Asset Resourcing – November Newsletter
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Article 1 – November Jobs Report

Every month, Asset Resourcing’s MD Ben Sweeting contributes to a report detailing the current state of the UKs recruitment, jobs and staffing market. It’s put together by the REC (Recruitment & Employment Confederation) and auditors KPMG and this month the numbers are as positive as they have been for a while…

Overview

• Highest increase in permanent salaries and overall vacancies in six years
• Candidate availability is slowing
• Growth in permanent and temporary appointments

Staff Appointments

43% of respondents noted that the number of candidates placed in permanent positions rose in October. While 23% saw a decline, it’s suggested that client confidence is returning in Q4 and that confidence is expected to be maintained into Q1 2014.

Where temp contracts are concerned, agency billings increased for a sixth successive month.

Vacancies

Naturally, private sector vacancies rose at a quicker rate than the public sector, the fastest rate of growth for six years. In the private sector, permanent staff saw stronger demand growth that temps but interestingly, in the private sector, the reverse was true.

Staff Availability

Permanent candidate availability has declined, but it’s the rate of decline that’s most alarming. It’s the sharpest decline since 2007 and the reason, as strange as it may seem, isn’t money.

Average starting salaries are increasing at the fastest rate since December 2007 (a matter of basic economics – there are fewer available candidates yet an increased demand for staff) but Bernard Brown, Partner and Head of Business Services at KPMG says ‘a question that must be addressed revolves around whether increasing salaries are enough to entice job hunters to move between organisations. All the evidence suggests not, with permanent and temp staff availability falling in recent months. It means employers cannot rely on wages alone as a hook to attract top talent. The time has come for them to develop a raft of offers as part of the overall remuneration package. If they fail to do so, they will struggle to recruit’.

As well as the Jobs Report for November, the Office of National Statistics has published their annual Graduates in the Labour Market report for 2013. The full report is available here but the key points make for some interesting (and in some cases blindingly obvious) reading –

• In 2013, there were 12m graduates in the UK and the numbers have steadily increased over the last 10 years
• In April to June 2013 graduates were more likely to be employed than those who left education with qualifications of a lower standard
• Non-graduates aged 21 to 30 have consistently higher unemployment rates than all other groups
• Non-graduates aged 21 to 30 have much higher inactivity rates than recent graduates
• Over 40% of graduates worked in the public administration, education and health industry
• Graduates were more likely to work in high skilled posts than non-graduates
• Annual earnings for graduates reach a higher peak at a later age than the annual earnings for non-graduates
• In 2013 those graduates that had an undergraduate degree in medicine or dentistry were the most likely to be employed and had the highest gross annual pay
• Graduates from the top UK universities earned more than graduates from other UK universities
• Male graduates were more likely to have a high skill job than female graduates
• Six in every ten people living in Inner London were graduates

As we said, some are interesting and informative and some are as obvious as night following day but the full report is worth reading. It’s not all text, there are some really nice, colourful graphs too.
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Christmas at Asset Resourcing

It’s that time of year again. Some people love it, some don’t but here at AR Towers, we love it, if only to find out what our guys love about Christmas, their fantasy five-person Christmas dinner guests and their choice of any gift to receive this year.

Ben Sweeting

What’s your favourite thing about Christmas? M&S Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry sandwiches.
Who’s sitting around the table at your fantasy five-guest Christmas lunch? Me, and any four of The Saturdays.
If you could choose any gift to receive this year, what would it be? I’m not a complicated man – a year’s supply of the aforementioned sandwiches served by any four of The Saturdays.

Michelle Scott

What’s your favourite thing about Christmas? Sparkly lights and excited children!
Who’s sitting around the table at your fantasy five-guest Christmas lunch? Obviously me, plus Michael McIntyre, Will Ferrell, Graham Norton and Eddie Redmayne.
If you could choose any gift to receive this year, what would it be? I’d like a huge plot of land to build my dream house on.

Sam Davison

What’s your favourite thing about Christmas? There are lots of things I love, including the build-up to the day, putting up the decorations, writing cards, the tree and even buying the food!
Who’s sitting around the table at your fantasy five-guest Christmas lunch? David Beckham, Muhammad Ali, Scarlett Johansson, Micky Flanagan and Jennifer Aniston!
If you could choose any gift to receive this year, what would it be? I’d like the new Audi S3 please Santa…!

Ryan Hearne

What’s your favourite thing about Christmas? The whole build-up, the John Lewis advert, the cheesy music in the shops and decorations everywhere!
Who’s sitting around the table at your fantasy five-guest Christmas lunch? My five guests would be Sir Alex Ferguson, James Corden, Will Ferrell, Nicole Scherzinger and Holly Willoughby.
If you could choose any gift to receive this year, what would it be? A new BMW 1 Series in black.

So cars, sandwiches and land – isn’t Christmas all about the giving? Of course it is, but who among us doesn’t dream about the perfect gift?

This is the last newsletter of the year, so from all of us at Asset Resourcing, we wish you a very happy Christmas and a healthy New Year and we’ll look forward to working with you all in 2014 and beyond.

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***BREAKING NEWS*** SAMANTHA TIPTON JOINS ASSET RESOURCING!

Say hello to Samantha Tipton. She’s just joined as a Recruitment Consultant and you’ll hear more from and about her in coming editions of the Asset Resourcing newsletter but for now, here are some quirky answers to some quirky questions by way of an introduction!

AR: What is your favourite fictional animal, and why?
ST: After careful deliberation, I’ve settled on Abu, the monkey from Aladdin. He’s mischievous and funny but also really, really cute!

AR: What’s your favourite app?
ST: Gig Finder. It’s an Android app with over 600,000 music venues up and down the country. Awesome if you’re a music lover!

AR: If you were on Death Row, what would your final meal be?
ST: Again, after a long process of elimination, I’ve decided on a medium-rare steak, criss-cross fries and mushy peas. Not that I’m ever likely to be on Death Row, you understand…

AR: Tea or coffee?
ST: I know most of the guys in the office are ‘white with one’ types, but I’m going leftfield by choosing a pumpkin-spiced latte.

Thanks Sarah!
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CVs Are Important, Really…

It’s 2013. Is there really any need for a CV anymore? Most everything is done online these days, including interviews, but if it wasn’t for CVs, we’d not have brilliantly funny stuff like this to keep us amused (and to despair about some people’s ability to survive in the real world…)

These pearls have been taken from ‘actual’ CVs. It’s not clear how far into the process any of them got but honestly, who cares!

What are your vocational plans? We went to Florida this year. We’ll probably go back again at Christmas.

What are your key personal achievements? I successfully managed to play ‘Chopsticks’ on a children’s piano with my toes.

What were your reasons for leaving your last role? I left because they stopped paying me, changed the locks and let my stuff in boxes by the front entrance with a note saying ‘James, you don’t work here anymore’. Plus, the Vice-President’s girlfriend stole my job. And she was a bitch about it too.

I have never willingly left any job.

I am married with eight children (five mothers). If there is a role which includes frequent travel, I am your man.

I saw your job advertised on the information highway and I came to a screeching halt!

Please disregard the attached CV because it’s terribly out of date.
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