Category Archives: Recruitment

Brexit, Logistics, Recruitment

Brexit uncertainty sparks staggering rise in demand for customs experts

As a result of a staggering 183% rise in demand for customs professionals, WR Logistics, one of the country’s foremost transport & logistics recruiters, has warned businesses and authorities to ensure skills shortages are addressed as uncertainty around a no deal Brexit continues.

The upsurge, noted when comparing company data from August – October 2019 with the first quarter of the year, was especially visible amongst those with experience of the customs clearance process, documentation knowledge, and tariffs & rate negotiation skills

With a potential no deal Brexit meaning that workforces may face unprecedented challenges, the TUC has stated that there will be a need for ‘up to 5,000 extra people’ to cope with Brexit-related strain. However, this has not been reflected in government plans, with Treasury Secretary, Rishi Sunak, suggesting only 900 more staff would be put in place.
Commenting on the rise in demand, Lewis Richards, Managing Director of WR Logistics, said:

‘While many sectors are being affected by the possibility of a no deal Brexit, demand is already rising sharply for customs experts. If our company data is anything to go by, as we inch closer towards Brexit, this is only likely to increase.

“Employers we work with are desperate for professionals with awareness of customs tariffs and systems, with many looking to alleviate potential Brexit risk, and others using the climate of uncertainty to grow their businesses.”

“Ultimately, these workers play a crucial role in supporting the country’s infrastructure, so it’s essential that skills shortages are quickly recognised and addressed. By acting now, businesses can continue to shape the future of the country’s network and infrastructure, regardless of what happens after we leave the EU.”

HR News, Recruitment

HireRight: Only 17% of HR professionals have never found discrepancies on candidate CVs

HireRight, a leading provider of global employment background checks, has announced the findings from their 2019 EMEA Employment Screening Benchmark Report.

The Report shows that a staggering 83% of surveyed HR professionals discovered candidates who had misrepresented information during the recruitment process.

The most common CV discrepancies found were regarding previous employment history (56%) and education credentials (49%). Worryingly, 37% of respondents also reported candidate criminal record discrepancies. This could explain why the Report found 13% more EMEA companies carrying out criminal record checks this year.

A shift towards adverse media screening

Hiring bias emerged as an area of increasing concern for businesses in the 2019 Report. 39% of HR professionals have known people in their organisation to rely on ‘gut instinct’ to recruit high-profile positions. The notable drop in the number of companies undertaking social media checks (from 26% in 2018 to 14% in 2019) could be indicative of this.

Whilst social media checks appear to be in decline, 18% of EMEA businesses are now carrying out adverse media checks. This is a public record check for adverse mentions of a candidate/employee in online news publications, excluding social media. The Report showed that some industries have already broadly adopted this check as part of their screening programs.

Those working in the Financial Services sector are up to three times more likely to run adverse media checks. 55% are utilising the check on their new hires, with 46% also using it on their current workforce. This suggests protecting their company reputation both pre and post-hire may be a higher priority in this regulated sector.

Inconsistent screening of the extended workforce

Many businesses may have not yet adjusted their screening practices to reflect the rise in temporary and contract work. As such, they could be leaving themselves open to unnecessary risk. The Report found that only 68% screen temporary or contingent workers, and just 58% of businesses screen independent contractors.

It also saw that for short-term or junior roles, EMEA businesses are far less likely to screen their wider workforce. Only 37% of interns and 16% of volunteers are subject to screening processes.

Peter Cleverton, General Manager, EMEA at HireRight, comments:

“The world of work is changing in many ways. In particular, the rise in temporary and contract work in EMEA has provided opportunities for businesses and employees to operate more flexibly. However, as our research shows, many businesses are needlessly opening themselves up to reputational risk by not treating temporary workers with the same level of rigour as their permanent employees.

“Businesses are increasingly aware of how important it is to protect themselves from ineffective or deliberately harmful individuals, particularly those in senior positions. It is interesting to see the growing trend of businesses implementing adverse media checks in light of this growing concern, particularly within the Financial Services sector. It is evident that more businesses are seeing this type of screening as a more effective way to mitigate reputational damage.

