career
Permanent staff vacancies increasing in the UK
More people in the UK have found permanent placement jobs recently than at any time in the last two and a half years, according to new research.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and auditors KPMG's Report on Jobs says that the number of permanent staff increased by its biggest monthly margin since July 2007 over the past month
Staff salaries also increased to a 20-month high during February.
Temporary staffing levels also increased but at a slightly lower rate over the past three months. However, the hourly pay rate also increased in the sector for the second month running.
Kevin Green, chief executive of the REC, believes that whilst there are worries about the public sector "increasing employer confidence" was the key to the positive outlook.
"High-end sectors such as IT are showing particularly strong growth and we are also seeing significant increases in demand for admin and back-office support," he said.
KPMG partner Bernard Brown also believes that these new figures represent a good indication that the UK is "on the road to recovery".
Last July Personnel Today reported that the job market in human resources would start to pick up after a turbulent 2008.
Updated: 04 March 2010.
Categories: career, human-resources, market-and-industry-news, permanent-placement, temporary-staffing.
Temporary staff 'provide flexibility and expertise'
Too many companies are ignoring the flexibility and potential offered by temporary staffing, according to the Professional Contractors Group (PCG).
The body has launched a campaign to promote the benefits of using specialist workers on a short-term or freelance basis.
It explained that there are many highly-skilled professionals now working on a freelance basis, providing expertise in areas such as IT, banking and accountancy.
John Brazier, the PCG's managing director, said using such skilled professionals on a temporary basis can help companies to deliver specific projects quickly and gain a competitive advantage over their rivals.
He added: "The talent pool of freelance workers offers flexibility to companies, groups and organisations; it helps them manage risk and unlock innovation and talent within their business."
The latest Report on Jobs, published by KPMG and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, revealed that an increasing number of companies are turning to temporary staffing solutions to fill vacancies.
Updated: 15 February 2010.
Categories: career, jobs, market-and-industry-news.
Ignis fills top financial services job
Ignis Asset Management has filled one of its top financial services jobs - appointing a new director of liquidity sales.
Billie Croan will leave his current financial services job as investment director at Irish Life & Permanent to take up his new role.
Mr Croan, who has previously worked at Standard Life, will report directly to Bruce Campbell, head of liquidity sales at the firm, who welcomed him to his new post.
"Billie has a wealth of experience and a wide array of long standing relationships having worked in the money markets for many years," said Mr Campbell.
"He will be a great asset to us as we continue to develop our investment proposition and market share."
Last month, Ignis filled another of its financial services jobs by appointing Chris Fellingham as its new chief investment officer for fixed income.
Mr Fellingham previously worked for the London-based asset management business Sorus Fund Management.
Updated: 01 February 2010.
Categories: banking-and-financial-services, career, london, market-and-industry-news.
Gartmore fills financial services job
A financial services job at asset management company Gartmore has been filled.
Richard Turner joins the firm from Williams de Broe to take up the role of account director to the company's British retail distribution team.
In his latest financial services job, which is a new position at the firm, Mr Turner will be responsible for fund distribution to wealth managers and independent financial advisers (IFAs).
He will be reporting directly to Warren Shiels, head of intermediary sales at Gartmore.
Mr Shiels said Mr Turner was an excellent fit for his new financial services job.
"Richard's twelve years of financial industry experience with national IFA firms and third party clients in the UK will prove invaluable," stated Mr Shiels.
Gartmore has been carrying out something of a recruitment drive in recent months, appointing a new senior credit analyst and head of credit last September.
In October last year, it filled other financial services jobs at the company via the appointments of Brian Mitchell as head of dealing and Jan de Bruijn as head of Asian equities.
Updated: 28 January 2010.
Categories: career, finance-and-accounting, london, market-and-industry-news, permanent-placement.
Lawrence Churchill appointed to senior financial services job
Lawrence Churchill, the current chairman of the Pension Protection Fund, has landed another senior financial services job.
