Employees in the North East show above average job confidence – and are demanding the pay to match it

Employees in the North East show above average job confidence – and are demanding the pay to match it

Staff across the North East are more confident in their job prospects than the national average and are expecting better pay increases than other regions as a result. That’s according to the latest Robert Half Jobs Confidence Index (JCI) – an economic confidence tracker produced in partnership with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr).

According to the data, 68% of workers in the region are confident in their job prospects this year, above the national average of 60% and higher than London (63%). When asked about their career confidence over the next five years this figure fell slightly to 56%, but remains higher than the national average of 46% and still above the capital (54%).

This is leading to higher-than-average pay expectations across the region. While on a national scale, 65% of workers expect a pay rise this year, 71% of those in the North East are confident their remuneration will increase. The level of pay expectation is also higher across the region, with an average 4.5% increase expected by employees in the North East, compared to the 3.8% national average.

Given the level of confidence noted in the workforce, it’s perhaps no surprise that almost two-thirds (65%) of those across the North East said that they would take some form of action if they did not receive the pay rise they expect. That includes negotiating other additional benefits with their employer, taking on additional freelance or part-time work or considering changing roles.

Conor McCabe, Market Director for Northern England at Robert Half, commented:

“With such high levels of job confidence reported in the North East it’s no wonder that employee pay expectations are inflated. However, for most businesses that have already faced a tough first half of the year, salary increases on the levels staff desire aren’t necessarily going to be feasible. What is interesting to note, though, is that workers in the region are interested in negotiating additional benefits packages with their employers, which could prove more cost-effective overall.”

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Steph King
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About the research

In partnership with the Centre for Economics and Business Research, the quarterly Robert Half Jobs Confidence Index is the most authoritative report on the key socio-economic factors influencing confidence in the UK labour market.

The Jobs Confidence Index (JCI) is made up of four equally weighted pillars, each measuring a factor which contributes to jobs confidence. These are:
1.Job security confidence
2.Pay confidence
3.Job search and progression confidence
4.Macroeconomic confidence

The JCI takes a positive or negative number, where numbers above zero signal that jobs confidence is higher than the long-term average, and numbers below zero show it is lower. The JCI can take any number, but it usually stands between -30 and 30, showing that confidence is close to a normal level when it is within this range.

About Robert Half

Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) is the world’s first and largest specialised talent solutions and business consulting firm, connecting highly skilled job seekers with rewarding opportunities at great companies. We offer contract talent and permanent placement solutions in the fields of finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and administrative and customer support, and we also provide executive search services. Robert Half is the parent company of Protiviti, a global consulting firm that delivers internal audit, risk, business and technology consulting solutions. In the past 12 months, Robert Half, including Protiviti, has been named one of the Fortune® Most Admired Companies™ and 100 Best Companies to Work For and a Forbes Best Employer for Diversity. Explore talent solutions, research and insights at www.roberthalf.com/gb/en.