Clearview Midlands July 2014 - Issue 152 | Page 110
BUSINESSNEWS
Skills Gap Is Hampering UK
Businesses’ Recruitment Efforts
The majority of UK businesses are planning a hiring spree over the next 12 months
as their growth prospects improve, but nearly two-thirds (64%) are concerned that
they won’t be able to find the people with the skills needed to fill these positions.
A global PwC survey of over 1,300 CEOs
in 68 countries reveals that a quarter of
UK business leaders plan to increase their
headcount by up to 5% in the next 12
months, with a further 20% planning
increases of up to 8% and a further one in
five planning increases of over 8%.
‘New skills do not always
equal new people’
But despite the positive outlook for
UK jobs, PwC’s research reveals that UK
business leaders are more concerned about
the availability of key skills than any of their
Western European counterparts, rating it as
the biggest business threat to their growth
plans. Technology and engineering firms
report the most chronic shortage of skilled
employees.
With the demand for certain skills, such as
technology and data analytics, in high demand
but short supply, UK businesses are widening
their reach to find the talent they need.
However, rising labour costs in high growth
markets and signs of skilled young workers in
China and India starting to favour domestic
employers is leading organisations to look to
Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines for
new talent.
Jon Andrews, HR consulting leader at PwC,
said:
“Despite rising business confidence equating
to more jobs, organisations are struggling to
find the right people to fill these positions.
Business leaders are looking for people with a
far wider range of skills than ever before. Gone
are the days of life-time careers; chameleonlike employees who apply their skills,
whenever and wherever they’re needed, are
now in high demand.
‘far wider range of skills’
“Businesses need to get out of the mindset
that new skills always equals new people. The
most successful organisations will combine
recruitment with internal mobility and the
development of their own people to be more
adaptable to its evolving strategy and business
environment.”
www.pwc.co.uk
IRONMONGERYDIRECT NAMED BEST
BRAND WITH OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER
SERVICE AT DIRECT COMMERCE AWARDS
IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s biggest online
and mail order supplier of ironmongery
products to the trade, is celebrating after
scooping two awards at the ECMOD Direct
Commerce Awards.
The prestigious awards for multi-channel
retailers and direct b2b marketers recognised
IronmongeryDirect in the ‘best brand’ and
‘outstanding customer service’ categories.
IronmongeryDirect was awarded the ‘best
brand’ accolade after the company highlighted
how it had grown its turnover by over 300%
in the past five years, despite the economic
problems that the construction industry has been
facing.
The direct commerce company was also
recognised for how it had successfully grown the
IronmongeryDirect brand over 40 years, from
a traditional hardware shop in Leigh-on-Sea in
Essex to a business that now has a range of over
14,500 ironmongery products in stock.
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JUL 2014
IronmongeryDirect beat off stiff competition
for the customer service award, thanks to its
policy to ‘treat every customer like our mum’.
The company’s strong policy means that they
hold weekly reviews of all customer metrics,
feedback and complaints to identify any areas for
improvement.
Following feedback from customers,
IronmongeryDirect has also recently enhanced
its delivery service to include text and email
notifications, specific delivery spots and tracking
orders. Orders can be placed quickly and easily
via the IronmongeryDirect website or by calling
the customer contact centre, which is now open
from 7am to 8pm, seven days a week.
Wayne Lysaght-Mason, managing director at
IronmongeryDirect, said: “We’re really pleased
to be recognised for best brand and outstanding
customer service.
“We are seeing a noticeable difference following
the recent improvements to our delivery service.
It’s essential that the delivery of ironmongery
products is on time for tradespeople as any delay
can mean that they lose money. The ECMOD
Direct Commerce Awards were a great platform
to showcase our skills and we’re proud about how
far we’ve come in 40 years.”
http://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/
To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com