Bercow isn’t the only bully: how to deal with bullying at work

March saw John Bercow, former Speaker of the Commons, deemed a workplace bully in a scathing report from an independent parliamentary appeals panel. There have been tales of him being wracked with fury, blocking people’s exits, shouting aggressively and being “repeatedly dishonest”. If you’ve recently watched Adam Kay’s medical TV dramatization This is Going to […]

Jobs Outlook Report – February 2022

F1rst Commercial Recruitment report on jobs

It’s been a somewhat mixed and turbulent start to 2022 for the UK economy, and of course that feeds through to the jobs market. While Omicron seems to have been navigated remarkably well, and recovery continues apace, we can’t escape rising inflation. We also need to have an eye open for how the war in […]

Hybrid working is here to stay

We often think of employers and employees as being on different sides of tug o’war. In the area of hybrid working, since lockdowns have ended, there’s been renewed jostling. On one hand employees want to keep the flexibility of the hybrid model and on the other, employers are encouraging employees back into the workplace. Indeed, […]

Jobs Outlook Report – January 2022

F1rst Commercial Recruitment report on jobs

As we reach the midway mark of the first quarter of the year, it’s an interesting and varied picture for the recruitment market. In many ways it’s ‘more of the same’ following the job market characteristics of the last few months, and in addition, we need to have an eye ahead on rising inflation and […]

Jobs Outlook Report – December 2021

F1rst Commercial Recruitment report on jobs

2022 is launching itself from the starting blocks with intensity when we look at the most recent recruitment data available up until the end of last year. Indeed, unemployment continued on its downward trend, with the ONS reporting that there were 257, 000 more employees on payrolls in November 2021 than just the month before. […]

Jobs Outlook Report – November 2021

F1rst Commercial Recruitment report on jobs

It’s been another month where we continue to see robust recovery in the world of work. Whilst Omicron and associated concerns around that may add to uncertainty over the next few months, at the moment we are proving a resilience that’s enabling a very tight and strong labour market. There’s a LOT of hiring going […]

If you want a career change, now is the time

Take you career in a new direction. F1rst can help

The pandemic, with all its challenges to each of us on a personal level, has definitely been a time for personal reflection. Working intensely from within the walls of your own home, or not being able to do that, has made people really consider the nitty-gritty of their work: do they like it, how important […]

Jobs Outlook Report – October 2021

F1rst Commercial Recruitment report on jobs

The latest REC Report on Jobs kicks off with Kate Shoesmith, Deputy CEO, stating that “we are moving into a new phase of the recovery, as the initial bounceback in demand starts to ease.” What we are seeing is the resilience of the labour market as the furlough scheme ended, and recovery continuing apace, but […]

Jobs Outlook Report – April 2021

F1rst Commercial Recruitment report on jobs

The recruitment figures, across the nation, are spectacular for April 2021, giving us all room to feel confident that recovery in the jobs market is most definitely underway. Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the REC, paints the picture for us in the latest Report on Jobs: “The jobs market is improving at one of the […]