Contract and temporary staff hires have increased significantly in 2024 compared to the end of last year, according to data from hiring platform Totaljobs. Their latest report focuses on the impact of skills shortages and what businesses are doing to address them.
More than 1,000 HR decision-makers took part in the research, finding that recruitment is on the up with 84% of businesses recruiting in Q1 2024. Importantly, there was an increase in hiring temporary staff, freelancers or contractors (27%) in the past 3 months than in Q4 of last year (16%).
Industries that were most likely to have increased recruitment in the first quarter of 2024 were; IT & Telecoms (50%), Medical and Health Services (45%), Finance and Accounting (41%) and Hospitality & Leisure (40%) as labour and skills shortages in these industries continue to impact businesses.
The roles that businesses were seeking to fill in Q1 2024 were: Technology/IT (35%), Operations (33%) Customer Service (32%) and HR (28%).
Survey respondents noted that skills shortages continue to be a challenge, particularly in the following industries: Legal (40%), IT and Telecoms (38%), Medical and Healthcare (35%), Education 28%, and Transport (27%).
Overall the outlook for the jobs market is looking positive with 74% of employers feeling confident about finding the people they need in Q2. While recession news at the end of last year prompted some hiring hesitancy, the demand for workers is expected to increase as the economy recovers once more.
