Expansion is the new buzzword for UK businesses

Jo Faragher

Not content with a return to form in the UK, there was news this week that one in six employers plans to expand into the EU in the next two years.

According to the latest JobsOutlook survey from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, almost a third of UK-based organisations could be working internationally by this time in 2016.

The REC’s survey also hinted at the fact that many employers are already active overseas and many have expansion plans beyond the European Union, suggesting that confidence in the future is not limited to British shores.

It was equally interesting, then, that another survey this week showed how candidates also have international horizons in their sights. Australia was the top destination graduates wanted to work, five places ahead of the UK, according to the Graduate Employment Around the World study, from Marbella International University Centre.

The study ranked countries on eight criteria, relating to employment and quality of life, the level of wages and working hours.

With many recruitment experts suggesting that skilled candidates are becoming harder to source, employers seeking expansion might do well to look at the factors influencing jobseekers in the countries in which they plan to settle.

Could the quality of life factors in the top ranking countries influence a particular brand of candidate, for example? Or is there any way UK operations can mirror these desirable factors in domestic markets?

We mustn’t forget, of course, that immigration figures still make headlines for all the wrong reasons, with the government claiming it won’t hit its net migration targets by the next general election.

But the fact both employers and potential recruits are setting their sights overseas reflects a renewed confidence in the employment market. Workers who may have been reluctant to move two or three years ago are now considering it, while employers are re-assessing budgets and moving into new markets.

Providing these employers don’t overstretch themselves, this could be a passport to success for recruiters and candidates alike.