Forty-eight percent of employers plan to increase staff numbers in Q3 2007

Twenty-six percent adding more workers in second half of 2007, than in the first

CareerBuilder.co.uk, a online job site in the United Kingdom, released the results of its midyear survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, tracking projected hiring and job search activities for the remainder of 2007. The survey, titled ì2007 UK Job Forecast,î was conducted from 1 June to 13 June 2007, within the UK among 500 workers and more than 215 hiring managers.

ìJob growth is predicted to continue at a cautiously stable pace through the end of 2007,î said Dave Smith, Managing Director of CareerBuilder.co.uk. ìUK employers will continue to struggle with a shrinking skilled labour force as Baby Boomers move closer to retirement and the smaller generations of replacement workers falls under quota. The UK workforce can also expect to see employers become more creative in their recruitment and retention efforts, evident in higher salaries, increased training and more flexible work cultures.î

Hiring in the second half of 2007
Nearly half (49 per cent) of UK employers surveyed said they increased their staffs in the last three months. Fueled by a stable economy, this momentum is expected to continue with 26 per cent of employers indicating they plan to add a larger number of employees in the second half of 2007 compared to the first. Only one-in-ten employers said they will not be adding to headcount for the rest of this year.

Temporary Staff Recruitment
More than a third of employers said they hired temporary staff members in the first half of 2007. Employers plan to continue to add temporary staff through the end of the year: 25 per cent plan to do it in Q3, 22 per cent in Q4. Looking to the future, 45 per cent of employers said they were very likely or somewhat likely to move temporary employees into permanent positions.

Diversity Recruitment
Understanding the positive influence workforce diversity has on overall business performance, employers remain committed to expanding the demographics of their staffs through the end of the year and into next.

When asked what segment of diverse workers they plan to more aggressively recruit in 2007 and 2008, employers said women (21 per cent), disabled workers (16 per cent), Asian workers (13 per cent) and gay/lesbian workers (8 per cent).

Hiring and compensation in Q3

Hiring
Recruitment in Q3 is expected to mirror that of Q2 with close to half of the employers surveyed stating they plan to increase the size of their staffs while 43 per cent anticipate no change. Five per cent, slightly lower than last quarter, say they will actually decrease headcount.

One third of employers say they currently have open positions that they can not find qualified candidates to fill. One-in-ten employers say that given the shortage of top talent, they are more willing to pay to relocate a qualified candidate from another city or region. In fact, a quarter say they have paid to relocate an employee for an open position within the last two years. Thirty-four per cent of employers say they would be willing to pay up to 5000 to relocate a candidate, while 8 per cent would consider paying more.

Compensation
Employers continue to offer larger salaries to secure top talent. Forty-five per cent of employers say they plan to increase starting salaries in the third quarter, down from 59 per cent over the last three months.

Compared to the same time last year, 15 per cent of employers say they are experiencing an increase in the number of current staffers who have asked for a raise in pay. Good news for current employees; 12 per cent of employers say it is more likely that they will give salary raises in 2007, compared to 2006.

Job changes
As a way to boost morale and keep top talent from leaving, employers are implementing increasing robust retention programmes, and employee job satisfaction is reaping the benefits. Fifty-eight per cent of UK employees say they are generally satisfied with or love their current jobs.

However, 15 per cent of employees say they plan to leave their current job in the next 6 months. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) will be leaving within one year and four-in-ten (39 per cent) will be gone by the middle of 2009.



Satisfaction levels may not be enough, however, to keep employees from seeking out new opportunities in search of larger salaries and increased benefits. When asked if they were looking for another job, more than half (53 per cent) of workers said not actively, but would accept another job if one came available. Sixteen per cent indicated they were actively seeking a new job

Changing Careers
The shortage of workers is opening doors for employees to pursue positions in other careers that might not have been available in the past. Close to half (48 per cent) of employees say they are interested in changing careers altogether. In fact, four-in-ten (39 per cent) workers said they have already changed careers once or twice during their professional life.

While changing careers may seem like a good idea, workers have some concerns. More than a quarter of employees say the number one reason they donít change careers is the fact that they will be forced to start over and take an entry level position. The same number of employees say they wonít pursue new careers because the thought of change is too scary, while a slightly smaller number say they canít financially afford it.

Female workers, more so than men, may be more open to switching careers. Forty-five per cent of women say they have already changed careers one or two times, compared to only 33 per cent of men.

Survey methodology
This survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 217 UK employers (employed full-time; not self employed; with at least some involvement in hiring decisions), and 508 UK employees (employed full-time; not self employed; with no involvement in hiring decisions) ages 18 and over within UK between June 1 and June 13, 2007. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondentsí propensity to be online.

With a pure probability sample of 217 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of /- 6.9 percentage points. With a pure probability sample of 508 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of /- 4.4 percentage points. Sampling error for data from subsamples is higher and varies. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.