Happy International Women's Day. Thank you to all of the women of Integra People, today we celebrate you and the work you have achieved. At Integra People, we have the most amazing powerhouse women in every department and seniority level, we are proud to have 50/50 men and women in director roles for the business. Carole is one of our Regional Sales Directors who began working for Integra People in 2017 as a Regional Sales Manager and is now one of 6 directors of the business. She started working in sales after leaving school. Carole saw a position for a recruitment consultant in the local paper, applied and never looked back – she is now in her 19th year in recruitment. "In recruitment, you meet people from all walks of life and its proven that people buy from people, you have to be able to relate to them and understand their circumstances, I think women are good at listening, relating to people and situations and are very methodical in the way they work. Multi-tasking is definitely a skill that is needed in the industry and we all know women are better than men at this.” Integra People provide temporary workers to clients in the UK across a variety of sectors and industries. Recruitment can be a tough industry with long hours high pressure, however, Carole takes that in her stride.  “20 years ago, when I joined the industry and it was very much a job for the boys. It was said that women, especially women with young children, couldn’t commit to the job, hours or pressure of the job. Different sectors didn’t have female consultants and you definitely got some strange looks turning up at a client’s warehouse in a high vis vest and safety boots, but once you sat down with them and they understood or appreciated your knowledge and experience the trust was gained.” As a recruitment consultancy, hiring a diverse workforce that reflects on talent and skill and not gender, sexuality or background is important to Integra People and every recruiter within the business. “I think we are very diverse and recruit on ability and experience. What age, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation does not come into account, if you can do the job that’s all that matters. “I am lucky to work for a company that recognises hard work and commitment and rewards and promotes on this. There are unfortunately businesses still out there that think women aren’t ‘strong enough’ to do the job without letting emotions get involved or that children and family life will always distract you away from doing your job.” Having women like Carole in a leadership role at Integra People has encouraged others to follow in her steps in developing their careers in recruitment at Integra People, she has given this advice to those who want to start a career in recruitment and become a strong leader: “Work hard, learn your industry / sector and enjoy! You don’t have to choose either a career or family, you can do both. You should always lead by example. I think being able to manage by experience is a great help, if you have been there and done the job or role yourself you can not only train and develop effectively but advise and empathise with your staff.” Equality and diversity at Integra People has been achieved thanks to the men and women who work tirelessly to develop and improve the business over the years. We can’t wait to see what the women of Integra People bring to the table in 2020 and in future years to come.

The IWPR found that 20.2 million women work in jobs with the highest risk of automation, compared to only 14.4 million men. In addition, out of all women workers, 28.9 per cent work in high-risk occupations, compared to 19 per cent of men. Artificial intelligence is a constant topic and debate, and there are intense fears about what technology could have in store for future generations and job roles. AI and automation are creeping into our daily existence, but it is not all bad as technology has a record of creating more jobs than it destroys. Women still face a pay gap, which is gradually closing, and are still underrepresented in leadership in businesses. According to IMF research there is yet more bad news for women: women are at a higher risk of losing their job to automation than men. It was found that women perform more routine tasks than men, which machines are best at copying. Arguably, women may have been led to believe that soft skills are less important and to make your way in the world of work, hard skills are desirable. However, what machine’s still cannot copy well are ‘soft skills’ and still require a lot of work to gain any sort of emotional intelligence. Soft skills may become even more important in automated economies, as a key differentiator from machines, and are a skill that both women and men should not overlook. Lower level administrators, cashiers and clerks are among the most likely to be replaced by a machine, and according to another Oxford study, the list of occupations near the top for this concern are disproportionately female. Those who are replaced however could benefit from forward-looking training programs that could lead them into higher paying jobs. The World Economic Forum actually found that with retraining, 96 per cent of at risk workers would actually end up benefiting from changes brought upon by automation. Although it seems a worrying time for women in roles that could be automated, the long term training and repositioning of jobs means that the gender pay gap may get narrower and narrower.

New data has revealed that professional salaries in the North West will see the biggest hike of seven per cent, compared with any other region in the country. Robert Walter’s annual Salary Survey found that individuals paid on either a contract, temporary or project-basis will see a significant jump in their salaries. Below are some of the biggest sectors that are set to produce success stories for workers in the UK: Procurement and supply chain Coming in 4th following London, Midlands, Milton Keynes, the North West has a permanent average salary of £70k, a contract average of £462 p/d, and shows a 3% increase in contractors salaries from 2018. IT In 3rd place following - , the North West shows a dramatic increase in IT salaries from 2018. The permanent salary average in £63k, a 19% increase from2018, and the average contract rate is £533 p/d, a 7% increase from 2018. Other sectors that show considerable growth are Banking and Finance, Legal, and Human Resources. With 2019 in full swing, recruiters in the North West may become inundated with lots of hopeful applications and by jobseekers looking to take advantage of more competitive salaries outside of the country’s capital. This may make it easier for recruiters to source quality candidates for some of the sought-after roles.  If you are looking for your next role, please contact Integra People for a confidential and friendly conversation with one of our dedicated consultants on: 01925 838 600.

