British Employees Using Job Offers to Haggle for Pay Rises

UK recruitment firm, Spring Group has warned businesses of a growing trend of employees using new job offers as a means of squeezing more money and benefits out of their current employers in the London region.

During January and February this year, Spring Personnel's London branches saw 3 in 10 job offers overturned by counter bids made by a candidate's current employer. This is driving recruiters to adapt drastic measures and 70 per cent of Spring's clients have decided not to pursue a second interview round, giving candidates an offer after only the first contact.

"This is a very worrying trend we are seeing spread across London", comments Di Bradbury, Managing Director, General Staffing at Spring Group. "Skilled people are hard to come by in any industry, and retaining their best staff is a key priority for organisations today. Candidates know this, and some are increasingly misusing this power by trying to play prospective employers against their current employer. As a result, employers are being forced to entice staff to stay by meeting demands of higher salaries, more benefits, and often promotion."

Posted to the site on 3rd April 2008