Optimism on the jobs front by Glenn Harrison

26 January 2012

There’s a glimmer of optimism on the local jobs front

Although the latest unemployment figures published by the Office for National Statistics don’t make great reading, there is potentially a glimmer of hope in Nottingham, where the number of people claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance remained static between November and December of last year.

Now it could just be a statistical blip, but it does seem that there are some signs of cautious optimism amongst businesses, and I have actually spoken to quite a few business people who are looking to recruit this year. In fact, here at Answer-4u, we have just recruited a further 13 staff to join the team at our call centre in Nottingham.

The latest Business Survey by the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce also indicates that many businesses are still keen to recruit. Their research showed that 41% of businesses attempted to take on new staff during the last quarter of 2011 and a further 16% expect the size of their workforce to grow between now and March.

However, I do appreciate that times are hard for people looking for jobs and also for many business people who are trying to survive in these challenging economic times. In the early days of my business, when I was getting Answer-4u off the ground, I had to sell my apartment and my car and went several months without any money coming in, but I always remained positive.

In my experience, if you hold your nerve and believe in yourself, you can still grow and find new customers even during recessions. We have managed to keep growing through two recessions and the future is looking bright, so my advice is to keep focusing on what it is you want to achieve and with hard work and perseverance you will get there.