Job hunting is not for the faint hearted

Job seekers should be wary of reports that the recruitment market is bouncing back, warn researchers from the Recruitment Confidence Index. The latest figures suggest they are still going to have to work hard to secure that dream job.

The Recruitment Confidence Index (RCI), a quarterly trends survey published by Cranfield School of Management and the Daily Telegraph, suggests recruitment activity will remain stable but it won’t be booming over the next six months.

The number of employers predicting a rise in recruitment activity is down from 55% last quarter to 51%, while the number of employers predicting no change in the number of hires over the next six months is up from 31% to 35%.

When it comes to recruiting managers and professional staff, the number of employers predicting a rise in activity is down from 39% three months ago to 32% this quarter. But the vast majority - 61% - say the number of managers and professionals they hire will stay the same.

Low levels of business confidence over the past year further emphasise the concern many employers still feel about the current business climate. This quarter there are slightly more pessimists than optimists, but the majority of employers (62%) are reserving their judgement and have remained neutral about business confidence.

Professor Shaun Tyson from Cranfield School of Management said: We have been saying for some time that, although the UK economy has been performing well, there are potential problems ahead at home and abroad, which help explain why business confidence remains so flat.

At home, the housing market has been fuelling UK demand but the price increases that we have seen are probably unsustainable. There are also fears that government spending plans will force up taxes.

Looking abroad, there is the uncertainty surrounding the Middle East and threats of global terrorism but there is also the possibility that after the Presidential election in the USA, and the General Election in the UK, taxes will rise in both countries.

Commenting on the findings Stephanie Richards, recruitment research manager at the Daily Telegraph said: RCI figures are in keeping with the government’s latest employment statistics which show the number of people in employment went down by 29,000 between March and May. So while the job market has definitely picked up over the past year, job hunters can’t afford to get lazy. They still have to go out there and do their research, hone their CVs and sharpen up their interview skills if they want to secure the right job. The Recruitment Confidence Index was set up by Cranfield School of Management and the Daily Telegraph to measure employers’ recruitment expectations and business confidence. It has been tracking recruitment plans for nearly five years and attracts responses from more than 1500 employers in the public and private sectors. It is one of a basket of measures employers can use to test the health of the economy.

Other findings this quarter include:

Manufacturers are more positive than their service sector colleagues. Recruitment activity and numbers on the payroll are set to go up over the next six months.

Unfilled vacancies and staff turnover rates are both forecast to fall slightly

Sales staff and accountants will be in most demand over the next six months