The UK job market has improved significantly over the past year or so, with the nation's gradual eocnomic recovery leading to more businesses taking on new staff. It would appear this positive trend is set to continue, as two surveys released this month provide a positive outlook for the country's recruitment situation. 

According to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's (REC) latest Jobs Outlook Survey, eight in ten employers are planning to take on more staff over the next three months. Meanwhile, the number of businesses who said they need to employ more people to meet growing demand has increased from 25 per cent at the end of last year to one in three today.

REC chief executive Kevin Green stated: "The economic recovery is having a real impact on the jobs market as these are the best results we have seen since this survey began in 2009. 

"The labour market is becoming more candidate-led and it is vital that businesses look at their hiring processes to ensure that they are fit for purpose and will attract the candidates they are looking to hire."

It was also revealed by the survey that 79 per cent of employers plan to increase their permanent workforce over the next four to 12 months. Half of businesses said they expect to take on more agency workers during the upcoming three months. 

CIPD support

Such positive findings follow on from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's (CIPD) latest Labour Market Outlook. It found employer hiring intentions are at their highest level in six and a half years. 

The organisation calculates the country's net employment balance, which shows the difference between the number of businesses who plan to increase their staff headcount and those who plan to decrease it. This currently stands at +26 - up from +16 at the end of last year.

Gerwyn Davies, labour market adviser at the CIPD, stated: "The UK jobs market looks set to continue its remarkable post-recession performance."

The organisation found the increased optimism surrounding hiring intentions is largely from the private sector, with the net employment balance for this space rising from +27 to +37.

Growing employment

Further good job market news has been provided by the Office for National Statistics, which revealed the number of people in employment continued to grow during the first three months of the year. A total of 72.7 per cent of Britons of working age were employed during this period, representing an increase on the 72.1 per cent recorded in the final three months of 2013. 

Pay has also risen, growing 1.7 per cent when bonuses are taken into account and 1.3 per cent when they are not factored in. As of the end of March, 81.8 per cent of the working population was employed in the private sector, with the remainder working for public bodies.

All in all, it would appear April was a very positive month for the UK recruitment-wise, which is good news for businesses and anyone looking for parking, automotive and commercial jobs in north London and beyond.

It might be assumed that businesses who rely on drivers carrying their goods and services around the country would take stringent steps to ensure their vehicles are in good condition every time they take to the road. 

Sadly, however, that is not always so and the consequences can be devastating when an unsafe vehicle fails to perform as it should and an accident results. These can cause deaths and life-changing injuries, as well as potential prosecutions for the owners. Those working in automotive jobs will be well aware of these dangers - and the need for regular maintenance.

This issue has prompted road safety charity Brake to issue an appeal to at-work drivers to ensure their cars, vans and trucks are safe. It is seeking to promote high standards with a summer seminar titled Maintenance and mechanics: how safe are your vehicles and who's checking them?

Sponsored by the Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE) , it will provide education on the importance of regular checks and maintenance for vehicles and take place in London on June 25th. 

It will focus on a range of issues from the legal requirements drivers and companies must abide by and the responsibilities employers have to monitor driver checks and report problems. Experts from the IRTE will explain how companies can keep in line with the law and achieve the ultimate goal of making their vehicles safer - and with it reducing risks to their own drivers and other users of Britain's roads.

Brake's senior professional engagement officer Ellie Pearson said: "We know at-work drivers are an especially high-risk group on our roads and therefore it is incredibly important that employers go that extra mile to ensure their vehicles are maintained to the highest standard. We would encourage any business that takes fleet safety seriously to send a representative along to this event."

Head of operations and communications at IRTE Ian Chisholm said the event should be "helpful to transport managers who want to ensure their fleets are legally compliant".

A number of changes to parking regulations have been introduced across the UK this week that will have an impact on people with parking jobs. 

In Guernsey, the local authority has approved plans to introduce charges for long-term parking, the BBC reports. 

Short-stay parking spaces, in which motorists can leave their vehicle for up to two and a half hours, will remain free, but parking for any longer than this will result in a charge of 60p per hour.

This will be part of a wider transport plan for the island in which buses will be free for a trial period of 18 months and a tax will be introduced based on the width and carbon dioxide emissions of vehicles.

The scheme is expected to cost in the region of £835,000, but it is hoped the money raised from parking charges and the tax will cover this. 

