The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has published the latest labour market overview for May 2022, in which data shows that for the first time since records began, that the number of vacancies exceed the number of people unemployed.
Employee retention
For many businesses, recruitment is becoming increasingly difficult and they are turning to innovative ways in which to attract and retain their employees.
One example of this that is in the news, is that easyJet will start to offer cash bonuses as a recruitment and attraction strategy. The budget airline plans to give existing and new staff a £1,000 bonus at the end of the summer holiday season to thank them for their hard work.
In fact, easyJet isn’t the first airline to offer cash incentives to cabin crew to attract staff and boost morale in an increasingly tight labour market. It comes after British Airways also announced it would be giving new staff a £1,000 “golden hello” if they could begin work before July, paying the first half after their first three months and the remainder after six months. Staff shortages have seen both easyJet, and British Airways cancel hundreds of flights in the last couple of months as they struggle to get enough staff to work.
The news came after easyJet confirmed it would be removing the back row seats from its A319 aircraft fleet, cutting the number of passengers from 156 to 150. This will mean the airline can operate flights with one less crew member. According to UK legislation, every flight must have a cabin crew member for every 50 or fraction of 50 passenger seats in the aircraft.
Airline job cuts
During the pandemic, UK airlines were forced to cut thousands of jobs, and many have since struggled to increase staff numbers in time for the summer holiday rush now that travel restrictions have eased. Staff shortages and slow recruitment has hit airports in the UK, Ireland and Europe, with airport bosses blaming a slow vetting process of airside staff for causing a bottleneck in recruitment.
While easyJet has hired 1,700 crew members, getting staff trained and passed through security clearance can take several months. However, from 20 May 2022, the government is expected to allow new crew training to start before background checks have been completed.
Recruitment campaign
EasyJet has also launched a new recruitment campaign that addresses job stereotypes to encourage young people to consider careers in aviation, including inspiring girls to become pilots. The airline’s recruitment film features scenes based on the 1980s film Top Gun, with women and girls cast in the previously male lead roles. With only 6.3% of pilots being women, easyJet hopes its campaign will help address the global gender balance in the aviation industry.
How we can help
If you a struggling to recruit the right people for your business then we are here to help. Our Fixed Fee Recruitment service will manage your hiring process from start to finish and ensure that you only have to deal with the most serious applicants, all for one fixed fee.
Further Information
If you would like support, please contact us or get in touch with us on 0844 324, 5840 and speak to a member of the team.
