The REC have continued their discussions about the impact of the Agency Workers Regulations with talks in Wales and Northern Ireland. The forums in Cardiff and Belfast provided an update on how the AWR has impacted the recruitment industries in the particular regions, as well as the resulting issues.
The Chair of the REC Wales group, Philippa George, said that they have found the impact has varied from sector to sector, but that the general mood was a lot more upbeat than they had expected. She said that the demand for temporary staff has remained strong at that “One of the upsides of the whole AWR saga is that agencies have been able to forge stronger relationships with key accounts and demonstrate their awareness and ability to make things work on the ground.”
She continued; “The industry has weathered many ‘end of the world’ scenarios over the last twenty years or so. This week’s feedback from recruiters indicates that we can meet this latest regulatory challenge. It is still very early days, but signs are that the agency market in Wales can continue to thrive post-AWR.”
REC Director of Policy & Professional Services Tom Hadley also commented following a discussion in Northern Ireland, where the AWR only came into play on December 5th. He said that employers everywhere are approaching the regulations in different ways, and so the REC are looking to encourage a collaborative approach.
“One interesting theme was the increasing need for speed in the recruitment process. Employers are looking for agencies to supply suitably skilled staff at extremely short notice to fill shifts and meet spikes in demand. This acceleration in resourcing patterns makes flexible staffing arrangements more important than ever and is a positive sign that the agency market will continue to thrive post-AWR.”
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