Connecting Africa’s Skilled Professionals
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A round-up of recent news from the UK and overseas, including:
UK Targeting Graduates from South Africa's Financial Sector
Figures recently released show that South Africa has become the hunting ground for UK-based financial services companies and their recruiters. UK salaries are significantly higher than salaries for the same position in South Africa.
News from the UK and around the world
Report says Migrants are a Boon to UK Economy
Migrants are more skilled and often more reliable and hardworking than British workers and are fuelling the country’s economic growth to the tune of £6bn a year, according to the first official study of their impact. The report for the Migration Impact Forum also concludes that on average migrants earn more and therefore pay more tax. The study, which was conducted jointly by the Treasury, Home Office, the Office for National Statistics and the Department of Work and Pensions, says that the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Poles and other eastern European nationals has had “no discernible” impact on unemployment and has led only to a “modest dampening” of wage growth for workers at the bottom end of the earnings league. It says that in the twelve months up to June 2006, 574,000 migrants came to live in Britain and in the same period 385,000 left, giving a net inflow of 189,000 - 28 per cent down on the inflow in the previous year of 262,000. Separate regional reports show that in seven of the eight regions in England migration has caused pressure on housing and in five of the eight regions there were difficulties over crime and education. Source: The Guardian
Record Numbers Enrol for UK University Courses
A record number of students have enrolled at universities this autumn, which ministers see as evidence that the introduction of top-up fees is no longer seen as a deterrent. The University and College Admission Service (UCAS) says that a total of 411,971 applications have been accepted - a rise of 5.8 per cent on last year and higher than the previous record year in 2005. A breakdown of the figures also shows an increase in applications and acceptances for maths, physics, chemistry and modern foreign language courses. In chemistry, in particular, there has been a 28 per cent increase in student numbers over the past three years. Source: The Independent.
Female Resignation Rates Hit a New High
Resignation rates among women, from employees at trainee level to chief executives hit a new high in 2007, according to a research by the Chartered Management Institute and Remuneration Economics. According to the report, based on a national survey of 42,205 individuals, despite the fact the women are achieving promotion at a quicker rate than men and are more likely to receive a bonus than men, female pay rates have also stalled for the first time in more than 10 years. More women are likely to quit their jobs, the survey said, with resignation rates for women at 7.8% while the rates for men are 6.4%. Fewer women (2.6%) than men (3.7%) are inclined to ask for internal transfers if they are dissatisfied with their jobs. The survey suggests that the promotion is not being matched by parity in pay and gender bias is worsening rather than improving. The findings come alongside evidence that the proportion of women as part of the UK workforce continues to grow – the 2007 survey showed 35.7% of managers and directors are female compared to 31% in 2006. www.managers.org.uk/researchreports
Career Change High on Agenda for UK Workers
A recent poll of UK workers showed that over 58% of the UK workforce is considering a complete career change. Only 5% claim to love the career they're currently in. 58% of respondents plan a career change soon while 10% plan for one in a few years. 20% suggested that they would like a career change but would not risk a drop in income. Only 5% of respondents said they love the career they are in.
UK Universities Score Highly in Global League Table
Four UK universities feature in the top ten in the table of the World’s best universities compiled by the Times Higher Education Supplement. The table is topped by Harvard, with Oxford, Cambridge and Yale as joint second. Imperial College London is fifth and University College London jumps from 25th to 9th. The others in the top ten are Princeton (6), California Institute of Technology and University of Chicago (7=) and MIT (10). Other notable UK entries are Edinburgh, who rise from 33 to 23, King’s College London, 46 to 24 and Bristol from 64 to 37. The London School of Economics fell from 17 to 59. The FT says that the news may make it difficult for Gordon Brown to tinker with England’s research regime. England’s best universities did well in two of the six categories used to reach a mark for the rankings: opinion among national and international employers and the number of citations per academic.
London firms increasingly looking overseas for Staff
The CBI’s latest London Business Survey, conducted jointly with KPMG, shows that businesses in London struggling to meet their skills needs are increasingly looking overseas for both graduates and lower-skilled staff. Two out of three of the 116 firms surveyed (65%) expect to be troubled by skills shortages over the next six months and the majority (58%) are already recruiting overseas to fill the gaps. According to the CBI, shortages are being felt across many disciplines and at all levels and London businesses with a shortage of UK applicants often have no choice but to recruit foreign workers for lower-skilled positions in areas such as catering and transport. When it comes to graduates there is far more choice, says the report, but many employers are choosing foreign graduates over British applicants because they are of higher quality and are more employable.
