Stafflex talks to BBC Radio Leeds about furlough scheme ending

Friday, October 30, 2020

Office consultant Aiden Wood talks with presenter Peter Allison on BBC Radio Leeds about the furlough scheme coming to an end and what steps jobseekers can take to get back into employment if they have lost their jobs during the pandemic.

 

How will people be feeling – what’s the overall emotion amongst job seekers?

“At the moment we see a mix of things, some people have been able to be quite proactive with understanding that they will be redundant after the furlough scheme. Also a lot of people are quite worried as they have been employed for a long time now and it will be a massive change for them to step into a new industry or sector they haven’t been in before.

We need to try and support those people and guide them in the right direction on how to find new positions to keep them going until things hopefully turn around next year.”

 

For people who’ve lost jobs - what’s the first steps they should take to get back into employment?

“There are a number of things you can do – we’ve seen a lot of jobseekers coming to recruitment agencies such as Stafflex as we have a great relationship with our clients which can make it a little easier to get your foot in door.

Job boards are stacked at the moment with candidates over qualified or under qualified so make sure to reach out to as many experts and professionals as you can. Get your eggs in a number of baskets and speak to people with different opportunities to see what’s out there.”

 

Some people may have to consider changing career to find employment which is a difficult thing for people to come to terms with…

“Unfortunately it is a sacrifice that a lot of people will have to make at the moment whether that’s a stop gap or temporary position. Jobseekers should look at growing sectors which are going to give you that security such as sanitisation or PPE sectors. So it really is about playing it smart and thinking about which industries will give the best opportunities."

 

Click here to listen to a clipping of the full segment featured on BBC Radio Leeds 30th October 2020.