By Clive Jefferys, JMA Network: We've all been waiting for a few months for this to hit the headlines. Unemployment has fallen below seven per cent and even more importantly, wage rises have started to outstrip inflation.
So the Big Question is how this is all going to affect to the recovery and for many companies that don't get with the plan, the answer is... badly.
Of course you will say I have a vested interest in wages rising, but let us not forget that for five years all of us business owners have benefited from staff costs staying below the curve. So now the active jobseeker is entitled to see the benefit from his or her next job move.
The big problem is, of course, that there aren't many new candidates available for your channel, field sales, provisioning or billings team. Every employer and recruitment agent is saying they can't find the staff, yet placements continue and to be honest, are accelerating!
So where are these new hires coming from?
The answer is threefold: Niche focus recruiters, headhunts between rival companies and highly proactive job hunters finding their own job.
So here's my prescription to speed your recovery.
Pill Number One: Raise your salary offers. Our best clients have stopped worrying about throwing in a few extra thousand on basic salaries. They recognise that a job unfilled is already costing them £5k or £10k a month in lost sales or service failures.
Pill Number Two: Invest in training. Don't hold your breath for someone with perfect skills to walk in the door. If they are that good, their current employer has already given them a pay rise and is hugging them like mad. Instead you need to recruit from a level below. Look for the good honest, hardworking people that are frustrated by lack of promotion opportunities, bring them on board and train them.
Pill Number Three: Accept that sales ability takes years to develop and is far more important than current technical awareness. If you meet someone that has that sales ability, enthusiasm and sparkle honed through years on the phone or in front of clients, go for it! If he or she isn't up to speed about FTTC, Roaming or Union Street, don't worry about it. You can train those skills in weeks. They are black and white, people either pass exams or resit them until they do.
Pill Number Four: Add a new KPI to your business plan. Include recruitment as a key factor in your growth and link headcount to departmental performance. This will uncover the managers that deliberately keep their teams understaffed, and reward those who really do have the company's best interests at heart.
We are on the verge of substantial economic growth. Whether you need to recruit for front or back office, the most important skills you need now are selling and customer service. Hire people with those magical qualities and the rest will follow.