Migrants in EU sent home €20 billion in 2006
Migrants in the 27 European Union member states sent home €26 billion in 2006, compared with €23 billion in 2005, a new study reveals. Most of the money was sent to extra-EU countries with a small part being sent to intra-EU countries. According to the survey carried out by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in 2006, intra-EU27 flows accounted for €7 billion or one quarter of the total, and extra- EU27 flows for €19 billion or three quarters, the same proportions as in 2005. Spain, UK, Italy, Germany and France are the main remitting Member States. These five Member States account for more than 85% of total EU27 remittances. The data show that, in 2006, the EU27 as a whole remitted more than double the amount it received from third countries (€19 billion sent compared to €9 billion received). The data provided by the Member States take account of flows officially recorded within the framework of balance of payments statistics. Money sent through informal or illegal channels are not usually recorded and therefore not part of the statistics resulting from this survey.
One Third of People Never Thanked by the Boss
Almost one in three workers is never thanked for their efforts despite the positive effect it would have on their productivity, according to a new report. Fewer employees are being thanked by their boss compared with 2 years ago, according to a survey of 1,000 staff by business motivational experts, Maritz. Most of those given a pat on the back by a manager said it improved their outlook on the job and made them work more. But one in four questioned said feeling undervalued was one key reason for leaving their previous job.
UK Targeting Graduates from South Africa’s Financial Sector
Figures recently released by Stats SA show that there are still far too few people graduating with tertiary qualifications to adequately address the scarce skills gap in South Africa. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the UK is facing a similar skills shortage, particularly in the financial services sector. The ratio of applicants to vacancies in this sector has fallen dramatically over the past two years in the UK. With South Africans enjoying an international reputation of having a strong work ethic, South Africa has become the hunting ground for UK-based financial services companies and their recruiters. UK salaries are significantly higher than salaries for the same position in South Africa. A recently qualified accountant can earn almost double what he or she may initially earn in South Africa. International skills poaching is not only affecting overall skills levels in South Africa, but may be compromising certain sectors’ efforts to achieve employment equity.
FTSE women rising up the ranks
The PwC, Sainsbury’s, HSBC and National Grid sponsored 2007 Female FTSE Report by Cranfield University has shown that the number of women directors on UK corporate boards has increased. The Report highlighted that significant changes have occurred in a relatively short period of time. Sainsbury's was the highest ranking with 3 of their 10 board members being female. Only 34 FTSE companies still have no women on their boards. Accenture was recently awarded a Working Mother award for not only offering essential benefits like flexitime and telecommuting but for going beyond best practice to innovatively support working parents and their families.
Call for Applications: Women's Leadership Scholarship
A funding opportunity for women pursuing non-doctoral level graduate education. The Women's Leadership Scholarship (WLS) program creates educational opportunities for women who are grassroots leaders, organizers and activists from the Global South and/or from indigenous groups. WLS invests in women's leadership by supporting non-doctoral graduate education in human rights, sustainable development, and public health. Pre-applications for the 2008-09 academic year will be available on the WLS website beginning January 1, 2008. For more information please visit www.nativeleaders.org (in English, Spanish and French). Attached is a more complete description of the Scholarship guidelines and eligibility requirements. For more information please contact WLS directly: Laura Mapp, Program Manager Women's Leadership Scholarship Channel Foundation 603 Stewart St., Suite 415 Seattle, WA 98101 USA tel: (00)1-206-621-5447 fax: (00)1-206-621-2664 Email: info@nativeleaders.org
Publishing industry Failing in Recruiting Black Staff
UK publishers are failing to recruit enough black or minority ethnic (BME) workers to fully reflect the areas they operate in, a report has found. The Diversity in Publishing Report reveals that a lack of cultural diversity still exists within the publishing industry. While the majority of UK publishing houses are based in London, the ethnic origin of workers in publishing does not reflect the cultural balance of the capital's population. The survey, commissioned by the Diversity in Publishing Network, found that while 28.8% of Londoners are BME, only 7.7% of those working in publishing have a BME background. Crucially, only 4% of editorial staff are from a BME background and without a culturally diverse set of staff sourcing and mentoring new writers, non-white voices will struggle to be heard, the report concludes. While recent initiatives to improve the diversity of the UK publishing industry are having a positive impact on recruitment, the report found the largest proportion of BME staff surveyed had been in the industry for less than two years. Source: People Management
US Advertising Agencies Seeking to Advance Diversity
Omnicom Group has pledged $1.25 million over the next five years to create the Omnicom Diversity Development Advisory Committee (DDAC) to "advance diversity within the company and advertising industry." The advertising industry, a $190-billion industry, has demonstrated a poor record on diversity with people of colour representing 18% of the work force and 11% of management at advertising agencies, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). These statistics lag behind the national average (31.5% and 16.4%, respectively). In 2007 a New York City Human Rights Commission investigation of multiple agencies, including several owned by Omnicom, revealed the dearth of black ad execs and other people of color. The organizations were criticized particularly for the lack of recruiting strategies such as internships, award programs, job fairs and on-campus recruiting, and a New York City councilman called their hiring practices an "embarrassment for a diverse city." Subsequently, all agencies signed agreements with the Human Rights Commission requiring them to implement diversity strategy, expand recruiting and professional-development networks and increase representation. Lack of representation in advertising agencies often leads to costly multicultural missteps for the companies that contract with them, and ad agencies increasingly find themselves having to adapt to the changing consumer market, such as Omnicom, or facing a shortening list of clientele. Source: DiversityInc.
