Latest from ARC

Last year showed an uplift in job postings and the fastest salary growth rate in three years, according to data from specialist IT recruitment website CWJobs.co.uk and JobsAdsWatch. In a year when mobile apps really took off, developers dominated the recruitment space, making up 41% of all IT jobs advertised by the final quarter of 2011. Contract IT personnel were also in high demand, with a 25% increase in postings year-on-year. SQL was the most sought after skill in 2011; however, demand for software development methodology, Agile, went up by 59% in the number of permanent job postings over the … Continue reading →

New jobs in January were 9% higher than the previous year, despite decline in demand in a number of sectors from banking to energy, reports the Reed Job Index. At 123, the index remains above the 100 level set as a baseline in December 2009 and 9% higher than the January 2011 figure of 113. Estate agency jobs were up 24 points to 146, and charity & voluntary saw a 22 point rise to 142. The largest month-to-month drops in the Index came in consumer-facing sectors, with hospitality & catering jobs demand dropping 33 points from December. Martin Warnes, managing director … Continue reading →

Following a report into the impact of the Agency Workers Regulations, the REC have also reported that hiring intentions for temporary positions remains strong in their latest JobsOutlook. This is at a time whilst many employers are becoming increasingly cautious, and in many cases waiting for the economy to pick up before they begin to hire again. Their report revealed that more than a quarter (27%) of employers are planning to increase the number of agency workers they employ in the short term. Added to this over half of them (57%) aim to keep temporary staff levels around the same. In … Continue reading →

UK Contractors working through umbrella companies who still have concerns that the Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) could negatively affect their work prospects might be reassured by the latest JobsOutlook report from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). AWR gives temporary workers an entitlement to the same pay and benefits as permanent staff after an initial 12-week period.  There has been much speculation about the possible impact of the regulations and UK Contractors may well have been concerned as a result that employers would no longer want to use their services. The latest figures show that 82 per cent of employers plan to increase or … Continue reading →

Increased tuition fees and a shift in culture away from IT qualifications from GCSE level could mean an IT talent drain in the UK. 64% of IT professionals surveyed thought the rise in tuition fees would drive students abroad to gain qualifications. Whilst the market for IT professionals is growing as society becomes more reliant upon technology, formal IT qualifications are dropping in take up and perception. In a report compiled by CWJobs.co.uk, 71% of IT professionals perceive self taught candidates to be as skilled as their formally qualified counter parts. Although the IT and Telecoms industry contributes over £81b … Continue reading →