December 2015 Exeter Business Survey Results

Thursday, December 17, 2015
Good news on recruiting intentions from the Exeter business community according to the December 2015 business survey published by Exeter Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  We copy their news story below for you.  If you are looking to recruit, the New Year is a great time to do so, and here at www.gradsouthwest.com we can help you find great graduates.

exeter-chamber

Top Exeter Business Survey Findings this quarter:
– Business is preparing for future – 69% of business are looking to take on more employees in 2016
– Recruitment & retention of quality staff is still an increasingly important issue as businesses effected by skills shortages rises back up to 62%

The latest Exeter Business Survey carried out by the Exeter Chamber of Commerce and Industry has indicated that although businesses are planning for the future, there is an increasing concern that businesses are not able to recruit and retain employees with the right set of skills.

The survey has shown that 62% of businesses have reported that the skills shortage has had an effect on their business with 22% reporting this as a bad effect, 14% higher than the last quarter’s survey.

An increased number of businesses also signified that they expect to take on five or more employees in the next year, with 24% reporting this as their intention, up from 14% last quarter and 13% year on year.

Attendees at the Bank of England panel meeting held on Thursday 11th December, at which the survey was presented, gave evidence that while businesses are performing well and investment is seen to be an ongoing operation, there is still an issue of recruiting and retaining staff with the right skills.

Graham Austin, director of Exeter Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said “This quarter’s Exeter Business Survey results show that there is increasing demand for skilled staff as businesses focus on growth. This, coupled with the move towards the Living Wage and auto-enrolment pensions for businesses of all sizes, is likely to add pressure to wage budgets, meaning that careful planning for the next year will be required in order to continue to see business growth.”

The full survey results can be seen here.