Three quarters of respondents said staff have a flexible attitude to changes in the workplace. Worries about new rules for statutory trade union recognition. Half the firms employing more than 500 people thought they might get a claim. Job security remains an issue. Forty-one per cent of respondents said job security decreased over the last year while 16 per cent said it increased.
Skill shortages are still a problem.
Fourteen per cent of firms encountered shortages when recruiting staff. This survey shows how employers and employees are embracing flexibility and that will really deliver results for the economy. But there is no room for complacency because that success could be hampered by the rise in regulations that damage competitiveness. Interestingly, our survey shows that big firms are more concerned than small firms, perhaps because they can be better informed about the changes. Consequently, the UK labour market is at something of a crossroads.