The number of permanent placements in London has increased at its fastest rate since May. This information was reported by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation’s Report on Jobs: London for October 2017.

The report also showed that the number of employed temporary/contract workers in London increased for the 15th successive month in October. The rate of growth increased at a faster rate from September.

Research from Arch Apprentices has revealed the top qualities that employers look for when recruiting young candidates.

The research surveyed 500 business decision-makers and found that the majority of employers value enthusiasm when it comes to recruiting young people for their business, with this being cited by 74 per cent of respondents.

Professional services company Accenture has launched a programme to help professionals who have taken a career break to return to work.

The Break|Through programme will offer professionals the opportunity to boost their skills and secure a job role with Accenture.

Research from recruitment company Hays has found 70 per cent of UK workers believe introducing return-to-work programmes or similar initiatives could help improve gender equality.

The Hays UK gender diversity report 2017 surveyed 5,400 workers in the UK. It found some employers are providing opportunities for workers that have taken a career break.

The graduate unemployment rate has dropped from 5.7 per cent in 2016 to 5.3 per cent, the lowest since 1989, according to a study from Prospects.

The annual study is titled What do graduates do? It was written in partnership with the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), and it found that the number of unemployed and employed graduates has fallen. 

Barclays is to offer free accommodation for one month to graduates that are attending job interviews in London, Manchester, and Birmingham, starting from 30th October.

The move comes after research from the bank found graduates spend £506.55 on average securing their first job after university, with some attending more than three interviews before being offered a job.

Data from CV-Library has revealed the top ten cities in the UK for job growth in the third quarter of 2017, with London featuring in the top three.

The survey compared the figures with data from the same period last year and found that the number of advertised vacancies increased by 12.2 per cent year-on-year, with several of the UK’s major cities seeing the biggest rise in jobs.

Generation Z workers have high expectations when it comes to career progression.

The study, which surveyed 1,000 18 to 23-year-olds, revealed men are feeling particularly positive about progressing in their career. 18 per cent expect a promotion within less than twelve weeks of commencing employment, compared to 5 per cent of women. 

Over 80 per cent of UK SMEs believe apprentices are the solution to solving the UK’s skills gap, according to the Close Brothers Business Barometer.

The quarterly found businesses believe providing more apprenticeships can help them gain access to skilled workers, with one in five having their own apprenticeship scheme in place.

Training provider Springboard Consultancy has launched a personal and work development programme to help individuals gain skills and rapidly develop their career.

The Boost programme was piloted in early 2017. There is high demand from employers who want to help their staff boost their skills, develop their career and quickly become more valuable to the company.

Research from RADA in Business, the commercial subsidiary of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, has found UK employees want a workplace culture that encourages ideas and innovation.

The research surveyed 1,000 workplaces and found that over 80 per cent of businesses are failing to create a culture that encourages new ways of thinking. 

Research from professional training provider The Knowledge Academy has highlighted the need for more training opportunities for the whole workforce.

The research looked at data from EU statistics organisation Eurostat alongside a survey of more than 6,000 adults carried out by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. They found that European countries are more likely to provide training opportunities for men than women.

Figures from the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) have shown an increase in the number of graduate jobs and apprentices in 2017.

The annual survey showed businesses have recruited 20,614 graduates in 2017, an increase of 1 per cent, while the number of apprentices has increased by 19 per cent to 11,016.

Research from salary benchmarking website Emolument.com has revealed which firms are the most open-minded and willing to consider new ideas. Professional services and Big Four firms PwC and EY made it into the top five, cited by 88 per cent and 86 per cent of employees respectively.

Goldman Sachs topped the list, with 90 per cent of employees being satisfied with the company’s open-mindedness.

Professional services and Big Four firm EY has announced a series of global talent programmes to help employees prepare for work.

The company will be running the programmes through management model LEAD and will be introducing a new programme called EY Badges. This will help people develop digital skills for the future.

Research from financial services company Hargreaves Lansdown has shown employers are in support of financial education in the workplace.

The research surveyed 418 employers, exploring their views on auto-enrolment in the workplace. They found 55 per cent believe financial education can help their staff gain a better understanding of pensions.

Research from job search engine Adzuna has revealed which degree subjects are the most lucrative for new graduates.

The study used Adzuna’s ValueMyCV algorithm to analyse the CVs of recent graduates and identified the top ten most valuable degrees in the UK.

Developing digital skills could help plug the UK’s skills gap and boost wages, according to Barclays Digital Development Index 2017.

The index explored the digital skills and confidence levels of 6,000 adults and analysed 88,000 job adverts in the UK. 

Businesses in the banking and financial services sector have dominated the list of top undergraduate employers in this year’s RateMyPlacement rankings.

J.P. Morgan was named the best undergraduate employer in the UK for 2017-2018 by students, with the banking and financial services company jumping up 16 places from last year’s position.

Professional services and Big Four company KPMG has reported a record increase in apprenticeship hires in 2017.

KPMG’s recruitment drive has seen a 40 per cent increase in apprenticeship hires, with the number of young people recruited onto the company’s apprenticeship programmes rising to 181 in 2017.

Job search engine and review website Glassdoor has revealed the most recommended employers in Britain.

Glassdoor obtained the data by looking at reviews and recommendations of companies from current and former employees that have been posted on the site in the past year.

Finance workers have cited meaningful work as the top reason for choosing a job in new research from financial recruitment company Core-Asset Consulting.

The study surveyed 194 professionals from Scotland’s financial, accounting and legal sectors. It revealed the top factors taken into account by individuals choosing a job, with 28.31 per cent of respondents ranking meaningful work as the most important.

Over 65 per cent of UK professionals believe they will need to acquire a new skillset in the next two to five years to do their job.

The research from leadership qualifications provider ILM surveyed 2,000 full-time and part-time workers in the UK.

People who work for a small business are the most committed, according to research from card payment machine provider Paymentsense.

The research surveyed 1,000 SME workers in the UK and found those who work for smaller businesses are more engaged. This is compared to their counterparts, working for larger firms.

Research from online jobs board Totaljobs has revealed the recruitment trends for graduates in the first half of the year.

London was found to be the most popular location for graduates seeking work, with over 5,000 graduates searching for jobs in the city every month.