And that’s because of a lack of available workforce, according to jobs entrepreneur Matthew Sanders (pictured).
Sanders, who came up with the recently launched mobile jobs app Zoek, reckons that as the requirement for employees to work more unsociable hours increases, London’s services and employers are increasingly reliant on the ‘just-in-time’ placement of workers to keep the capital functioning 24/7.
Zoek research found 10-15% of all temporary recruitment placements are unplanned, arising in the same week that a candidate is needed to start work, often due to absence or increased demand of labour. 56% of these vacancies had opened and needed a candidate to start in the same day.
“For the key sectors that keep London moving and thriving like logistics, transport, retail and manufacturing, organisations will then only have hours to recruit an appropriately experienced person before a shift begins,” Sanders says.
“Finding this ‘just in time talent’ is becoming increasingly difficult as working patterns move towards 24/7 and unsociable shifts, creating a real risk for the capital.”
“To address this issue, businesses need to better target the underemployed workforce of London – those who want or need more work, this Group rose to represent 10% of the workforce in 2013. This equates to around 400,000 workers still looking for an average of 11 additional paid hours per week.”
Sanders added: “A key element in ensuring a full complement of staff for any business is knowledge of real-time worker availability 24/7 and in turn ensuring these candidates are aware of the available jobs – whether that’s 5am on a Sunday morning or 9pm on a Friday evening. The ability to target these individuals hinges on access to people on the go.”
Needless to say, he believes a mobile app like Zoek, “driven by instant matching of skills, credentials and availability through push notification” can address all of these needs, connecting employers or recruitment agencies with the right candidates in a faster, smarter way.
