With new employment legislation that came into place on April 1st, it’s time again to look into how to find staff and employees in the current (and constantly changing) job market.
The National Living Wage (NLW) came into force on April 1st and lots of us are weighing in as to what we think will happen as a result of the change. However, despite varying opinion on the topic, it is now legally the case that workers aged 25 and over are entitled to £7.20 per hour as per the NLW.
What the Living Wage Means
Firstly, employers need to check who in their organisation is eligible for the NLW. One news story of interest was from an employer who mentioned that senior staff in his company required a differential in pay, which meant the Living Wage not only affected the wage bill of those eligible for it, but those already being paid above it too.
Additionally, it is estimated by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) that tens of thousands of job losses may result from the legislation. But in contrast, the Resolution Foundation believes 4.5 million will benefit from the National Living Wage…organisations really are divided on this issue!
For Employers
We suggest for those looking to recruit the rather obvious step of looking at budget. The National Living Wage is now part of the law, and needs to be afforded to eligible staff.
What New Remote Working Statistics Mean
We’ve also seen information about remote working and how few of us are taking it up, despite evidence suggesting that more engaged workers are those that have control over their work experience. Fixed technology still exceeds mobile by 2:1 in UK offices, according to a study of 12,000 companies commissioned by Steelcase and reported on in Small Business whilst only 38% of workers are given a mobile telephone, compared to 91% given a landline.
For Employers
With a candidate driven market, if you can make remote working a part of your job offer this seems a real draw to prospective employees, particularly as the National Living Wage is affecting what salaries you can offer and other organisations don’t seem to be taking significant notice of it.
What New Remote Mobile Recruitment Statistics Mean
Following on from remote working, we have yet more insights from the wonderful world of mobile recruitment. According to the Mobile Recruiting 2.0 eBook, “Recruiters who use text messages to communicate with candidates have average response rates of more than 30 percent, and 90 percent of recruiters’ messages are read within three minutes of being received.” The immediacy of mobile is becoming expected and candidates want to forego long application forms (something we advocate) and apply for positions on the move, quickly and easily.
For Employers
We wrote about it recently and we do understand the considerable expense having a mobile-ready recruitment site accrues, however with the candidates holding the power at the moment, the easier you can make things for them – particularly on mobile – the less likely you’ll miss out on talent that’s not ready to meticulously fill out a 7 page long application form!
Takeaways:
• Revisit budgets with The Living Wage now in operation (as of April 1st)
• Consider options for remote working for employees if you can
• Make your application process as mobile as possible
The online recruitment industry is always progressing, and we hope we’ve helped you adapt to the latest changes!
Castle Hill House