Wondering what’s shaping the job market right now? Each month, we break down the top five stories you need to know, plus what they mean for businesses, recruiters, and job seekers alike.
As November begins, the UK job market is busy with new opportunities for seasonal workers as major supermarkets and other businesses begin their recruitment drives for Christmas, and the government announces priority occupations to grow the clean energy sector. We also look at the Oxford Guild of Chefs who have warned of a chef shortage in the UK, and a new study investigating ‘culture rot’ in workplaces.
Chef shortage warning from the Oxford Guild of Chefs
Hospitality industry experts, including the Oxford Guild of Chefs, have warned of a significant shortage in chefs in the UK, and have urged trained chefs to help rebuild the talent pool. They have also warned that the shortage is putting pressure on restaurants, hotels and catering services, especially as we approach the busy festive period.
The reason for the shortage has been linked to many factors, but primarily focused on the decline of hospitality businesses during the covid pandemic, and a decrease in people training as chefs due to demanding hours and flexibility of the role.
Experts insist training and more incentive to join the profession are needed, as well as support from experienced chefs in encouraging new workers into the career.
Recruitment drive to support clean energy sector growth
The UK government has identified 31 priority occupations, including plumbers, electricians and welders, as part of a national plan to recruit workers needed to the clean energy transition. Alongside 400,000 extra jobs anticipated by 2030, five new Technical Excellence Colleges are also intended to be opened to help train a new generation of workers.
The government has said that by setting these estimates, it hopes to encourage the industry, public sector and educational sector into working together for a cohesive strategy’.
ONS advises UK employment market is levelling out
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have said that recent figures show that Britain’s employment market has shown signs of stabilising despite a rise in job losses earlier in the year. ONS director, Liz McKeown, has stated that “after a long period of weak hiring activity, there are signs that the falls we have seen in both payroll numbers and vacancies are now levelling off.”
The findings have conflicted with separate figures from HMRC, which showed that worker numbers on company payroll dropped significantly in September. However, the ONS has reiterated that the jobs market was ‘steadying after steeper declines’ earlier in the year.
Supermarket Christmas recruitment drives begin
Recruitment drives for temporary seasonal workers at major supermarkets have begun, with thousands of jobs planned for the Christmas period. Tesco, Iceland Foods, Sainsbury’s, and more have announced their festive plans, as well as other major businesses such as Royal Mail and Amazon.
Workplace 'culture rot' on the rise, says new study
A new study by Robert Walters, published this month, has found that 54% of UK professionals say their workplace is experiencing ‘culture rot’, which refers to the decline of a company’s values and culture. The research study found that the top reasons given by respondents was limited incentives, poor collaboration, and broken-down communication.
Only 14% of UK professionals feel that they are aligned with their work’s core values, while the majority of employers (81%) featured in the study agreed that cost-cutting measures had weakened company culture.
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