Contractor billings still up on December

The number of contractor billings placed dipped slightly over the past month, for the second month in a row.

This is according to the latest Report on Jobs from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG. However, the report also noted that the latest figures are still an improvement on those recorded in December.

Kevin Green, chief executive of the REC, noted: "This confirms that there is still little evidence that the Agency Workers Regulations have had a significant impact on hiring and employers are still making considerable use of flexible working arrangements."

He added that the job market is now facing the challenge of dealing with the disconnect between the skills on offer form jobseekers and what is needed by employers. "Better careers guidance is part of the solution, as is increased use of apprenticeships to get young people into employment with vocational skills development," he observed.

Construction skills could be some of the most in demand as these were the most sought-after workers during the survey period.

While contractor jobs showed a slight dip, permanent placements were found to have risen in January for the first time in four months.