Skills shortages in the past year have led to a candidate led market, and the outlook for jobs is positive for the coming year. The fact that connectivity has improved massively and a billion of the population are now connected to data, is likely to impact many sectors, such as education, healthcare, IT and financial services. “There’s no question that emerging technologies designed to grow and scale business, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation are having an impact on the types of jobs employers are hiring for across the country. As a result, we’re seeing a spike in demand for highly-skilled workers in 2019,” said Glassdoor Economic Research Analyst, Amanda Stansell. The 25 Best Jobs in the UK for 2019 according to new research from Glassdoor:  Rank Job Role  Mediam Base Salary (£) Job Satisfaction (out of 5) Job Openings  1 Audit Manager 52,000 4.5  1,124  2  Finance Manager  60,000  3.8  2,001  3  Marketing Manager 42,500  3.9  1,966  4  Product Manager  52,500 3.8 1,697 5  Sales Manager 42,000 3.8 2,795 6  Risk Manager 60,000 3.9 1,111 7  Data Scientist  46,000 4 995 8  Operations Manager  42,000 3.7 2,226 9  Design Manager  55,000 4.1 719 10  Business Analyst 40,000 3.7 2,949 11  Front End Developer  35,000 4 1,841 12  Commercial Manager 57,000 4 701 13  Business Development Manager  37,060 3.7 3,915 14  Project Manager 39,000 3.6 7,320 15  HR Manager 49,000 4.1 664 16  Contract Manager  40,000 3.7 1,687 17  Communications Manager  43,700 4.1 651 18  Software Engineer  43,000 3.5 4,876 19  Executive Assistant 37,000 4.1 853 20  HR Business Partner 49,000 3.8 753 21  Engagement Manager 48,000 4.3 405  22  Web Developer  31,000 3.9 1,586 23  Recruiter 25,000 4.4 2,862 24  Solutions Architect  70,000 3.4 1,597 25  Software Developer 37,000 3.5 3,088   The Job Score was determined by three factors: earning potential, job satisfaction, and number of job openings. While audit manager takes the top spot, recruitment makes an appearance at number 23, with respondents rating their job satisfaction as 4.5/5. The world is getting older, with the number of people 60 and over expecting to rise to 2 billion by 2050 – approximately 22% of the global population. According to World Health Organisation, as this happens, there will be more investment opportunities for companies which serve this age group, such as home health care – and this means more healthcare jobs. “With such a healthy job market kicking off 2019, we’re seeing many of these Best Jobs open for people to apply to and get hired at employers across all industries and in all areas of the country,” said Stansell.   Reach out to recruitment consultants who can offer you insight into what the current situation and market is like for your profession, where you live. For help finding a job, please call Integra People for a confidential conversation with one of our friendly consultants: 01925 838 600.

63% of recruitment businesses are expecting their business performance to improve over the next 12 months, and 63% report an increase in demand from employers for both permanent and temporary roles, according to the Recruiting Times survey 2018. We are in a candidate driven market, where businesses must work hard to attract the best candidate for the role, and this can be helped by developing a strong business brand. According to Tech Crunch’s 2018 Internet Trends report, job openings are at a 17 year high, and the unemployment rate is at a low of 3.9%. Therefore, competition for talent is fierce. An attractive recruitment brand is one that demonstrates excellent customer service, and simple, streamlined processes. Having an active social media presence is important to be able to promote the company and the roles on offer. LinkedIn and Facebook along with other networks remain key areas of growth, to attract and allow for open conversation with potential candidates and clients. Personalised, catchy adverts and paid advertisements could make a huge difference with potential reach and click through rates. Streamlining the recruitment process means the whole experience with the brand will be much more efficient for the candidates and clients, which could help prevent drop outs mid-way through. Introducing and implementing modern technology could mean that repetitive tasks can be automated, for example by using templates and bulk actions where possible, and collating data in one place. If you are hoping to bring in the New Year with a new job, the outlook has not been as bright as it is currently for over a decade. Employers are in a fruitful position. Integra People are a dedicated recruitment business who can offer expert and confidential help with your recruitment needs. For more information, call 01925 838 600.

Lots of people crave a new direction and to move jobs around New Year. A new year often symbolises to many people a “fresh start” whether that be pushing themselves in the gym or in any goals they might have put on the backburner. The message is out there in every media outlet: this is your chance to achieve more and reach your potential. If you’re reading this and wondering if you should bite the bullet and get a new role, it may mean you do not feel you are hitting your true potential. January is the busiest time of year for those hoping to kickstart their career, and you will find a lot of companies have put money aside for New Year hires. If you are raring to go, positive and excited, the right job could be a few clicks away. Instead of worrying and thinking “I wonder how I could get a job there”, your mindset needs to be “I am going to get a job there!” Here are some helpful tips as you begin your job search: Try to remind yourself of your skills, strengths and past successes, and sit down with a friend so you can talk through those attributes and skills, as sometimes other people see valuable assets in us that we miss. It is helpful to begin thinking about what kind of “transferable skills” you can take from one role to the next. Also ask yourself “What can I bring to this role that others can’t?” Finding out how you are a cut above the rest will help you be able to sell yourself successfully. We are living in a digital world, and it is commonly known that companies will check your social media footprint before considering hiring you. Use the internet to your advantage, and showcase your talents and promote yourself. Hiring personnel could trawl through old social platforms you used years previous, or just the ones in which you are present currently. However thorough, you should make sure that all they find is a fun-loving yet respectful candidate in and outside the workplace. A great tip when job searching is to keep updating your CV, and print it out and take it with you to interviews, to refer your answers back to your experience, skills and key attributes. The CV is the reason you get invited for an interview, so it is vital that everything adds up and you come across the way that you promote yourself on paper. When you look at a new company, figure out who their competitors are, what their mission is, what they excel at and why you want to work for them above all of the rest.

