Almost half of employers in logistics and supply chain are seeing recruitment levels return to similar or even higher volumes than before the recession, although the possibility of a rise in interest rates is already having a negative impact on recruitment strategies, according to a new industry tracker from Barclay Meade.
Owners and directors of medium and large organisations across the UK were interviewed about their recruitment plans, and the results suggest that while employers in the industry are remaining cautious over their financial liquidity, recruitment levels are considered to be making a recovery.
The study revealed that for employers in the logistics and supply chain sector:
* 42 per cent identified the potential rise in interest rates as having the biggest negative impact on their recruitment strategy, staggeringly larger than the national average of eight per cent and far higher than any other sector
* 59 per cent of employers in the sector say that they see their business’s financial liquidity as a barrier to recruitment
* 40 per cent cited a shortage in skilled candidates as their greatest barrier
* 37 per cent see the expense of hiring new staff as their greatest obstacle.
However, more encouragingly, 46 per cent report that they are currently recruiting at similar levels to before the recession – higher than the national average of 39 per cent.