Increasing salaries would attract the right candidates, says recruitment agency

Employers should consider offering a higher salary in order to attract the right candidates for jobs, according to recruitment agency Select Appointments.

The advice comes after recent research from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) found that over 40 per cent of employers have had to increase salaries to attract suitable candidates for jobs.

Concern

The research showed that a shortage of skills is a top concern for employers, with half of respondents saying that they expect there to be a shortage of candidates to fill permanent job roles over the next few months.

Employers are now looking for ways in which they can fill their job vacancies, with a quarter saying that they are prepared to lower the requirements for a role in order to find candidates to fill it.

The REC also found that employers are planning to boost their headcount, with 22 per cent looking to increase their permanent headcount in the short and medium term, 19 per cent planning to boost temporary agency staff in the medium term and 12 per cent in the short term.

Demand

Commenting on the REC’s research, Select Appointments Managing Director Suzie McCafferty said: “As we see from the latest survey by REC candidates are still in very high demand, and if employers want the right people they are going to have to pay for them.”

She added: “We expect this to be a continuing trend for the foreseeable future, as many companies are working flat out with no spare capacity, so candidates are in a very favourable position currently.”