We used to think that people don't like change, but clearly they do. While the ramifications of leaving the EU will take years to become apparent, the impact on business and jobs is the most immediate concern today, writes Clive Jefferys of recruiter JMA Network.
We can expect a wholesale change in employment trends across the UK during the next ten years, but right now, telecoms resellers and dealers are in a strong position to take advantage of what is to come.
An awful lot has changed since 2008 and the rise of network services sales has moved the greater part of revenues to a consumption-based sales model.
With the advent of hosted telephony solutions with built-in call plans, reseller incomes should remain the same or actually rise, particularly with regard to international calling. Capital purchases of hardware will take a short-term dip, but this was already an ongoing trend in the move towards telecoms as a service. No surprises there then.
The key question for employer and job seeker alike is how recruitment will be affected over the next year? Headlines may warn of general job losses to come, but in telecoms I'm not convinced. The latest IoD survey says that a quarter of employers are putting hiring on hold, a third will continue recruiting and the rest will stay the same. I can't think of a time that a survey said anything different. The reasons may change, but the outcome is the same.
The telecoms and IT sectors have spent the last five years coping with skills shortages and the lead time on filling roles had stretched out to six months in most cases. So it's going to have to be 'business as usual' as companies are already looking to reshape themselves for 2017.
Conversely, putting a break on new hires today will prove dangerous, locking you out of recruiting new potential for a very long time.
The most important facet of hiring has, is, and will always be to build your company's sales potential.
Maximising your strength to win new revenues has never been more urgent.