Whilst the initial reaction to Brexit was one of concern, three months on, we’re yet to see a change to the market – we certainly haven’t seen the levels of disruption that were predicted. We’ve placed hundred’s of engineers across the likes of BAE Systems and GE over the last three months, and we actually started to see a growth in contract jobs in August – something that can be seen as a real positive for UK employment.
The immediate impact
Despite initial warnings of job cuts and there being increased skills shortages in areas such as engineering and manufacturing (which are two key areas that we specialise in), the market hasn’t seen a great amount of change. Unemployment is still holding up at an 11-year low of 4.9%[1], which is incredibly promising. However, it is too early to draw solid conclusions about the impact Brexit will have on employment rates, especially as Article 50 is yet to be triggered.
Shaping the future
Although we haven’t seen any immediate changes, we’re still in a period of uncertainty, and will be for the coming months until the government activates Article 50. Until this happens, it’s essential we continue to work closely with clients to ensure that we’re taking steps to minimise the impact. This will mainly centre on working to ensure that we have adequate numbers of skilled workers while trying to boost the pools of skilled employees.
It’s at this point that the consultancy element of recruitment comes to the fore, allowing businesses to be coached and advised about how best to attract, cultivate and retain skilled professionals. Having said that, recent research has found that the jobs markets of each European Union nation are more dependent on trade with the UK than the other way around, with 3.6m British jobs being linked to trade with the rest of the EU, compared to 5.8m EU jobs.[2]
What could it mean?
We will see a number of obstacles for companies when it comes to immigration. It’s crucial that when the government is developing an immigration policy for a post-EU life, employers are still able to access the skilled candidates. We do have an incredibly strong network of skilled professionals here in the UK, however the freedom of being able to recruit staff from outside the UK is still hugely beneficial.
To find out more about JAM please visit www.jamrecruitment.co.uk
