The Beating Heart of Recovery
The past 12 months have been some of the most turbulent and uncertain in living memory. As a nation 2021 is going to test us further. However, something we can all be certain of, is that recovery in whatever form will be reliant on people. At Select, we are a people focused business and we have seen first-hand the positive impact our temporary and permanent placements have made to industries across the country.
Industry in Norfolk
In a paper written by Norfolk Insight in September last year, the most pressing issues facing the county of Norfolk were highlighted. Amongst those discussed was obviously the hospitality sector, which employs roughly 30,000 jobs and is the worst effected industry in the region. There is hope on the horizon however, with rumours circulating that Lockdown may soon ease and staycations being a popular idea for many British tourists in 2021. Additionally, plans abound to open new hotels and restaurants across Norfolk and indeed in neighbouring Cambridgeshire.
Another major employer (approximately 63,000 jobs in Norfolk) is wholesale, retail and motor trades, which has been similarly affected by the pandemic. With major retail chains like Debenhams, leaving our high street, what is shopping going to look like in the future? An article by the EDP in October last year revealed that local independent shops are filling these voids left by the national stores. Indeed, 85% of the new shop openings in Norwich last year were independents. An encouraging scenario for shoppers and those employed in retail.
Recruitment’s Role
At Select, we have always been proud of our role in helping businesses achieve their targets, but more than that we are proud of how every day we get the opportunity to make a real impact on someone’s life. A recent report by the REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) has really highlighted to us how we can make a difference to the recovery of our local area.
The recruitment industry directly employs 119,000 people across the UK and helps place a million more people a year in new roles. This means that every 21 seconds someone finds a new role through a recruitment agency and the recruitment sector is increasing UK productivity by £7.7 billion (yes BILLION) a year by improving the quality of matching. This all just refers to permanent placements, every year around 280,000 individuals use temporary work to help support them and their families.
With all this in mind, we think that the recruitment industry may well be one of the keys to help accelerate our local recovery. Indeed, the cost of lost productivity can be 5 times more than the average cost associated with using a recruiter to find the right person.
Already on the Road to Recovery
Things are beginning to look up. We have seen a really positive shift in new roles opening and businesses beginning to recruit again across industries and regions.
All the positive indications for a more prosperous 2021 following the rollout of the vaccine, are reliant on having good people to implement them. This is why in the latest Report on Jobs from the REC ends with the statement “It’s vital to put people at the heart of the recovery this year – and the recruitment industry has the skills and expertise to make that happen.”
Everyday at Select, our teams have been talking to clients who are unsure about the next steps they should take. We are here if you need to talk to someone in the know about the local recruitment marketplace in Norfolk and benchmark it against a UK-wide backdrop. You can contact us on 01603 615511 Monday to Friday 08:30 – 17:30 or anytime via email on [email protected].