Pushing the button on a new job

The first quarter of the year is often a time for companies to push the button on hires that have been in the pipeline for a while. People who were considering their positions towards the end of the year will have signalled their intentions by now. And businesses can see what direction the economy is going in, and how it is going to impact growth.

Knowledge helps breed confidence, and as these pieces of information come through, organisations can recruit from a position of strength. Some years, this may happen a little sooner, however, after a modest start, recruitment in Jersey is once again ramping up and we expect 2024 to be another productive year.

A recent report by PWC highlighted some of the concerns workers in the Channel Islands face. Despite an easing of inflation, the cost of living is still a worry for many workers with 40% of those surveyed saying they have little left from their wages after paying for housing and other expenses. Demand for flexible working remains high, with people dropping out of the workforce if they don’t get it. And Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) continues to push the agenda, with 80% of employees wanting to work for companies that share their values.

While many firms have made huge steps in these areas – tackling the gender pay gap, offering flexible working, and keeping in line with the UK for DE&I, organisations must remain on top of these issues if they are going to attract the best talent.

2024 is going to be an exciting year for recruitment. We are preparing to launch the Jersey branch of the Recruitment Employment Confederation (REC) and have invited all recruiters in the island to get involved. This will help give recruiters a forum to discuss issues affecting the industry and have a united voice to bring these to prominence. We have formed a committee and one of our first tasks will be investigating how to set an industry standard for recruitment in Jersey. There is still scope to get involved so please contact Shelley to find out more.