Festive fears over lack of temp staff

Nearly three-quarters of recruitment agencies are expecting a shortage of temporary agency workers over the Christmas period, with logistics and care likely to be the sectors that suffer the most.

Despite rising unemployment, recruitment firms are struggling to fill the number of vacancies this year, according to research from de Poel, the recruitment company.

It found that 70 per cent of agencies fear they will face a shortage of temporary workers in most sectors, including retail but especially in the logistics and care sectors. At a time when the Government proposes a cap on migrant workers, agencies forecast that 29 per cent more temporary workers will be used in the run-up to Christmas alone.

As demand for seasonal workers reaches an all-time high over the next two months, 42 per cent of agencies expect a lack of available temporary workers in the logistics sector. In the care sector, this figure is 24 per cent, while it is a less-alarming 8 per cent in the retail sector.