One in five employers plan to increase their use of temporary staff between now and the end of the year despite the impending introduction of the Agency Workers Regulations, according to a new report from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.
The Confederation said a survey of 600 firms also showed that just under two thirds planned to keep their agency workforce at the same level The findings, which showed that most employers planned to maintain or increase temporary staff over the next year, come ahead of new regulations giving extra rights to agency workers.
On 1 October, the Agency Workers Regulations comes into force, giving temporary workers the right to the same basic employment conditions as direct recruits after 12 weeks in the role.
Roger Tweedy, the confederation’s director of research, said: "The September figures show a complex picture emerging among employers and their hiring intentions. This month has seen a marked dip in both business and consumer confidence, and has put the brakes on the jobs market.
"Yet despite the imminent introduction of the Agency Workers Regulations, employers are still looking to build flexibility into their workforces while an overall air of uncertainty prevails in the jobs market. With economic predictions remaining downbeat, many employers are deferring any commitment to determining the future shape of their permanent workforces until a clearer picture emerges."
The outlook for permanent staff in the REC report was more downbeat with a fall from 67% in August to 53% in September.
