Wait times make workers “more hesitant” to accept job offers, says one recruiter
The Ecruiter Page Group said workers are becoming increasingly reluctant to accept jobs as the economic climate is taking longer for prospective employers to make decisions.
The company reported on Monday that it is on track to meet expectations but that the market has become more difficult over the past half year.
Sales rose 5.8% to just over £1 billion in the six months to the end of June. However, pre-tax profit fell nearly 45% to £63.3 million.
Page said there was “a certain reluctance to accept offers” from the people on his books.
Temporary recruitment outperformed permanent employment due to uncertain macroeconomic conditions as clients sought more flexible options
“The challenging conditions we saw towards the end of 2022 continued into the first half of 2023, with lower levels of confidence from both candidates and clients, resulting in delays in decision making and candidates in the were more reluctant to accept offers,” said Chief Executive Officer Nicholas Kirk.
“Given the uncertain macroeconomic conditions, temporary recruitment outperformed permanent employment as clients sought more flexible options.”
The group said gross profit from its permanent jobs fell 7.1% to £392.2m, while the temporary part of the business saw a 15.3% increase to £134.6m.
Gross profit in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, which accounts for 55% of Page Group’s total sales, increased 8.1%. The company saw worse performance in the Americas (down 5.5%), Asia Pacific (down 18.3%) and the UK (down 13.2%).
“Looking ahead, there remains a high level of global macroeconomic and political uncertainty in most of our markets,” said Mr. Kirk.
“Against this background, however, we continue to see a shortage of candidates and a high level of vacancies, as well as persistently high fees.
“We’re also seeing the benefits of our investments in innovation and technology, where Customer Connect supports productivity and enhances the customer experience, and Page Insights provides real-time data for informed business decisions.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/wait-times-making-workers-more-reluctant-to-accept-job-offers-says-recruiter-b1099014.html Wait times make workers “more hesitant” to accept job offers, says one recruiter