Calls for Applications for Development Fellowships in Science & Technology
In summer 2008, the Social Science Research Council will sponsor twelve (12) Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowships in the field of Critical Studies of Science and Technology Policy, with an emphasis on comparative and international topics. These fellowships will fund participating graduate students at US universities to pursue predissertation summer research and to attend two integrated workshops designed to prepare them to learn and explore research and dissertation proposal development strategies in STS and closely related fields. Except in unique circumstances, applicants should be in their second or third year of PhD programs and must not yet have defended their dissertation prospectus prior to attending the workshops. The due date for applications is February 8, 2008, and applications must be filed through the SSRC application portal: http://programs.ssrc.org/dpdf/scitechpolicy/
Only 15% of US Supervisors are Women of Colour
Women are about half the U.S. work force, but their representation in management doesn't mirror their representation in the talent pool, especially among women of color, who National Public Radio reports comprise only 15% of supervisors. Dr. Ella Bell, an associate professor of organizational management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University and founder of ASCENT Leading Multicultural Women to the Top--is showing women from different backgrounds the importance of recognizing the commonalities among women of color in the work force and the importance of building alliances to change the social and demographic fabric.
Top UK Executives Pay Far Exceeds Inflation
Chairmen's pay climbed by more than twice the level of inflation during last year, while non-executive directors' pay rose on average more than three times the level of inflation, according to a survey of 250 company chairmen and non-executives by MM&K, a remuneration consultancy, and Hanson Green, a recruitment firm. Source: FT Companies
A website to connect female high-flyers is London’s next social networking phenomenon. Banking giants Coutts and Lehman Brothers are among the firms that have already signed up their female employees to the Influence site. Called ‘Facebook for grown-ups’, the club is geared towards high-flying women in traditionally masculine industries and aims to help professional women make contact. Members will be invited to restaurants, bars and receive discounts on fashion and beauty items. Businesswoman Anita Curry, who set up the site, says life can be lonely for high-powered women.
North-South Pay Divide in UK is Getting Wider
The pay gap between workers in the North and South has widened by 2% in the past year, leaving the average difference at more than £10,000 per year, according to a survey by staffing firm ReThink recruitment. The average salary for staff in the North is just over £19,000 compared with £30,600 in London. In some sectors, including financial services, the pay gap has widened rapidly in recent years, leaving northern employees earning just 44% of London salaries, according to the study. However wages for computer staff in the north of England are growing almost a third faster than in London as the IT industry moves towards remote, flexible working and eroding traditional geographical constraints, such as the North-South divide. The report predicted that the pay divide will eventually narrow as more business and government departments relocate from London or are expanded into other regions of the UK.
500,000 Immigrants will boost UK Growth in 2008
A United Kingdom Prospects report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) says that a flow of more than half a million migrants into the UK will boost the economy in 2008 by £3.6bn or an extra 0.3 per cent of GDP. CEBR forecasts that with this added contribution GDP growth can be maintained at 1.8 per cent. The influx, largely of young, unskilled workers from eastern Europe, will not only stimulate growth but will keep a lid on wage increases, thus freeing the Bank of England to cut rates. Over the next three years migrants are forecast to add £9bn to the economy, equivalent to 0.2 per cent growth in 2009 and 2010. CEBR also predicts that 330,000 UK nationals will leave the country in 2008. The net migration of 220,000 will underpin long-term demand for new housing.
Fewer Britons in work due to Ageing and Emigration
Demographic changes including an ageing population and rising emigration from Britain rather than the arrival of new migrants is the reason for the fall in the number of UK-born people in work. This is the conclusion of a study of the economic impact of migration by the Institute of Public Policy Research. The study also estimates that if Britain adopted tighter migration policies with immigration capped to match those leaving the country – zero net migration – UK income tax would need to be increased by up to 1.4p in the pound by 2015 to make up for the missing contributions to the Exchequer. The study’s authors say that their conclusion is supported by the fact that the proportion of the UK-born population in employment has remained at 75% over the last decade, despite the higher number of migrants in the country. Zero net migration would therefore have tax implications on Britons as the population falls and ages raising a different perspective on how Britain would fare without migration.