He has been appointed as chairman of the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Mr Churchill will take on his new financial services job from the start of February and his first responsibility will be putting together a team for the NEST Corporation, a body which will have the responsibility of ensuring that all British workers have pension arrangements in line with the Pensions Act 2008.
That agency is scheduled to come into being on July 5th 2010.
Mr Churchill said that he is looking forward to the "major undertaking" of setting up a trust-based occupational pension scheme for millions of people.
His appointment has been welcomed by Joanne Segers, chief executive of the National Association of Pension Funds, who said he was the right man for the financial services job.
"Lawrence Churchill is an excellent choice as the new chairman of NEST," she said. "His lifelong experience of the pensions sector will serve him well in this challenging role."
Updated: 27 January 2010.
Categories: career, human-resources, market-and-industry-news, permanent-placement.
City HR chief - New taxes will make it harder to attract top bankers
It may become harder to attract high-quality staff to senior banking jobs due to the UK's tough tax regime, a London-based HR chief has warned.
Robert Potter, chairman of the City HR Association, told People Management that the introduction of the 50 per cent tax rate for higher earners this April, combined with the 50 per cent levy on banking bonuses, may make banking jobs in London less attractive.
"These changes may well give a negative perception of the City as a place to work," he said.
"Coupled with a potential talent drain, this could lead the City to lose its competitive edge in global markets."
He added that HR jobs and other positions within financial institutions will also be affected if firms feel they are being forced out of London by over-the-top taxation.
Earlier this week, Dan McNicholas, head of Asia financing sales at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, told Bloomberg that those in banking jobs in London and New York may consider a move to Asia as western governments tighten up their regulation of the industry.
He said that his company is currently in the process of helping to establish a dozen new hedge funds in the region.
Updated: 26 January 2010.
Categories: banking-and-financial-services, career, human-resources, market-and-industry-news, recruitment.
Four in top HR jobs 'earning more than Gordon Brown'
Working in a public sector HR job can be more lucrative then running the country, a new report has shown.
Four executives in top HR jobs are earning more money than prime minister Gordon Brown, it has been revealed.
According to a list compiled by the TaxPayers' Alliance, the most lucrative public sector HR job in the country is held by Clare Chapman, the director general of the NHS workforce.
The report said her pay has increased by ten per cent in 2009 to leave her with an annual salary of £267,500.
In comparison, Gordon Brown is paid slightly more than £194,000 a year.
Two men in HR jobs with the BBC are also paid more than the prime minster, with John Vickerman, director of shared services, and Mike Goodie, director of employee relations, both taking home £205,000 each.
John O'Connell, policy analyst at the Taxpayers' Alliance, attacked the figures.
"Taxpayers want genuine transparency, accountability and restraint in setting top public sector pay," he said.
Last month, Lucy Adams, the fourth HR figure on the list paid more than Brown, told BBC in-house magazine Ariel that she understood people may be angry when they heard of her £320,000 a year salary as HR director of people.
Updated: 07 December 2009.
Categories: career, human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.
BSA calls for 'level-playing field' in financial services sector
The BSA has asked the government to make the financial services sector fairer.
The Building Societies Association (BSA), which represent members in financial services jobs, has called on the government to rethink its plans to position the Post Office as the 'people's bank'.
Adrian Coles, director general of the BSA, pointed out that building societies were one of the few financial services providers that had not received government handouts, unlike banks and credit unions.
"The playing field is seriously distorted and we call on the government to take action so as not to undermine the building society sector," he said.
Mr Coles called on the government to review the regulation it has introduced since the beginning of the banking crisis to ensure that the "prudent" business models practiced by those in building society jobs were not being undermined.
Earlier this week, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said that regulators should be given the power to force financial services firms to reveal important data about how their organisation is performing.
Updated: 07 December 2009.
Categories: career, finance-and-accounting, market-and-industry-news.
