Demand for temporary workers and contractors remains strong
Despite the Agency Workers Regulations now taking hold, employers are still using the services of temporary staff and contractors according to the latest REC JobsOutlook.
81% of employers are planning to either grow or keep their workforce at existing levels according to the December figures of the three-monthly JobsOutlook study. Almost a third (31%) of employers are planning on increasing their temporary workforce, which is up on the same period last year which saw just 22% of employers looking to make more use of temps and contractors.
December has been a particularly important month as the first affects of the Agency Workers Directive are being felt. The regulations came into force on October 1 and the first 12 week qualifying period ended on December 24, so many contractors and temporary workers are now eligible to receive additional benefits.
It had been predicted by some analysts that there would be a reduction in temporary assignments as employers would be wary of additional costs but so far these forecasts have been incorrect.
REC Chief Executive Kevin Green said: “There is no doubt that the AWR has created significant cost and bureaucracy for agencies. At the same time, the need for agency staff is well established.
“The main impact to date has been the development of new supply models rather than any sort of collapse in demand for temp and contract labour.”
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Posted on 11 Jan 2012 in: Jobs News
Tags: Agency Workers Regulations, Contractors, JobsOutlook, REC