The UK is due to leave the European Union on 29th March 2019, and the two sides are still negotiating the terms of its exit and its future relations in a whole range of issues. You would be forgiven for not being able to keep up. One major factor in the deal is our National Health System – depending on the final Brexit deal, will we have enough staff? According to the Cavendish Coalition/NMC, 1 in 20 of the 1.5m NHS staff are from the EU – 9% of doctors, 5% of nurses and midwives and 16% of dentists. BMA chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul feels that changes from Brexit have the potential to create chaos in the NHS. “Freedom of movement has enabled thousands of EU nationals to work in health and social care organisations across the UK, helping NHS trusts, boards and providers ensure gaps in the medical workforce are filled quickly by qualified workers with the appropriate level of training and education.” There has been a 2,385 drop in EU nurses and midwives in the past year, in the UK, and the group of 36 healthcare charities believes the weaker pound and Brexit could worsen the staffing shortages currently being seen in the health service. It is not clear what a no-deal Brexit could mean, however the Brexit agreement means that those currently working will have the opportunity to obtain “settled status” to allow them to stay. The government also plans to “grow its own” by increasing the numbers of doctors and nurses in training, but this does not mean discriminating between any one region or country, and Mr Javid stressed that a skills based system will be based on merit. The home secretary Sajid Javid said that people immigrating to the UK will have to meet the requirements of a skills based system, pass a ‘British values test’ as well as tougher English language demands. The system, known as tier two visas, allows doctors and senior nurses to be recruited from overseas. Dr Nagpaul added: “Our immigration system needs to work for the health and care sector as a whole, and ensure the NHS can recruit and retain doctors and other NHS workers in sufficient numbers.”

Schools, hospitals and train stations that are prefabbed in factories before being erected could be constructed quicker and with less waste, according to Ministers who wish to encourage Britain’s construction industry to become more efficient. The government have set out £600 billion on infrastructure over the next decade, with the Treasury minister Robert Jenrick stating that new methods of construction need to be embraced. Prefabbing means to pre-build universal components in factories, manufactured using the latest digital technology, before they are sent to construction sites. A single component could be used as part of a school, hospital, prison building or train station, and government proposals for the ‘platform approach’ could mean a school that typically takes a year to build could be completed in four months. This prefabbing proposed could generate less waste and speed up construction time by 90 per cent, officials believe, as they could be built three times quicker using parts shared with hospitals and prisons. Exchequer Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “We are committed to renewing our infrastructure to drive economic growth in all parts of the United Kingdom.” As the pace of technological change accelerates, we are stepping up our commitment to digital infrastructure, use of data to drive greater productivity and embrace new methods of construction. With £600 billion of investment over the next decade, including the largest ever investment in our strategic road network, we are taking the long-term action required to raise productivity and ensure the economy is fit for the future.”

Employment across Wales has risen over the past year, seeing the biggest rise of all the nations and regions of the UK in the last three months. The employment rate in Wales has risen 2.6% compared with the UK average of 0.4%, and there were 60,000 more people in work compared with a year earlier. Economic activity (the number of people who are unavailable for work because they are either sick, caring for someone, studying full time or taking early retirement) has also decreased in three of Wales’s four economic regions. There are 49,000 fewer economically active people in Wales than in the same period last year. The proportion is now 21.9%, which is lower than Scotland, Northern Ireland, Yorkshire and Humber, the north-west of England and the north-east of England. Unemployment in Wales remains at 3.8%, which is lower than the UK average of 4%. The figures show that there were 10,000 fewer unemployed people in Wales compared with March to May, which is the biggest fall of all nations and regions of the UK. Welsh Government economy secretary Ken Skates, said: “These results are broadly encouraging for much of Wales, particularly Mid and North Wales, and demonstrate that our approach to supporting businesses in Wales during challenging circumstances is having a positive impact.” First Minister Carwyn Jones, said: “With a Brexit deal still yet to be secured, these are increasingly uncertain times. We will continue to do all we can to strengthen Wales’ economy in innovative and effective ways so we are in the strongest possible position to face the challenges ahead.” He added that the figures were a testament to the Welsh Government’s work to support businesses and make it easier for people to access jobs. If you are looking for a job in Wales, please get in touch with Integra People at our Bangor office: 01248 668 700.