
The Barclays Employers Survey 2015 has found that 61 per cent of UK manufacturing firms were planning to increase salaries this year, up from 56 per cent last year.
It comes against a backdrop of falling unemployment and wage growth outstripping inflation in recent months. Over half, 52 per cent, said they were expecting to boost employee numbers, up from 48 per cent last year with a particular demand for senior management, junior management and skilled labour talent. Just under a third, 32 per cent, said they had taken on apprentices over the past year with 36 per cent looking to take on more in 2015, up from 34 per cent in 2014. Four in ten of these apprentices are in engineering roles. However the expansion comes despite only 41 per cent of manufacturers feeling more confident about the UK economy than they did 12 months ago. This compared to 59 per cent last year. Mike Rigby, head of manufacturing at Barclays, said: ?As confidence returns to the sector, it is encouraging to see businesses looking to recruit across a range of roles. That said, access to labour is clearly a growing issue for many. As order books grow and production capacity increases, it is imperative that businesses have the right people in the right jobs, be it via new recruitment or up-skilling existing staff, to ensure they are well-positioned for future growth opportunities.? Read more about recent jobs news:- Waitrose to create 2,000 British jobs across the UK in 2015
- Taxi app Uber declares it can create 50,000 jobs across Europe
- 2015 to mark large growth in graduate jobs at UK’s top 100 employers
Share this story