At the same time as the Government has announced that over 30 million people are now employed in the UK, Cooper Lomaz Recruitment Limited, one of East Anglia’s leading recruitment consultants, has reported that there has been a marked rise since this time last year in the number of positions for which it is recruiting.
Jane Lovell, joint Managing Director of Cooper Lomaz Recruitment said:
“I believe there has been considerable growth in business confidence in the region over the last 12 months, and this is now stimulating the jobs market. Our year on year comparisons show that we experienced a 25% growth in the number of new job vacancies [1131] we took on during the first three months of 2014 in comparison to the same period last year.”
She went on to say: “The nature of the market has also changed; it is now a candidate led market with job applicants expecting to receive more than one offer of employment when they put themselves into the market. This means that in order to attract the best employees, the region’s employers must make sure their ‘employment packages’ are competitive; it’s not just about remuneration as today’s employees are influenced by issues such as their working environment and their work/life balance.”
The business confidence to which Jane Lovell refers is certainly reflected in the growth of Cooper Lomaz Recruitment over the last 12 months. The company now employs 52 full time employees, up from 38 this time last year, from three offices in Norfolk and Suffolk and it is currently recruiting for an additional 11 positions within the business. The company’s Norwich office is being expanded to provide accommodation for these additional employees, and for the further increase in employees which will be required if the company is to meet its own business growth plan.
Jane Lovell concluded, saying: “My colleagues and I now have confidence in the future and we are investing for continued growth. Currently, one of the most exciting industry sectors in the region is energy, and recent announcements by the offshore wind farm developers relating to the establishment of their operational bases in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft will undoubtedly create even more job opportunities in the years ahead.”