By Clive Jefferys, JMA Network: So the survey said - eight out of 42 countries now have fully positive employment trends, and that includes six out of seven G8s. Poor old France eh? Here in the UK, agencies have seen general placement rates increase by 12.6% and in the services sector by a whopping 30% over the last 12 months.
Business is in Hire Mode and yet in the UK we have such high employment in some form of job or another, that it's got even harder to find the right people! Economists are talking about a new shape to employment trends, so here's my fourpennyworth.
Number One on my list is the power of technology and how it has massively eroded the real worth of labour over the 27 years I have spent in work.
The average wage today has only half the buying power of when I started because IT has automated and in so many cases, totally removed the value of many jobs. I'll use my own company as an example. Compared to just five years ago, we employ only a third of the staff we used to and achieve better results. Every month our total consumption of man hours divided by the number of sales indicates it takes an average of 70 hours of legwork to yield a placement. Yet this equation doesn't even include the 24/7 operation of our software, which replaced five youngsters that used to load CVs for us. They lost their jobs to a single PC sitting in the corner of our office.
I've now become a free career councillor for all my friends and neighbours' children as they graduate from university. However, despite their degrees they are struggling to get on the career ladder. There's plenty of work as a barista or in a mobile phone shop, but long gone are the days when thousands were needed as a runner in the City or an apprentice in engineering now that so much is computer controlled.
Point Two is about how to build a real career. You have to choose something that can't be run by software. If you don't you'll either remain low paid or eventually be replaced by technology.
Whatever industry you pick, you need to know how to sell yourself to other people, something that software can never match. It's why the service sector is so big in our economy. We have near full employment because so many people are needed as delivery drivers, on supermarket checkouts, or sorting boxes somewhere. However, these are not jobs that will allow you to save enough money for a decent mortgage deposit.
Looking specifically at our sector, Point Three is about what has happened to in-house recruiters over the last year. From being a safe place in a storm, it's rapidly become a thankless task.
Even the big outsource companies are struggling as the supply of candidates has become so fragmented. Professional white collar recruitment can only be mastered by the organisations that focus 100% on finding the match.
Meanwhile in-house recruiters are run ragged by conflicting responsibilities that overlap into HR and wider company issues. Agents have the time to find the candidates and when they do, can offer more than one employer to entice their interest and turn them into an active jobseeker.
My fourth and final point is prompted by an excellent programme on the Beeb - all about London and its dominance of the economy.
The crux of the issue seems to be the size and networking potential of its population, and it pointed out that London's main competitor is now the Liverpool-Manchester-Leeds Strip. I certainly agree, as this exactly matches our own client base.
However, the marked difference between these conurbations is the quality of their transport links. Our resourcing in the North West is constantly frustrated by poor public transport links and Manchester town planners should take heed! I seriously think the strength of Central London is that everyone can pop out for a few pints and a chat with colleagues after work, and strengthen their creative potential.
So my profound advice for job seekers this month is twofold: Learn to do something that computers can't. Move to a big city where everyone can get to work easily and talk to each other on the way!