusion of
‘very part time’ employees.
My own view is that even if
the criteria does obscure the real figure, it also includes a
potential fourth category, the unemployable (more people than you
think who really DON’T want to be employed). Most importantly, the
official unemployment figure is actually holding up much better
than many would have imagined in the economic climate of
2009, and we should all be very proud of that when we compare the
same data in UK and US in particular.
The fact is that IT IS
STILL VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND GOOD CANDIDATES FOR GOOD JOBS. People
often give me a strange look when I say that, but it is true. There
is a perception that whenever we advertise, an excellent career
position, we will have excellent candidates queuing outside our
Malvern office.... but this is far from the case!
My own theory is that many
good candidates are reluctant to apply for other positions in an
uncertain job market. They may not be enjoying their present role
and may privately want to advance their career elsewhere….but they
are choosing to remain with “the devil they know” rather than
become vulnerable with a new employer if the expected recovery does
not transpire.
This has been further
complicated by responsible employers “doing the right thing” and
trying to retain their best people by offering “nine day
fortnights” or extended annual leave arrangements.
When the expected recovery
does transpire, we may see a very different situation with more
quality candidates emerging and a great deal of movement between
companies and industries. In the interim, we are welcoming
confidential discussions with quality candidates so that we know
the right doors to knock on when our clients ‘unfreeze’ recruitment
and need to recruit specialists to drive their future
growth.
John McCaskill
Director, Winners
Recruitment Back
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