“The fact that most HR professionals are continuing to find discrepancies in candidates’ CVs once again highlights the importance of establishing a robust screening system. Employment background screening not only offers HR professionals an opportunity to streamline the recruitment process, but to manage brand reputation from a different side of the business.”

For more information about HireRight’s services, visit https://ww.hireright.com/emea/.

Recruitment, Technology

Location, Location, Location: CompTIA Tech Town Index Identifies Top Places to Work in IT Across the UK

IT workers in the UK have more opportunities than ever to develop their careers, no matter where they reside, with top tech towns identified in every corner of the country, according to a new report released today by leading IT trade association CompTIA.

According to the CompTIA UK Tech Town Index – a first-of-its-kind examination of IT employment opportunities in more than 200 towns and cities in the UK – Manchester is the number one place for IT pros in the UK.

The broad scope of opportunities that Manchester has to offer landed the city at the top of the inaugural UK Tech Town Index. These opportunities include career progression options and a high quality of living in the North West, based on the cost of living and job demand.

Bristol was revealed as the number two tech town, an area that provides more year-on-year job opportunity growth than anywhere else in the UK.

Leeds sits at number three on the list. This was based largely on the city’s lower cost of living and expected job growth in tech professions.

The CompTIA UK Tech Town Index identifies these 10 cities as the top places to start or develop an IT career:

  1. Manchester
  2. Bristol
  3. Leeds
  4. Birmingham
  5. London
  6. Cambridge
  7. Edinburgh
  8. Bath
  9. Basingstoke
  10. Reading

Nancy Hammervik, executive vice president, industry relations at CompTIA, commented:

“The UK Tech Town Index shows the breadth and depth of opportunity in the UK. No longer are IT jobs concentrated in traditional pockets like London. More and more opportunities are being presented across the region to ensure anyone can pursue their dream career in technology without geographical or economical restrictions.”

Tracy Pound, Managing Director of Maximity said:

“Having strong technology clusters spread throughout the UK creates a greater number of career opportunities with increasing diversity for the national IT workforce. The UK remains a hotbed for technology talent, and as the demand for this talent continues to grow, it’s reassuring that we’re also creating more environments that connect IT career opportunities with where people want to live.”

The UK IT workforce continues to grow year-on-year and is projected to increase by more than 14,000 workers in 2019 alone. Additionally, job growth of 4 percent – 48,000 new jobs – is projected for the five-year period between 2018 and 2023 meaning there is plenty of opportunity for those looking to start a career in tech.

According CompTIA’s most recent UK Tech Snapshot, the unemployment rate was 3.8 percent for the three-month period ending in July 2019, down from 4 percent a year ago and still the lowest unemployment rate since the period of October to December 1974.

CompTIA’s UK Tech Town Index is designed to help in-demand IT pros make educated decisions about where to live and work based on opportunity and opportunity costs. CompTIA examined factors such as the number of locally posted IT job postings, projected job growth and reported cost of living in travel to work areas (TTWAs) across the UK.

The Index also highlights the need for an educated, tech-ready workforce and the factors that are contributing to each areas’ ability to attract and retain that workforce.

The CompTIA UK Tech Town Index illustrates to individuals looking to have a career in IT that there are many options for employment in locations and sectors not traditionally thought of as tech heavy. The Index also identifies the top employers in each region which include key players in the education sector and the NHS.

Cllr Elise Wilson, Greater Manchester’s Portfolio Lead for Digital City Region, said:

“I’m delighted that in Greater Manchester we are leading the way and doing digital differently. It’s great to see that we are perfectly positioned to become one of Europe’s top-five digital city-regions, boasting some of the most cutting-edge technology firms in the world.

“This recognition as the United Kingdom’s top town for IT jobs only reinforces our ambition and shows we are creating a bold digital economy which will encourage our businesses to grow. To help Greater Manchester to keep pace with this rapid growth, we are putting in place a range of initiatives to recruit a highly skilled workforce from all our communities regardless of their background or starting point.”

More information about the CompTIA UK Tech Town Index is available here: https://www.comptia.org/about-us/newsroom/blog/comptia-blog/2019/10/06/tech-towns-uk