Hiring spree planned by British bosses

According to recruiters, the bosses of a majority of British companies expect to hire more staff this year.

Executives in the finance, accounting and marketing sectors are particularly interested in expanding their workforces in the next 12 months due to sustained economic growth.

Two studies

Two studies, one from Robert Half and the other from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), have agreed that businesses are looking to hire.

Nearly 60 per cent of UK businesses intend to increase staffing levels in 2016, according to Robert Half's research, while APSCo’s study found that advertised job vacancies were up 4 per cent last month compared with year-on-year figures.

Pay increases

Robert Half managing director, Phil Sheridan, commented: “The index highlights that senior executives are confident about their growth plans for 2016 and are actively seeking skilled professionals to add to their headcount. This will not only drive up salaries but will also impact on the ever growing war for talent.”

APSCo also found that advertised salaries have increased by 11.1 per cent for consultants and 10.4 per cent for banking staff, which is in stark contrast to the 1.9 per cent average across the wider economy over the last year.

“The best way to remain competitive in the hiring process is to ensure salaries are benchmarked and your existing employees are looked after – either by additional perks such as flexible working, or by hiring temporary resources to help ease the pressure of workloads," Sheridan added.