Bournemouth based independent recruitment consultants, Jobshop UK, has expressed concerns that some Dorset employers are potentially missing out on attracting the best people for the job due to not offering starting salaries in-line with the increases seen nationwide.

Frances Miles, director at Jobshop UK, said: “A new report by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has shown that both permanent and temporary placements have grown at the fastest rate for over two years, with a shortage of suitable job candidates leading to a rise in starting salaries across the U.K.  At Jobshop, we have seen a 50% rise in the number of permanent vacancies in the last 6 months.  However, the problem we are experiencing is that some companies aren’t in touch with growing market pay rates, nor appreciate how competitive the candidate market is and that the candidate shortage is worsening, and unless they offer competitive salaries to attract talent, they will lose out to those companies who do.

“Historically, this area has always offered lower salaries as people choose to work away from London for a better work/life balance, and this hasn’t changed much in the last 15 years.

Couple that with the fact Dorset has the lowest unemployment rate, and you have a situation where employers really need to offer competitive salary packages to attract the best candidates. It’s not just about financial reward; it’s the benefits, incentives and company culture that a company offers that are essential to attracting and retaining that talent.”

In order to advise its clients and give them the competitive edge essential in attracting and recruiting successful employees, Jobshop UK has recently invested in new software which enables its consultants to offer a thorough salary and benefits comparison report for anywhere in the UK for any job role.

Frances Miles continues: “Being able to compare, evaluate and set budgets for the coming year is essential for our clients.  By using information from Croner, we are able to offer our clients up to date, unbiased data on salaries and benefits across thousands of roles in all industries and sectors nationwide.”