One in five young people are out of work; the UK is enduring its highest unemployment figures since 1994; public sector jobs continue to be slashed, and pay freezes show no signs of thawing.
It’s a bleak outlook for the apparently deteriorating jobs market and raises concerns that the faint light of economic recovery is fading.
It’s true that the jobs market is still fragile but there are flickers of hope.
The government announced a £1bn fund to tackle youth unemployment including cash incentives for firms willing to employ an 18 to 24-year-old.
And there is evidence that companies are continuing to switch their emphasis from cost cutting to recovery and growth.
Small and medium-sized businesses are leading the way in the recruitment revival. But across the board, companies are looking to their bottom line. Recruitment demand is expected to be strongest in areas creating new business opportunities, strengthening customer loyalty and increasing customer base. Firms will also want to fill roles in administration, sales and marketing, accounting and finance. Technology remains a strong area of recruitment.
Employers are increasingly prepared to invest in the next generation of talent. They want the best new kids on the block to come to them, not move to their competitors. Many firms are planning to open up more opportunities for graduates to ensure they nurture a strong future workforce.
At the same time, employers are worried that their most prized employees will up sticks and leave when the economy picks up because increasingly heavy workloads, longer hours and year on year pay freezes have damaged staff morale.
In a bid to keep and attract staff, bosses are offering more flexible working arrangements including compressed working weeks where you work the same hours over fewer days or alternate schedules where you start earlier and leave earlier.
Companies are also taking time to re-evaluate their workforce. Given the larger pool of available talent, there are job and role creation opportunities available.
For businesses who have been forced to cut back on permanent staff, temporary and contract workers have supplemented their slim-lined workforce. But new agency employment rules that have just been introduced mean firms are less likely to continue with this strategy.
Meanwhile, a once in a lifetime job opportunity presents itself this summer. The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics offer the chance to be a part of history. All kinds of people will be applying for a range of positions including those currently out of work or in full time education. More than 100,000 people will be paid to work at The Greatest Show on Earth from caterers and cleaners to IT and ticketing jobs.