Kent & Medway Employment Outlook 2021

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HR GO Recruitment have been working in partnership with Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce to understand the impact that COVID-19 has had on the employment landscape. To identify the effect, we surveyed over 100 Kent & Medway businesses to see how the pandemic has impacted their operations over the past 12 months. Questions on the survey included what they predict will happen to their recruitment in the next 12 months and the challenges they face post-COVID.

Kent & Medway Employment Outlook Survey results

Summarising the key findings, the results from the survey show that over the past 12 months the employment market has seen significant changes. Businesses have had to make cuts and redundancies to continue operating. In addition, 54% of businesses were reliant on the furlough scheme to protect jobs. However, looking ahead, employers seem confident that they will be increasing their workforce over the next year. And 60% of employers expect to recruit more permanent staff.

Despite optimism in employment growth, employers are having difficulties in recruiting staff who have the appropriate skills to fill vacancies. This has resulted in many employers using a wider variety of channels to promote vacant job roles than in the past. Businesses are also reviewing their salary and benefit perks in an effort to attract more applicants.

Some survey results show potentially permanent changes

Not only has COVID-19 resulted in businesses having to adapt their operations over the past 18 months, but some changes look set to stay. One big change identified was that nearly half of respondents plan to adopt a hybrid working model in future.

See the full results from the Kent & Medway Employment Outlook 2021 survey.