Local political deputy Barry Brehaut commented: "You can't feel entirely 100 per cent happy on imposing tariffs, charges and duty on people.

"The reality is that we have a problem on the island, the problem is to do with the motorcar, the circulation and congestion."

"People won't wake up with paid parking tomorrow. Paid parking will not come in before 2015," he added.

No official date for the introduction of the plans has been announced and a number of laws will need to be rewritten before this is possible.

Elsewhere, Cumbria County Council has approved plans to implement on-street parking changes across the region. 

Parking meters will now be introduced on certain streets in Carlisle, Penrith, Kendal, Barrow, Workington, Whitehaven, Maryport, Keswick, Cockermouth, Windermere and Bowness and Ambleside. 

The council has decided to press ahead with these plans despite strong opposition from local businesses, who believe it will have a harmful impact on their trade.

Meanwhile, the Bradford and Telegraph and Argus has reported the number of parking tickets issued to cars on zigzag lines outside schools in the Yorkshire City has increased by more than 500 per cent over the last two years.

New government guidelines on off-peak deliveries have been welcomed by the Freight Transport Association (FTA), but the organisation has warned proper management will be required.

In a statement that will be of interest to people with automotive jobs such as fleet management, the FTA said there are numerous advantages to delivering outside of congested hours.

Natalie Chapman, head of policy for London at the organisation, stated: "There are multiple benefits of shifting deliveries out of congested peak hours: improved journey times, productivity and fuel consumption, lower emissions and reduced risk of conflict between heavy goods vehicles and vulnerable road users."

However, she warned proper management will be required to ensure people who live close to where deliveries take place are not disturbed.

"These new guides will help all those involved to understand the process and the role that they can play in opening up the delivery window," Ms Chapman added.

Entitled 'Quiet deliveries: good, practice, principles and process', the guidelines have been produced by the government in cooperation with the FTA.

They are aimed at retailers, local communities and the construction industry, as well as other relevant groups. The Noise Abatement Society and the Department for Transport also contributed to the publication.

It is hoped that by encouraging quiet deliveries at off-peak hours, problems that affect both businesses and the public - such as congestion and delays - will be avoided.

These new guidelines follow on from the Quiet Deliveries Demonstration Scheme, which carried out successful trials of off-peak deliveries. Operations were completed early in the morning, late evening and at night and were found to have not disturbed local residents' sleep.

The FTA also revealed it is working alongside Transport for London (TfL) on its own efforts towards retiming deliveries.

In addition to commenting on this publication, the organisation has recently warned the European Commission against relaxing cabotage laws, as they would provide foreign-registered heavy goods vehicles with a further competitive advantage, even though they tend to have poorer compliance records than their UK counterparts.

Unity Recruitment are a recruitment company based in Ruislip, specialising in industries such as automotive, traffic/highway, parking & commercial recruitment.

Councillors in Surrey have come up with proposals for a host of new parking measures that could be implemented in the Tandridge district.

They include the arrival of new double yellow lines and steps designed to crackdown on parking around schools and commuters leaving their cars within residential streets, reports the Surrey Mirror.

In total, some 57 roads have been earmarked for new enforcement measures as the council aims to prevent road users leaving vehicles in a way that proves to be a problem for others.

Of the roads in question, a total of 22 are in Caterham, making it the most affected town included within the scheme. However, other streets in Oxted, Whyteleafe, Lingfield, Warlingham, Bletchingley and Dormansland are also involved.

The idea has been met with a mixture of responses, with some people accepting the need for new parking measures and others worried about their impact.

Resident Mitchell Burkes said: "I have mixed feelings. I could face losing one of my two parking spaces if new yellow lines are put in near my house. But on the other hand, double yellow lines on one of the narrowest parts of this road would help improve access."

Gwyneth Fookes, 78, is a leading member of history group the Bourne Society and she said it could be very difficult for people to park close to her home. She even suggested that a public car park in Caterham could be the answer.

Oxted county councillor Nick Skellett admitted it is hard to please everyone, so the council has been working hard to discover a compromise.

Whatever measures it puts in place, the council may wish to employ more people in parking jobs in order to enforce the new rules, something which we at Unity Recruitment can help with!

Mr Skellett added the arrival of double yellow lines can be good news in some places, such as Hurst Green Road, as they create more places for cars to pass each other.

