31% of employers expect the economy to worsen in the coming months as business confidence fell in July 2017, according to a study.
601 employers were polled by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), who also found 28% still expect the economy to improve.
40% need to take on more permanent staff to meet additional demand, while 19% said they were planning to hire new workers in the next 3 months.
Confidence in hiring and investment decisions remained at 10%, its lowest for the past 12 months.
The biggest concern among employers was the lack of skilled candidates available, particularly in the construction industry.
Kevin Green, chief executive of the REC, said:
“Businesses are continuing to hire to meet demand, but issues like access to labour, Brexit negotiations and political uncertainty are creating nervousness.
“The government must do more to create an environment where businesses have clarity.
“That means clearly laying out what Brexit plans look like and how employers can keep recruiting the people they need from the EU.”
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