North West hiring intentions down but not out

Employers in the North West are the least optimistic in the country according to Manpower, the world’s workforce experts. At +2%, hiring intentions in the North West are well below the national average of +7% and seven points down on the last quarter.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 2,100 UK employers. It asks whether employers intend to hire additional workers or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming quarter. It is the most comprehensive, forward-looking employment survey of its kind and is used as a key economic statistic by both the Bank of England and the UK government.

Greg Hollis, Operations Manager at Manpower UK, said: “Clearly the Outlook for this quarter is disappointing for jobseekers in the North West, but overall employers are still positive about their intention to hire. The market in the region has been particularly strong for manufacturing, including higher skilled engineering positions. We’re seeing a fall in the number of temporary positions in the commercial market, but employers are increasingly willing to fill what were once temporary jobs with permanent staff. In the most competitive sectors we’re seeing candidates being offered good deals very quickly, meaning firms have to act quickly to catch the top talent.”

“There are a number of opportunities in the industrial, manufacturing and engineering sectors in Wigan and Liverpool, while Manchester is benefitting from companies basing their headquarters in the city and looking to recruit for sales positions. Ford Credit Union continues to invest in jobs in the city and we’re also expecting approximately 1,500 jobs to be created in the new Manchester Airport City development, which is likely to attract supply chain and logistics firms.”

Nationally, hiring intentions among Britain’s employers in the first half of 2016 are at their strongest level since 2007. The national seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook is at +7% for the second consecutive quarter, a start to the year not seen for nearly a decade. But there are questions about whether this demand for talent can be fulfilled if Britain votes to leave the European Union.

James Hick, ManpowerGroup Solutions Managing Director: “British businesses continue to create the job opportunities that have helped get Britain back to work since the 2008 financial crisis. But while there’s clearly the demand for workers, we also need to protect the supply of talent. Employers of all shapes and sizes rely on the free movement of people inside Europe to find the skills they need. The latest employment statistics showed that of the 521,000 jobs created in the last 12 months, 215,000 of these were filled by people from elsewhere in the EU. Let’s be realistic: we simply won’t be able to replace overnight the skills these people bring to the UK if we leave the EU, and it’s our economy that will suffer. Unemployment is at its lowest level since 2006 – it’s unrealistic to suggest there’s enough slack in the labour market out there to fill these jobs.”

The West Midlands (+9%), the East (+10%), London (+10%), and the South West (+10%) all stand above the national average. The South East (+5%) and the East Midlands (+7%) both report falls from Q1 2016. The Outlooks in Wales (+3%) and Scotland (+6%) are in positive territory, while Northern Ireland reports its most positive outlook since 2007, at +8%. The picture elsewhere in the north of England is more positive, with the North East just below the national average at +6%, while Yorkshire & the Humber matches the national average at +7%.