There have been plenty of signs in recent times that the UK car production market is bouncing back and this has been further underlined by one organisation.

KPMG has suggested the sharp increase in vehicle production in the country has had a positive impact in other areas and is driving substantial growth in automotive supply chain mergers and acquisitions.

John Leech, KPMG UK head of automotive, explained the body has acted as corporate finance advisor to vendors involved in five separate deals in the last seven months and this is only likely to increase in the future.

"The reason for this is fast-growing UK car production, notably by Jaguar Land Rover, which is requiring suppliers to attract investment to expand capacity and set up overseas facilities," he stated.

A booming automotive sector is a sure sign of an improving economy and the revitalisation of the UK's vehicle production market comes on the back of several years of struggle. As such, it has been widely welcomed by experts in recent months.

Simon Heath, automotive mergers and acquisitions specialist at KPMG, also had his say on the issue and indicated plenty of business is being done on the back of the rise in vehicle production.

"Buyers include automotive suppliers from US, China and Europe but also private equity excited by forecast growth in UK car production to two million vehicles in 2017 which might see the UK beat its all-time production record," he stated.

With such growth anticipated, it is an ideal time for major automotive production companies to start taking on new staff in automotive jobs in order to provide them with the experience required to oversee this rise.

Mr Heath went on to note that there are plenty of firms around the world contemplating European acquisitions as they are keen to follow in the footsteps of their peers.

Making changes to the parking allowances within a certain area can benefit not only drivers, but also many of the businesses that are located nearby.

Firms in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire have come together to praise the arrival of new parking regulations in their village, reports the Nottingham Post. They are pleased a number of new bays have been created and will provide somewhere for motorists to leave their cars for up to two hours.

Shopkeepers have been quick to tell the newspaper of their delight at the arrival of the parking bays, which they say have already triggered an improvement in their fortunes. This comes on the back of a lengthy period in which they believe they missed out on business due to a lack of parking.

Louise Woodford, 24, is a beauty therapist at The Pamper Room in Church Street and is one of those who is pleased at the parking changes imposed by Nottinghamshire County Council. Indeed, she noted there has already been a positive impact on the organisation.

"It's been a lot better recently, there's cars coming and going all the time so there's somewhere for customers to park," she explained.

"It was a nightmare before and even the buses couldn't get through because of cars constantly blocking the road. Customers would be late for appointments because there was nowhere to park."

Short-stay bays are now open to vehicles on Church Street, High Street, Charles Street and Wilford Road, providing visitors with a number of options when it comes to leaving their car for an hour or two. Road resurfacing works took place shortly before their unveiling, meaning parking facilities in the area are now of the highest quality.

Jamie Battersby, manager of Philos Cafe in High Street, has previously said that it was not uncommon for potential customers to drive straight past his business because there were no spaces in which they could park.

However, there now seem to be some free most of the time, and he said: "It is a bit too early to tell because it is quite new but I have had a couple of people notice that it is better. I know there have been a lot of complaints about it but I think once everyone gets used to it, it will be fine and quieten down."

A few motorists have been critical of the changes, with some taking to a Ruddington Village Facebook page to have their say.

As with any case in which new parking regulations are introduced, the council could be wise to employ more people in parking jobs in order to ensure the rules are being adhered to from the very start, and companies such as Unity Recruitment can help!

This would allow them to advise motorists who might not be familiar with the new length of stay that is permitted and punish any who clearly flout the rules.

County council district highways manager for Rushcliffe Kendra Hourd said there is no doubt that the scheme has been implemented to help out local businesses as it allows people to visit several shops before their parking allowance is up.

Rule makers in Shropshire appear to be heading in different directions over the issue of how much to charge people to park in local town centres.

The Shropshire Star has explained town councillors in Oswestry are due to meet this evening (April 9th) to talk about reducing the cost of parking in the main Central car park by 10p. However, this is in stark contrast to Ironbridge, where 20 per cent increases are planned.

Last year, a 10p rise in parking charges in Ellesmere caused controversy and led to many people complaining.

However, in that case, Shropshire Council had a reason for implementing the increase, as it was trying to prevent the town's main car park being used as an all-day parking option so that it would instead be available to local shoppers.

Councillor Chris Schofield said he believes a reduction in parking tariffs in Oswestry to just 50p could be enough to encourage people to visit the town centre and use nearby shops.

