Online Business Blog

It comes as no surprise that the Recession has radically changed the workplace in the UK. Employers and employees have had felt the effects and seen changes such as pay increase freezes and recruitment being put on hold. Research into workplace trends have revealed that nearly two thirds of employers have stated they have made significant changes to their workforce and working patterns, or are thinking of making them. Other techniques to protect their business and cut costs include allowing flexible working hours and cuts in paid overtime.

While it may not be true as much for highly skilled positions such banking jobs and public sector jobs, other sectors are using the flexible labour market to their advantage.

On a more positive note, some figures in this study taken from 704 employers who are responsible for employing 3 million people show that 45% said they were going to increase pay for their employees in the coming months albeit slightly with 39% saying the increase would only be around 1% - less than the rate of inflation.

Around one third of employers said they would start hiring again in the next few months although the biggest percentage said this would only be for small pockets within their business.

When asked abut how long the recruitment situation will take to recover, 53% said they believe it will be at least two years for things to return back to the figures of 2007.

Different job sectors will obviously be affected in different ways, the science and IT sector are more likely to outsource role to candidates overseas, but this is also due to lack of candidates with the right skills in these sectors.

Recruitment figures are said to be resilient in professional services and the public sector.

So there are some positive signs out there if you are currently looking for employment. The main thing is to remember that not every sector is being hit as hard. The best route is to talk to a professional recruitment specialist that deals with specific sectors like Martin Ward Anderson for Finance and Accounting and Banking Jobs and they will be able to give you a better view of your prospects.

In these current hard times of redundancies and the recession there is a large number of people looking for employment and it can be easy to get down about things. Many people get more and more discouraged as time goes by and they can’t find a position.

So what can job seekers do to make sure they stay positive when looking for work?

Well to start with making sure you partake in activities that make yourself feel good and highlight your strong points. If you are good with your hands why not volunteer to help build things in the local community or if you are good with an instrument you could volunteer to teach the instrument to local children. This will not only make yourself feel better but you can know you are making a difference to someone else’s life.

When looking for a job, you end up doing a lot of work that may not have an immediate outcome, so it is a good idea to set yourself tasks and activities with a tangible outcome. This can be something as simple as redecorating a room in the house or as complex as getting to grip with website design and building yourself a site on an area that interests you. No matter what it is, the feeling that you have accomplished something will make you feel great.

One of the worst things you can do while trying to stay positive is spending time with negative people, the ones who always see the cup as half empty. Talking to positive people is a great way of lifting your mood and reinforcing that everything will work out for the best.

Staying healthy and getting plenty of sleep always puts you in a good mood. It is very easy to get down and feel negative about things when you haven’t had enough sleep.

After a hard day of job hunting or interviews you should make sure you find time to relax and reward yourself. Whether it’s watching your favourite film or doing some exercise, you should make sure you allow yourself some time to take it easy.

Finding an accountancy job or an international job where there is a lot of competition can be a very stressful situation, so try following some of the tips mentioned in this blog to help you make it through.

According to reports from recruiters, city firms have started to hire again after the trouble of recent times, although slightly cautiously.

There was an uplift in the finance job market in June that held fairly steady in July despite the slow summer trend in recruitment that usually happens every year.

Although the number of new jobs within the London financial services sector dropped overall by 7%, a two month consequent increase since June in new finance jobs in the market is positive news for finance professionals.

It is good news for the financial recruitment industry if employers are feeling more confident and starting to increase the amount of job opportunities available in the UK. As with most things during the recession it will be a slow steady increase rather than a sudden jump to how things were before.

The statistics are showing that job opportunities are appearing for most areas within the financial services industry and this is especially true at the managerial and executive level.

Here are some statistics from the annual NatWest/ bfa franchise survey that helps franchisors and franchisees understand what is going on in the franchise sector.

The survey has been undertaken for twenty five years and is one of the most important sources of information in regards to Franchising in the UK.

• Current figures estimate the franchise industry is worth £11.4billion
• With an increase of 3.6%, there are currently 838 franchise systems in the UK
• The franchising industry provides jobs for 467,000 people
• Each franchise business makes £326,000 on average
• The largest sector for franchise is the property service sector with personal services coming in second
• Franchisors state the that top form of recruitment comes from word of mouth with the internet following
• The number of franchisors who recruit using their own website is said to b 48%
• When recruiting, franchisors on average interview 7 people before they find the ideal candidate
• Of all the franchise systems used in the UK, 75% have their headquarters here
• A massive 85% of international franchises are based in the US or Canada
• When researching information on franchise opportunities, 45% of franchisees use websites like thebfa.org and whichfranchise.com
• There are 278 British run franchise systems that have an international presence
• On a personal level, 82% of franchisees are married and the average age of a franchisee is now 47.
• The percentage of new male franchisee recruits is 73% and the amount of graduates running franchise is 42%

To read the original article on the 2009 Franchise Statistics, click here