CIPD report employers seeking to ease recruitment crisis

Despite the downturn in the economy, organisations still report recruitment difficulties over the past year, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

As a result, UK organisations have made widespread changes to their recruitment practices. These include offering more flexible working hours to tap into a wider pool of candidates. These full findings from the Recruitment and Retention Survey will be presented at the forthcoming Annual Recruitment Conference run by the (CIPD) in May.

Speakers at the event to be held on May 21 in the Novotel London will include James Reed, Chief Executive, Reed Executive plc, who will look at how the current state of the economy is impacting on recruitment strategy and practice. While the latest legislative changes - including the new code of practice that allows interview candidates to see interview notes - will be highlighted.

Esther O’Halloran, Recruitment and Retention Manager, Pret A Manger and speaker on Recruitment Strategies that Work, will share her experiences of implementing an effective strategy for a sector plagued with constant skills shortages and high turnover. She says, “Pret were recently voted best company to work for because of our innovative HR practices that work. At Pret, we use the whole benefits package as a lever to attract and retain employees.”

The acute shortage of key skilled workers is also causing major problems for organisations. John Clarke, speaker and Recruitment Advertising Manager, BBC, will share his experiences of the importance of employer brand. He believes that potential employees are increasingly behaving as consumers when it comes to job-hunting. Those who are the most talented can shop around employers for the best package available, including pay, working hours and development opportunities.

Dr Nicole Cunninghan-Snell, Occupational Psychologist, Shell International will also address the growing issue of Assessment Centres as companies are investing more and more to ensure they secure the candidates who hold the right mix of skills and personality to do the job.

Other conference highlights include master class Building the Recruitment-Retention Bridge with speaker Jeff Grout, Business Consultant and former MD of Robert Half International, who will shed light on how to ensure a company's best employees will want to stay, remain motivated and loyal to an organisation.

(SP)