"Oswestry's retail centre is looking good at the moment and anything we can do to encourage more shoppers must be good," he stated.

Shrewsbury councillor and retailer Peter Nutting said he would like to see changes to the amounts people are asked to pay for parking in Shropshire.

"The aim is to make it more flexible for people to pay their car park charges. I would like to get away from the idea of paying £1.60 or £3.10 for example. Why not make the charges £1 or £2 or £3?" he explained.

No matter where parking changes occur, it is always a good ideal for local authorities to bring in people in parking jobs to implement the rules in a fair and transparent way.

It is important to balance the need for revenue with the wishes of local businesses, which rely on customers to drive the local economy.

If you'd like information on parking jobs, or how to recruit parking candidates, get in contact with Unity Recruitment.

The UK's new car industry appears to be on the up, after registrations were said to have risen once again in March.

New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show there has been a healthy level of demand for the new 14-plate.

Indeed, a total of 464,824 new vehicles were registered over the course of the month - an increase of 17.7 per cent.

New cars were previously released only in September, but since 1999 there have been two plate changes each year, with the first coming in March. The statistics show that March 2014 has been the busiest March of any year in this period other than 2004.

The year-to-date figures are similarly promising, with the SMMT noting registrations in this category are up 13.7 per cent to 688,122 units.

And Britons are becoming increasingly aware of the market for alternatively-fuelled vehicles, as volumes hit 8,713 units, making it the biggest month in history in this sector. It was also 63.8 per cent up on the 2013 figures.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said the results were surprisingly strong and reflect the growing level of confidence consumers have in the automobile market.

"There has never been a better time to buy a new car thanks to attractive finance deals and advanced technologies that often make new cars cheaper to run. We expect the market to continue to perform positively for the rest of the year, albeit at a more modest rate," he explained.

With purchases of new cars heading upwards, there could also be the potential for manufacturers to increase the number of automotive jobs that are available in order to further boost production levels.

The results also showed that the UK's most popular new car is the Ford Fiesta, with 25,757 registrations in March, followed by the Ford Focus (16,860) and the Vauxhall Corsa (16,231).

For information on automotive positions, contact Unity Recruitment, your local recruitment agency.

Drivers in Berwick and a number of other towns in north-east England have been told they must adhere to new parking regulations that are due to come into effect or face being handed a fine.

New restrictions are scheduled to be implemented on April 1st, so while it will be free for people to park in council-owned car parks and on-street spaces, strict enforcement of time limits will be taking place, reports the Berwick Advertiser.

As well as Berwick, the rules are relevant to the towns of Wooler, Beadnell and Bamburgh, so motorists in these locations must be wary. After all, the last thing many will want is to return to their vehicle only to find they have been fined for staying too long.

A number of people in parking jobs in London especially have already been told to be on the lookout for drivers who are not obeying the rules. They will also be keeping a close eye on potential offences such as parking outside of the marked bays that have been reserved for cars.

The amount of time motorists in the region are allowed to stay on double and single yellow lines is being reduced to two minutes. This could also catch plenty of drivers out, so people must be aware that they will not be able to stay for longer than 120 seconds when pulling up at the side of the road before a traffic warden can issue a penalty notice.

Councillor John Stephenson recently addressed an audience of Berwick Town Council and said: "It's very important for people to realise that there will be strict enforcement of parking regulations. It's something I welcome but it could be expensive for those who choose to ignore it."

Northumberland County Council has come up with a total of six contravention codes designed to reduce the abuse of parking restrictions that currently take place. By clamping down even further, it is able to ensure its rules are met and those who fail to do so will contribute to its parking revenue.

Anyone who chooses to park in an area that was previously pay and display will now have to show a parking disc in their windscreen. These discs have been distributed within Berwick over the last two weeks and parking staff have been talking to locals about their impact.

Councillor Stephenson added: "We distributed 2,800 parking discs free of charge from the kiosk we had at the market on Saturday and the discs are also available in 26 shops and council buildings. It's very important that everyone takes the opportunity to get these discs over the next few days."

It is also worth noting that discs do not have to be displayed in long-stay car parks in the region. Charges will remain in place at Berwick railway station car park, although commuters can avoid this by buying an annual permit for £130.

With changes to the regulations due to be imposed and enforcement officers known to have been briefed to look for those who are offending, April could prove to be an interesting time in Berwick and a display of how effective those in parking jobs can be.