First ‘Super-diverse’ Cities Forecast in the UK for 2020
A report produced by Professor Danny Dorling for the Barrow Cadbury Trust says that at least a dozen British cities will have no single ethnic group in a majority within the next 30 years. Leicester will become the first ‘super-diverse’ city in 2020 followed by Birmingham in 2024 and then Slough and Luton. The report reveals that Leicester has seen the proportion of its white population fall from 70.1 per cent in 1991 to 59.5% today. By 2026 it will be 44.5%. Dorling also makes the point that the immigrant and ethnic populations are no longer simply Afro-Caribbean and South Asian communities, but that there are increasing numbers from countries scattered across the world- from Germany to Guyana, from Sweden to Singapore. Source: The Observer. http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/pid/1904
US Students pay to Secure Internships on Wall Street
A growing number of American University students are paying thousands of dollars to secure the best internships on Wall Street. The University of Dreams charges to place students in summer jobs on Wall Street, despite its current problems. A cheaper option is to work for an investment bank in a lesser-known location. The organisation can also arrange to send students to London for internship programmes. A decent internship is crucial to securing a job at a top Wall Street bank as well as in many leading companies. The University of Dreams has 46 staff and 1,200 students on its books. Source: The Observer
Labour Market Prospects Could Sink to 10-year Low
The outlook for the UK jobs market is the worst for a decade with unemployment and redundancies expected to rise in the wake of the international credit crisis according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Their study follows a survey of independent forecasts published by the Treasury, which predicts that the number of people claiming unemployment benefit would rise by 12% to 910,000 by the end of the current year. The CIPD is more pessimistic forecasting that the rise in unemployment will be 150,000 making an overall total of 1.8m- the highest level since 1997. The jobs squeeze would be greatest in the financial sector and there would be more job losses in the public sector. Source: Financial Times
National Vacancy Matching System for Apprentices Planned
The Learning and Skills Council has announced plans for a national vacancy-matching system for apprenticeships that will be similar to the University placement service, Ucas. The new service is expected to begin in England by the end of 2008 and is intended to simplify the recruitment process for employers by providing a single point of entry for potential apprentices. The service is a key part of the UK Government’s plans to increase the number of apprenticeships from 250,000 to 500,000 by 2020. Under the scheme, employers will be able to place their vacancies in the system and set their own entry criteria, while applicants will fill in a single form and be able to search through placements by location and sector.
Inequality laws Threaten Closure for Norwegian Firms
Norwegian businesses have been scrambling to find women directors in order to meet the terms of an amendment to the companies act passed in 2003 which states that public companies must give women 40% of board seats. On 31st December more than 80% had complied with the legislation. For the other mostly smaller companies, the government has relaxed its threats about automatic closure and a second deadline of the end of February has been fixed. Norway has long been a leader in promoting gender equality; however the corporate world remained an exception with less than nine per cent of the 2,800 directors of public companies being women. 590 women were nominated by companies to attend “Female Future” training courses, of whom half have since become directors. Norway has the highest percentage of female directors in the world at 36%, followed by Sweden and the USA. Source: Financial Times .
New Zealand heads League Table for English-speaking Education
According to the latest league table of private schools, published by the OECD, New Zealand’s private schools are nudging ahead of the UK counterparts. The findings could give New Zealand an edge over Britain among wealthy Asians seeking the best education for their children- particularly as New Zealand’s schools are generally cheaper. Among English-speaking nations New Zealand tops the league table of private schools in Maths and Science- the dominant subject in the latest survey of 15-year-olds. The UK only leads in reading. Traditionally the UK leads the market for international high-school students but in the year-on-year figures for January 2007 the number of foreign students at schools belonging to the Independent Schools Council fell by two per cent to 20,852. The fees charged by UK independent schools have gone up because of rising teacher pay.
Ernst & Young Host "Discover Tax" Conference for Ethnically Diverse College Students
As part of Ernst & Young LLP's ongoing focus on the recruitment and retention of diverse professionals, the firm hosted a Discover Tax leadership conference in January in New York City. More than 100 ethnically diverse sophomores, juniors, and seniors from more than 50 college campuses across the U.S. – 80% of whom are Black or Hispanic - attended the three day seminar, which was fully subsidized by Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services. Following the conference, all attendees were eligible to interview for internships with the firm. Over the past three years, Ernst & Young's tax practice has seen significant growth and, as a result, has increased campus hiring by more than 60 percent. Ernst & Young plans to hire more than 600 full-time college recruits for the U.S. tax practice this year and more than 3,000 recruits firm-wide throughout all practice areas in the Americas. To ensure that Ernst & Young is able to recruit the best and brightest students – students that bring a wide range of diverse perspectives, background, and experience to the firm – the leadership within the tax practice launched the Discover Tax program in 2007. Now in its second year, the program has doubled in size to more than 100 participants.
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