Rise in contract positions at the expense of permanent roles
Blue Eskimo, the specialist recruitment company for training, learning and e-learning professionals, is reporting an increase in the proportion of temporary contract roles versus permanent roles in the UK's learning industry.
Over the last year Blue Eskimo has seen a shift in the employment make-up of the UK's learning industry as employers increase their use of contractors. In 2009 Blue Eskimo placed 35% more contractors than in 2008.
Nick Bate, a director of Blue Eskimo Recruitment Solutions, said: "The increased use of contractors is a natural response to the economic climate. There are fewer permanent roles currently and employers are far more likely to recruit contractors than they were a year ago."
"For those permanent positions that do exist there are more candidates chasing fewer roles, particularly in the case of senior management positions. Employers are now able to choose from a large talent pool and whereas in the past we saw candidates with specialist skills in demand, employers right now want people to be able to cover a range of job functions and are more likely to recruit multi-skilled candidates."
Nick Bate cited instructional designers that can also manage projects, trainers that cover more subjects and sales professionals with wider business development skills as those most likely to succeed in the current climate.
On a note of optimism, Blue Eskimo has seen a recent increase in advertised job positions during Q4 2009, compared with the same period in 2008 and is reporting that many of its clients are expecting to recruit more people in 2010 than they did in 2009.
Blue Eskimo is attending the upcoming Learning Technologies 2010 event in January. Its recruitment consultants will be available to discuss the kinds of jobs emerging in the learning industry and to advise candidates of the skills in most demand.