19 FEB 2024
This weeks FE & HR news: Job ghosting, over 50's opportunities, paternity leave & more
Here are a selection of noteworthy stories you may have missed during half term:
Unlocking Opportunities for Over 50s with Flexible Work Support
A new report from the 50+ Choices Roundtable shows how businesses, older workers and the wider UK economy would all benefit from employers and government prioritising greater flexibility in the workplace. The Flexible After Fifty report, from the members of the 50+ Choices Roundtable, shows that nearly three quarters (72%) of over-50s are seeking flexible work to achieve a better work-life balance, with a third (34%) citing caregiving responsibilities and a desire for more personal time as key drivers. View article.
UK Employment Figures, February 2024: Tight Labour Supply Could Mean Sticky Wage Growth
The UK labour market remained tight at the end of last year despite a faltering economy. The unemployment rate fell to 3.8% in the three months to December, below its pre-pandemic level, while the employment rate rose slightly to 75.0%, according to estimates from the Office of National Statistics (ONS)’s reinstated Labour Force Survey. View article.
Taking a chance on the less-than-perfect hire
How do you spruce up your CV when you don’t have access to a computer? How do you prepare for an interview when you’re homeless? How do you compete with seemingly ideal candidates when your experience is way less than perfect? For those who are digitally excluded, finding a job is harder than ever. No access to email, online job boards, and social media can make finding a job nearly impossible. Many turn to drastic measures to land a role. View article.
Navigating the changing workforce and maintaining employee happiness
The workforce is constantly changing, with Gen Z entering new jobs, millennials moving up to managing positions and Gen X heading for retirement. As a result, the areas of focus for HR and employee management are continuously shifting, and HR teams and business leaders re-shape their working environments to suit the needs of various employee expectations. View article.
Job ghosting | 86% of jobseekers admit not showing up to interviews, research reveals
We’ve all heard of ghosting in dating, and it’s now become rife in the hiring industry, with a growing number of jobseekers admitting they’ve ghosted a potential employer in the past year. 86% of UK jobseekers have without-notice not shown up for a job interview according to new research from global matching and hiring platform Indeed. View article.
What should HR do if an employee gets a second job?
As the cost of living crisis continues to squeeze employees, second jobs are on the up. What are HR’s obligations? More than one in three adults in the UK, or 20 million people, now have multiple incomes, according to research by the service provider Utility Warehouse. By 2025, the research estimates, 47% of the UK’s adult population could be earning an extra income, compared with less than 10% in 2017. View article.
UK workers want longer paternity leave
Fathers should have seven weeks off work to spend with their newborns, instead of the current UK standard of two weeks, according to the findings of research commissioned by the insurer QBE. Of the 2,000 UK adults that took part in the survey, fathers who were eligible for paternity leave took on average three weeks of leave. When asked why they did not take longer, most respondents said that their employer’s parental leave policy would not allow it. View article.