Infozone: the briefing – 26/02/10

Topics covered in Infozone's weekly briefing include: workforces could take ‘several years' to recover from recession: employers should do more to help the jobless, say HR chiefs: use online accounting tools, hospitality operators advised.

WORKFORCES COULD TAKE ‘SEVERAL YEARS' TO RECOVER FROM RECESSION

The sharp spike in part-time working during the recession indicates it could take workforces "several years" to fully recover, experts have warned. Official figures released last week showed that the number of people working part-time in the three months to December shot up by 25,000 to 7.69m, while those in part-time jobs because they could not secure full-time employment rose to 1.04m - up 34.9% on the previous year.

Under-employment - where a worker is employed but below their desired capacity in terms of hours, pay and skills - also rose to 2.8m in the three months to September, from 2.3m in September 2008.

EMPLOYERS SHOULD DO MORE TO HELP THE JOBLESS, SAY HR CHIEFS

HR chiefs from fast food chain McDonald's and supermarket chain Morrisons have challenged employers to do more to help the growing number of people out of work. Employers should "do the right thing" and create more work experience placements for the long-term jobless, according to David Fairhurst, chief people officer at the fast-food giant.

Firms should also consider recruiting from the long-term unemployed where they have jobs available, as it delivers direct business benefits, Morrisons' group HR director Norman Pickavance has said.

USE ONLINE ACCOUNTING TOOLS, HOSPITALITY OPERATORS ADVISED

Managing cash-flow with online accounting tools will ensure hospitality businesses are up to date with payment, a supplement has suggested. Creating Value: Saving Money and Making Money For You and Your Business says online tools can provide alerts if payment is due, check if an invoice has been paid, and accurately forecast cash-flow. For more advice, see www.caterersearch.com/cvs