January 2003
Average time taken to fill vacancies is just over two months
The latest Chartered Institute of Personnel and Developments (CIPD) Labour Turnover survey shows that 69 per cent of respondents experienced difficulties recruiting in the first half of 2002. Organisations took an average of 9.5 weeks to fill a vacancy in the first six months of the year – down from 11.1 weeks in the same period in the previous year.
“Staff turnover due to reorganisation, downsizing, retirement and people quitting their jobs to seek alternatives is a big concern for businesses and can have a detrimental effect on an organisation’s performance,” says Thorpe Molloy Recruitment director, Karen Molloy, who oversees offices in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen. “If employers are to solve what is becoming a major problem for them, they need to find effective ways of minimising the effect that turnover has on productivity and staff morale.
This is the eighth annual survey of labour turnover by the CIPD. The survey questionnaire was sent to 10,000 personnel professionals in the private and public sectors during June 2002. Five hundred and thirty-eight organisations responded, with a combined workforce of 795,239 people.
“One solution to the disruption caused by staff turnover is to speed up the recruitment process. The survey revealed that it took employers an average of 9.5 weeks to fill vacancies in the first half of 2002. This figure increased to more than three months for professional vacancies. At Thorpe Molloy, we have years of experience of matching the exact requirements of the employer with the right employee. Our knowledge and experience of the recruitment process also enables us to fill vacancies quickly, within hours if necessary, thereby minimising distribution and loss of production.”
The 2002 CIPD survey showed an overall labour turnover rate of 18.2%. Sixty six per cent of the respondents reported that labour turnover had a negative effect on the performance of their organisation. Just less than 10% thought that the effect of turnover on performance was positive.
“As well as affecting the performance of an organisation, staff turnover can also have substantial financial implications,” says Karen. “The CIPD survey revealed that the average cost of labour turnover per employee was £3,462, while this figure increased to an average of £5,699 per leaver among managers. On top of this, recruitment can be a lengthy and costly process. It takes time to place an advert, filter through the responses and then conduct several interviews, and still there is no guarantee that the employer is going to find the right applicant.
“At Thorpe Molloy we have established process in place to speed up the recruitment process and ensure that the employer ends up with the right candidate for the job. Our experienced recruitment consultants work closely with both the candidate and employer and specialise in meeting the recruitment needs in both accountancy and non-accountancy sectors.
“Work can build up to unmanageable levels during the three months that it can take to fill a professional vacancy. This can cause unnecessary stress and low morale amongst the workforce who are left to manage that person’s workload on top of their own. Consultants at Thorpe Molloy will place suitable candidates with the key skills required to carry out the role with minimal supervision. Companies can therefore feel confident that vacancies will be filled quickly and cost-effectively and they will be sent a professional candidate who is capable of fulfilling the demands of any role or size of company.” The CIPD survey, which was published in October 2002, was carried out in June 2002 and relates to 2001.
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