What is meant by full employment?

The mid 20th Century social reformer, William Beveridge, defined full employment as a situation where the number of jobless workers was matched by the number of vacancies. In the UK you count as unemployed if you don't have a job, have been looking for one in the past month and are either ready to work or waiting to start a new role. At the moment in the UK, the number of people considered to be unemployed is 1.36m. At the end of August 2018 there was an all-time high of 833,000 vacancies (a year on year increase of 44,000) advertised as vacant. Although not quite full employment by Williams definition, we're not too far off it.

Do we have full employment in FM?

It is widely understood that 10% of the UK workforce is employed in our industry and that we contribute 8% to GDP (according to BIFM), which isn't insignificant. Therefore we can assume that if the UK has full employment then our sector also does; or there are at least as many vacancies open as suitable people to fill them.

So what does this mean for your FM recruitment strategy?

As an industry we have always offered competitive salaries and benefits and therefore have been able to attract good quality candidates. Now with lower unemployment and the imminence of Brexit, it is going to be even more competitive. It is undeniably a job seekers market, so qualified FM candidates are able to be more selective and find the opportunities they really want. As a result, job turnover is likely to increase if you don't have the correct strategy in place.

FM employers will need more and more innovative strategies to attract and retain the best candidates and to find new ways to appeal to the millennial generation coming into our sector. Millennials have a new outlook on work and are typically looking for career packages that include career mobility, diversity of responsibilities, work/life balance and a culture that values social responsibilities. A strong recruitment strategy that addresses these elements up front will be as important as having competitive salaries to attract and retain the best people.

It is increasingly the softer incentives such as flexi-time, mobile working, training and developing new skills, along with mobility within the organisation to build and learn new skills, that will attract great team members. This is in addition to the age-old incentives like health insurance, good pension schemes and a competitive salary, all which combine to attract new candidates into the industry.

By working with HR and expert FM recruitment teams, you can build a greater understanding of what company culture and packages you need to have in place to ensure that your organisation doesn't have a shortage of good people or a recruitment issue, and continues to attract and retain the best talent. Ensure that you are working with teams who have the deepest expertise and knowledge of your sector and the roles you are seeking. Work with people who are prepared to go the extra mile to get the right fit for you and your business. Be prepared to take advice from the experts about the right packages to offer and the approach needed to get the people you really want.

Sometimes getting the right candidate takes time, so avoid being tempted by recruitment agencies who tell you that they can put a high volume of CV's in front of you tomorrow. Work with those who can put the right number of top quality applicants forward and trust your recruiter to do the groundwork for you. The longer you work with a good recruitment agency, the better they will get to know you and are able to deliver consistently going forward. Of course, there will be times when you do need to fill posts quickly, but it is still better to work with a partner who is going to be honest with you, rather than someone who promises but can't deliver. Candidates also like to work with recruitment companies who understand what they are looking for, communicate well and provide good quality, open and honest feedback.

In times of full employment it is vital to ensure that your business can offer candidates a better package than your competitors, not just the salary but the soft elements; an all-round package that includes the experience of your recruitment company to ensure that the candidates job seeking experience is a professional and positive one from end to end.

Remember – stay calm, work with experts and full employment won't be your problem.

300 NORTH SPECIALISE IN RECRUITING EXPERTS WITHIN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.300NORTHRECRUIT.CO.UK OR CALL 0113 336 5161.

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