British Talent Attraction Index

FOREWORD
This report from Emsi is a really insightful contribution to understanding what’s going on in
the labour market in Britain. On one level we know that the jobs market is performing incredibly
well and very favourably against international bench marks. We have record employment,
with more than 32.7 million people employed in the period November 2018 – January 2019.
Unemployment at its lowest since 1975, with the percentage of those out of work dipping below
4% for the first time in 44 years – well below the EU average of 6.5%. And more vacancies than
at any time in 20 years. 1
However, these conditions are creating a very tight labour
market with some claiming we are at full employment. What
is certain, is that employers are struggling to fill the roles they
currently have available, with shortages in labour, skill and
talent all at play at the same time.
This means that businesses are having to enhance their
employee proposition, increase pay and invest in training their
staff to cope with this challenging situation. And with the
reduction in immigration over the next few years as a result of
Brexit, it is a situation that is likely to become even more acute.
The overriding value of this report is that it uniquely looks at
what’s happening in local labour markets. For the first time,
employers, recruiters and policy makers can see where jobs
growth is occurring and in what sectors. This will enable those
responsible for employment and job creation to think about
where they can find the skills for the roles they have available.
It will also allow those setting up new enterprises or seeking
new locations for their business to think about the sorts of
things that are crucial in deciding where they should establish
themselves to take advantage of local labour supply.
This report is timely, important and very much required. It also
demonstrates Emsi’s capabilities as as a leading provider of
Labour Market Insight.
I hope you enjoy reading it and using the content.
Kevin Green
Founder and CEO
What’s Next Consultancy
(Ex CEO of Recruitment and Employment Confederation)
1
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/
employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/march2019
BRITISH TALENT ATTRACTION INDEX 3