Job seekers in the UK are hoping that a surge in recruitment by small businesses in the US will be reflected across the pond.
The Small Business Index, put together by financial services company Wells Fargo and polling organisation, Gallup, showed a rise of 16 points in January, from its level in October. Specific sectors showing revitalised interest in the recruitment process included information technology, defence contracting, software development and medical device companies.
Neil Costa, US-based recruitment marketing company, HireClix, said smaller businesses were really examining their recruitment processes at the moment, as they look to start adding to their staff following the recession.
This is a big change from what we saw at the tail end of last year, he said. People were exploring new recruitment marketing options and gathering information, but there seems to be a greater sense of urgency.
The Wells Fargo/Gallup index is measures present conditions and the expectations of business owners on six measures: cash flow, revenue, capital allocation spending, finance, job hiring and access to credit.
The job hiring measurements showed that 23 per cent of the 603 small business owners surveyed in the poll said they expected to increase their head counts this year, up from 18 per cent in the last poll. Employers who anticipated cutting jobs also decreased from 30 per cent to 25 per cent.
More recent news by online recruitment company Recruitment Genius suggests the UK may be experiencing an increase in employer confidence. Geoff Newman, the company’s chief executive, said February has seen significant demand for their services.
“So far February has been beyond our most optimistic forecasts. After a shaky start to year, we’ve been surprised by how many companies are recruiting staff and wanting to use our services. To cope with this we have recruited additional permanent staff to ensure we continue to deliver a high quality of service.”