Cost of commute encourages temp workers to stay local

Cost of commute encourages temp workers to stay local

Reed, the specialist recruitment consultancy, is predicting a return to a more local jobs market for a significant proportion of the workforce. Workers fear the rising cost of commuting and have a heightened social awareness to be more environmentally responsible.

The nationwide consultancy is already witnessing the impact in the temporary jobs market, with candidates choosing location above salary and the type of work they do in a bid to secure as much ‘take-home’ pay as possible.

Richard Smith, group managing director at Reed, comments:
“The message from our consultants is that, over the past three months our temporary workers have begun to put distance of commute as one of their key priorities if they are not able to use public transport to easily reach the employer location. This is now at the top of their agenda, above hourly rate or the type of work.

“The rising cost of the commute is not a new phenomenon and some employers based in less accessible areas have long recognised the need to take a proactive approach to helping their staff get to work. For example, in the hospitality and leisure sector, where employees are required to travel to rural locations, it’s very common for clients to provide a mini bus service.”

With fuel prices reaching record levels, Richard Smith believes that the growing desire to work locally is already taking hold in the permanent employment market:

“We’re increasingly seeing candidates that aren’t prepared to sign up for long commutes where they can’t utilise public transport. While the impact on their pocket is a factor, we are also seeing a much more heightened awareness to be more environmentally responsible. Forward thinking employers have measures in place to ensure that the commute is ‘greener’ and more cost effective for their staff. This can include car share and cycle schemes, opportunities to work from home or even the introduction of satellite offices.

“Now is the time for all employers to think about how they can continue to source from the widest pool of talent, whilst still considering the cost for staff and the environmental impact.”