Labour Shortages At Record Levels
Back in January, we reported that the number of job vacancies in the economy had reached a record 1,247,000, up from 1,172,000 in November 2021. Now, the latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for February 2022, show that the position regarding labour shortages has continued to worsen, with the number of job vacancies having increased again to a new record of 1,298,400.
Despite the rise, the rate of growth in the number of job vacancies is slowing, indicating that the problems relating to labour shortages may be about to peak. The quarterly growth rate in the number of job vacancies fell from 24.7% to 9.6%
The ratio of vacancies per 100 employee has increased to a record figure of 4.3, up from 4.1 the previous month
The sector of the economy which sustained the largest increase in labour shortages during the last quarter was the accommodation and food service activities sector, where the number of job vacancies has increased to 178,300. The wholesale and retail trade sector and the repairs of motor vehicles and motorcycles, also witnessed a considerable deterioration as regards labour shortages.
Younger Workers More Like To Engage In Presenteeism
New research from BetterUp Labs highlights that presenteeism remains an enormous problem, with 71% of workers admitting that at some point over the last 3 months they have continued to work without taking time off, despite suffering from mental health issues. 59% also stated that they had continued to work to avoid time off, despite suffering from a physical ailment.
The research also shows that younger workers are more likely to engage in presenteeism, when it comes to mental health problems, compared to older workers.
Commenting upon the findings, the Manager of Behavioral Science and Lead Researcher at BetterUp Labs, Erin Eatough, stated: "The fact that the majority (71%) of respondents have pushed through psychological struggle shows there’s still a long way to go to dispel the stigma attached to mental health conversations. And it’s unfortunate that more than half of people who took time off for mental health reasons felt the need to use a different excuse. Mental health is health, and this ‘covering’ behaviour demonstrates that there’s work to be done to normalize both reactive and preventative mental health self-care."
Eatough added: "Employers need to build a compassionate, inclusive environment where people feel they can take the time they need and be up-front and open with management about needing work flexibility, needing to take a break, or a mental health day. This could be done through virtual mentoring sessions and personalised wellbeing plans, which protect their staff from external pressures and give them the tools they need to flourish."
Recent research conducted by Ipsos showed that 60% of people now support the introduction of a statutory right to disconnect, with 67% stating that they currently engage in work-related communications out of hours.
The Chief Executive UK and Ireland at Ipsos, Kelly Beaver, stated in relation to the findings that: "The pandemic has had a huge impact on our working patterns, providing businesses and employees an opportunity to re-evaluate the way we work. For many, this has resulted in increased flexibility, but there is also the blurring of lines between work and homelife."
Beaver adds: "There is clearly support for legislation that protects the work / life balance, but will something as prescriptive as legislation actually impinge on the flexibility many have embraced over the last two years? Businesses should work with their employees to provide an environment that offers flexibility and a healthy work / life balance, so that we can all benefit from this new way of working."
