September news in brief

Eight out of ten employers struggle to find talent

Eight out of ten employers anticipate having problems finding skilled staff to fill future vacancies, according to the Recruitment Confidence Index, a quarterly survey of UK managers' expectations of changes in recruitment activity. This reflects the lowest level of confidence in finding talented staff since the index began.

Aviva awarded for diversity

International savings, investments and insurance group Aviva has been awarded the Global Diversity and Innovation Award by the United Nations (UN). The accolade, awarded in July at the UN’s headquarters in New York, highlights Aviva’s success in embedding diversity in the company. The company was particularly commended for not only ensuring employees and customers benefit from the programme, but for engaging employees in its implementation.

Survey reveals loyalty crisis

Employers no longer link a progressive career path with past loyalty, a survey has found. Vodafone’s May report, Loyalty at Work, found that only 3 per cent of employers see the number of companies an individual has worked for as an indication of loyalty.

Kingston University to develop talent masters

Kingston University, London, has developed a Masters award in career and talent management, which will run from January 2008. The five-day course is aimed at HR, L&D and talent management professionals, and will be supported by a series of high level, work-based projects.

Australia relaxes immigration rules to attract British workers

Australia is ready to relax its immigration policy in an attempt to entice more skilled British workers to its shores. The new rule, which will be introduced from 1 September, will see an additional five points offered towards a visa for those who pass a basic English test. The news is part of a drive down under to bring desperately needed skills into the country, as the emigration rate of doctors, teachers and other specialist workers increases.

British Gas ready to extinguish 800 jobs

British Gas’s parent company Centrica has announced it is ready to cut 800 jobs at the utility company. After introducing a new computer driven billing system to increase efficiency, Centrica announced in its half year report that they would cut an extra 300 back office jobs at British Gas, on top of the 500 already planned.

Bonus targets harder to hit

Britain’s top companies are exploring alternative measures to calculate senior executive bonuses. A survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers of FTSE 100 companies found that while senior executives have had the opportunity to earn more in bonuses in 2006-07, they have had to do more than just hit financial targets. Companies are increasingly thinking about long-term sustainability and so concentrating on targets such as increased customer and employee satisfaction.

CEOs fired faster than ever

Dismissals of CEOs have reached record highs over the last year, a study has found. The report by Booz Allen Hamilton, which covered 2,500 of the world’s largest publicly traded companies, revealed that more bosses have been fired for poor performance than at any time since 1995. The dismissal rate has increased by 300 per cent in the last decade.

Levels of employment tribunal claims drop

The number of claims made to employment tribunals dropped by more then 4,500 in 2006-2007, according to a report by Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service). The conciliation service published its annual report in mid-August, and argued that the reduction could be the result of new discrimination legislation introduced in the last year.

Murphy minds Gap

Clothing retailer Gap has appointed Glenn Murphy, the former CEO of leading Canadian drugstore Shoppers Drug Mart, as its new chief executive. The unveiling of Murphy brought an end to the company’s search for a replacement to Paul Pressier, who stepped down from the role in January. The Gap board highlighted Murphy’s decision-making skills and fashion instincts as key factors in landing the job.

New Chrysler exec on $1 per annum

US car manufacturer Chrysler has secured ex-Home Depot boss Bob Nardelli as its new chief executive and chairman. Nardelli has been hired on a salary of $1 per annum and charged with the responsibility to turn the flagging motor company around, his bonuses dependent on business performance. Chrysler lost $680m last year and plans to cut 13,000 jobs during 2007.