CIPD highlights need for employers to balance wage bill demands with boosting skills.
Plans by half of Irish employers to provide above inflation pay rises and take on more staff in 2016 suggests that the labour market is tightening, according to new research from the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, and Industrial Relations News (IRN). The research not only raises questions about cost competitiveness but also highlights the need for organisations to train their staff and invest in young people to avoid future skills shortages and stay competitive.
The CIPD/IRN survey of 582 HR professionals in private sector employers in Ireland indicates that half (50%) of companies plan to provide basic pay increases of 2.7% this year. Just over a third (36%) said that they are likely to make further pay increases for specific individuals or groups of employees and 29% said that this was either possible or not yet agreed. The survey also found that over a third (37%) of Irish employers are offering pay increases as a counter-offer to employees that are planning to leave the organisation.
At the same time, the survey finds that 47% of companies plan to increase their workforce in 2016 and just 8% planning to reduce employee numbers, suggesting that unemployment will continue to fall over the next 12 months.
Mary Connaughton, Director for CIPD Ireland, said:
The research found that pay increases as part of a counter-offer to staff planning to leave was most evident in large organisations with over 250 employees, where 45% made such an offer in 2015. It also suggests that this risks becoming the norm in IT and software companies, where more than two-thirds have made a counter-offer (68%). Over half of financial services (55%) and food and drink companies (53%) made counter-offers in 2015.
The wage bill is being stretched further by the recent increase to the National Minimum Wage. The CIPD/IRN research found that the 50c an hour increase to the National Minimum Wage that took effect January 2016 will directly affect 28% of private sector companies. Furthermore, almost three-fifths (57%) of companies reported that they would be affected if they adopted the National Living Wage rate of €11.50 per hour.
Connaughton said:
This research will be presented by the CIPD at the IRN conference on 10 March at University College Dublin.
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