Retailers looking to ditch temporary agency working in favour of permanent staff have been advised strongly against such measures by purchaser of agency labour, de Poel.
According to de Poel, those put off by demands for equal pay for agency workers could find themselves in real financial danger if they recruit too many permanent staff too quickly, with slow market growth, risk and uncertainty forecast for the year.
The cost-saving consultancy, which manages the supply of agency staff to Sainsbury’s, the Co-op and Peacocks, believe temporary staff will continue to be “extremely valuable” in helping retailers respond to shifts and dips.
de Poel also suggests temporary recruitment is an effective and inexpensive means of bringing more young people into the industry, with ‘temp to perm’ arrangements offering real opportunities for retailers to source graduates.
Reporting a 16% increase in agency staff usage among their retail clients this year, de Poel is confident that temporary agency working is helping companies to supplement their workforces during bad weather and early growth stages.
Matthew Sanders, chief executive of de Poel, said: “We have no doubt that there are discussions going on within the retail sector at the moment looking at whether or not companies should switch their focus from temporary to permanent employment as a means of improving their recruitment strategies – especially with all the controversy over the AWD.
“And yet, whilst we can see the benefits of more permanent staff in creating a more stable workforce, companies need to remember that we are not out of the woods yet, and temporary agency labour is going to be extremely valuable in helping companies respond to peaks and troughs in the market.”
On 27 Aprill, de Poel will be speaking at the Retail HR Summit for 2010 to discuss these issues in more depth with some of the industry’s biggest players, including Clinton Cards, Marks and Spencer’s, New Look and Thorntons.
It will be hosting its own seminar that same week (26 April) approaching the issues surrounding the Agency Workers Directive.
Source: de Poel
