Full Time Roles are Old School: Flexible Employment is the Future

The UK job market has gone through a monumental shift in the last few years. The rise of startups and SMEs has led to an increasing demand for flexible employment options whilst at the same time, the economic uncertainty that we are still experiencing has forced many businesses to make redundancies.

Recruitment trends in 2023

The first half of 2023, painted a mixed picture of recruitment trends in the UK. On the one hand, there has been strong demand for skilled roles in certain sectors at TheHIVE (I’ve seen this to be especially true for Scrum Masters/Project Managers and Developer roles). On the other hand, there has also been an increase in redundancies.

According to The Office of National Statistics , the number of UK job vacancies from March to May 2023 was 1,051,000, a decrease of 79,000 from December 2022 to February 2023.

At the same time, Statistica reports that in the three months leading up to May 2023, there were 95,000 redundancies made in the United Kingdom compared with 93,000 in the previous month. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the UK job market is likely to remain volatile in the coming months.

So what does this mean for Start-ups and SMEs and the Future of Employee Hiring?

Well, as a result of the continued volatility of the market, businesses will need to be agile and adaptable in order to survive. This may mean that they need to be more flexible in their approach to employee hiring.

For example, businesses may need to consider offering more flexible working arrangements, such as remote working or flexitime. They may also need to be more open to flexible hiring, this means taking a step away from traditional ‘full-time, permanent role’ hiring that many start-ups and SMEs assume is the only way to secure new, talented employees.

The Benefits of Flexible Employment Options

There are numerous benefits to offering flexible employment options. I've shared what I believe to be the top 3 here:

• Reduced costs: Flexible employment options can help businesses to reduce their costs, simply because they do not have to provide full-time benefits to their employees.??
• Increased productivity: Flexible working arrangements can help to improve employee productivity, as they allow employees to work when they are most productive.??
• Increased employee satisfaction: Flexible employment options can help to increase employee satisfaction, as they give employees more control over their work-life balance. And who doesn't want that! ??

Staff sharing as a flexible employment option

One flexible employment option that is growing in popularity is staff sharing. Staff sharing involves two businesses sharing the same talented employee, which is a mutually beneficial arrangement for both businesses, as it allows them to access the skills and expertise of a qualified employee, whilst each business manages the peaks and troughs of the business.?

For employees, staff sharing can provide both stability and opportunity as it can offer a stable income, even when their employer may be going through a challenging period, as well as being a great way to gain experience in different industries.

The future of employee hiring in the UK is going to be shaped by the continued rise of flexible employment options. As businesses become more aware and open to the benefits of flexible employment, we can expect to see a growing demand for them.

Flexible employment can offer a number of advantages for both businesses and employees. However, it is important to choose the right option for your specific needs. If you are considering flexible employment options for your business, do your research and speak to experts like TheHIVE to ensure your business continues to grow and thrive as the future of employment unfolds.

Staff Sharing and TheHIVE?

We are at a very exciting time in the development of TheHIVE with over 200 businesses loaning and hiring shared staff through our?platform . It’s FREE for start-ups to join!

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