AWR awareness on the rise

Employment Law & HR update 07/06/2011

According to the latest JobsOutlook survey, employee awareness about Agency Workers Regulation (AWR) is on the rise.

Following on from research earlier this month from recruitment firm Randstad, just seven per cent of employers across the country had carried out an assessment detailing how they will be affected by AWR.

Now, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s (REC) latest JobsOutlook survey has revealed that awareness is greatly improved. The survey found that awareness levels are currently sitting at more than 70 per cent – far higher than they were at the beginning of last year.

However, despite improving awareness levels, just 10 per cent of employers are planning to make changes prior to the roll out of the new regulations on 1 October 2011. Another 42 per cent of firms were said to be 'weighing up their options' in terms of their planning for the new regulations.

The new regulations will entitled agency workers to the same working conditions and basic employment as permanent staff, once the complete a 12-week qualifying period. The new AWR sees the implementation of the EU Agency Workers Directive.

REC's Head of Policy, Gillian Econopouly, said, “The fact that over 40 per cent of employers are still considering their response to the Regulations underlines how important it is for recruiters to be engaging with clients.

“For some employers, the AWR has been a catalyst for a more fundamental review of how they use flexible staff. In some cases, this may lead to a slight reduction in overall numbers.

“However, the latest data indicates that this will be counter-balanced by businesses who are planning to actually increase their use of agency staff over the next 12 months,” she added.