Brussels avoids jobs meltdown

The 27 Employment Ministers of Europe yesterday narrowly avoided agreeing to a agency workers directive that would have cost jobs.

Commenting on the negotiations Helen Reynolds, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Recruitment and Employment Federation said: ìThe REC stands for high standards in recruitment and good quality jobs for temps. We have never understood the raison dítre behind the agency workers directive. The RECís independent polling of temps shows that over 80 per cent of them are satisfied with their placements. We are relieved to see that an agreement was not reached. The current draft of the directive would have resulted in greater bureaucracy, more risk in engaging temps and therefore less job opportunities.

ìRecent research from the European recruitment association, Eurociett, has shown that the recruitment industry could create 2.1 million jobs if restrictions were lifted of the sector. This should be the focus on future negotiations on this sector.î

The REC is working with its membership, Jobcentre Plus and DWP to explore how the recruitment industry can further support placing excluded groups into work, from lone parents and incapacity benefit claimants to ex-offenders.

Temporary work offers a gateway into employment, giving up to date work experience and a track record to those who have been away from the labour market for longest. Recruitment consultants are also ideally placed to identify the skills required by employers and the candidates, who with the right training would be suitable to fill these posts.

Reynolds continues ìGetting people into work is the real agenda. Our members place 1.3 million workers into temporary jobs every week. The skills and jobs that recruitment agencies hold are the untapped resource that the Governmentís welfare reform agenda should tap into.î