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BriefingsMishcon de Reya Recruitment Watch - March 2008
WelcomeWelcome to the March 2008 edition of Mishcon de Reya's Recruitment Watch, prepared by the Firm's Recruitment Services Group. Its aim is to provide those involved in the recruitment sector with a snapshot of what has been happening in the world of recruitment in the last month. NewsPolicyThe government has announced that it will withdraw the value added tax concession on the hiring of temporary workers, which excludes wages from VAT calculations and taxes only the commissions charged by recruitment agencies, from April 2009. MPs have voted in favour of giving the Temporary and Agency Workers (Equal Treatment) Bill a second reading in the House of Commons but the prime minister is opening to gain support for his proposed new commission instead. MarketRecruit Broadcast Media has recently launched offering a dedicated range of broadcasting services for recruitment companies, to allow them to promote jobs. According to the Federation of Small Businesses, small companies in the UK are struggling to recruit the right employees for their positions and are heavily reliant on foreign workers. Delegates at a conference organised by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's construction sector group have been told that the ongoing skills shortage in the construction industry has forced companies to turn away contracts over fears they won't be able to complete them on time. Trends/PracticeAccording to research conducted by Reed Employment graduates are increasingly using the Internet as their only method of finding jobs with 89% saying they only ever searched for jobs online. Recruitment Consultant, March 2008 Research by the Employers Forum on Age has found that almost 20% of workers under 20 feel self-conscious about their age when applying for jobs. Recruiter, 20 February 2008 CompaniesThe Greythorn family of recruitment companies has rebranded as the FiveTen Group. The Sports Recruitment Company has rebranded as Sports Recruitment International and has announced plans to develop a network of worldwide offices. Premier Group has made a formal bid for Imprint, which values the company at about £45.2m. Robert Walters has posted a pre-tax profit of £24.9m for 2007 with net fee income rising by 19% for the period. Adecco has posted net income of €735m for 2007, up 20% from the previous year. Encore Personnel Services has announced a 50% increase in turnover for 2007 to £15m. Recruitment Consultant, March 2008 Clearstone Training and Recruitment has gone into administration, after it continued to suffer losses after being brought out of administration in July 2007 by private equity firm RCapital.Recruiter, 20 February 2008 Legal DevelopmentsLegislation New legislation that will punish companies who are found to have knowingly employed illegal workers with unlimited fines and a possible prison sentence of up to 2 years has come into force as part of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act. Recruitment Consultant, March 2008 Mishcon de Reya WorkshopsAs brand and reputation are vital for those working in the recruitment sector, Mishcon de Reya's Recruitment Services Group, in association with REC and Recruiter magazine is delighted to hold this evening session and drinks reception focusing on The Power of the Brand. This session, on the evening of the 17 April 2008, will cover issues such as: the importance of branding to the sector; practical tips on how to maintain your brand & add value to your business; and a case study on brand survival if it is attacked. Please contact Richard Giles on richard.giles@mishcon.com to reserve your place. Mishcon de ReyaMishcon de Reya's Recruitment Watch is published by the Recruitment Services Group of Mishcon de Reya Solicitors who were established to meet the demands of their clients within the recruitment sector. The Group is made up of cross departmental specialist lawyers who are able to meet the diverse legal needs of the recruitment industry, with wide and varied experience within the sector and who have a proven track record in being able to meet the growing demand for a one-stop service amongst their recruitment clients. For more information please go to: www.recruitmentlawyers.com where you will be able to ask one of our experts a question and view the answer to the question of the month.
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IMPORTANT: This briefing note is only intended as a general statement of the law and no action should be taken in reliance on it without specific legal advice. |