Business News


Brexit is affecting the supply of staff


Brexit uncertainty is to blame for a steep decline in the supply of permanent staff in the Midlands, according to a report from KPMG and REC. The report found a sharp


deterioration in permanent staff availability reported by recruitment agencies across the region. The sharp decrease was


accompanied by the slowest rise in permanent job placements in the region during December. The increase was the weakest in


29 months and also the slowest in England. Kate Holt, consulting partner at


KPMG in the Midlands, said: “With the number of available vacancies rising at a slower pace than all other English regions, it’s evident that the job market in the Midlands is facing some pressures. “December is typically a bit of a


quieter period in the jobs market but Brexit has amplified that effect. The uncertainty this brings means that not many will want to move jobs. “Consequently, employers need


to offer increasingly attractive and creative packages to bring new employees on board.”


Consumer concerns: Andrew Westbrook


Consumers plan to rein in spending, survey says


Consumers plan to curb their spending on a range of products and activities this year, according to a new survey. Audit, tax and consulting firm RSM asked more than


2,000 consumers – including nearly 200 from the West Midlands - whether they would spend more, the same or less on 17 specific products and activities including buying clothes, going out for meals, or taking a weekend break. Consumers said they were most likely to cut spending


on takeaways by 27.6 per cent, technology by 26.8 per cent and meals out by 26.7 per cent. Just over a quarter said they would cut down on


buying clothes. When it came to where consumers thought they


would put their money next year, the top three were saving (20.7 per cent), holidays (17.2 per cent) and weekends away (12.5 per cent). And 45 per cent of consumers said that living costs


would likely have a high impact on their disposable income. Andrew Westbrook, partner and head of retail at RSM,


said: “The travel sector may well be encouraged by these findings that a relatively high proportion of consumers intend to spend more on holidays and weekends away. However, these figures also suggest there could be tough times ahead for the restaurant and takeaway sector with over a quarter of consumers indicating that they would tighten the purse strings when it came to eating out.”


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30 CHAMBERLINK February 2019


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