A new report from Lincoln Recruitment reveals that while the business outlook for 2021 remains cautious, there are clear signs of optimism as companies prepare for a post-Covid-19 world.
The report was conducted amongst 1,200 employees and employers from across a wide selection of industries.
50% of those surveyed for the report believe activity levels within their organisation will increase in the next 12 months, while 29% feel positive about an economic recovery in the next six months.
Lincoln Recruitment said that a third of businesses had delayed recruiting new people last year because of ongoing economic uncertainty.
But looking ahead to 2021 and beyond, 47% of business owners said they intend to recruit permanent staff once again.
This optimism extends to salaries, with 50% of employers predicting that they will be in a position to maintain current employee salaries, while 26% actually expect to see salary increases of up to 2.5% this year.
Of the employees surveyed, 52% highlighted that they were satisfied with their current salary, with 81% feeling that their company had responded well during Covid-19.
However, the report shows that nearly one in four workers indicated that they would move to their next job in the next 12 months, suggesting a resurgence in recruitment activity this year.
In relation to flexible working and the future of work, only 9% of workers said they were in favour of a return to full office-based work in the next six to 12 months, increasing to 15% one year from now.
53% of respondents said they would prefer fully remote working for the next three to six months.
This reduced to 8% one year from now despite 49% of respondents indicating that they work more efficiently from home.
A hybrid option - a mix of office and home-based working - was the most preferred option by employees with 67% suggesting this was the best option for them for the next six to 12 months.
"While the pandemic has had an immediate and significant impact on recruitment activity in the Irish market, from pay cuts, temporary layoffs and redundancies, there is a case for optimism among employers in that these staffing changes will only last in the short-term," commented Shay Dalton, managing director of Lincoln Recruitment Specialists.
"We believe that 2021 is likely to be a year of two phases: the first will be spent focusing on stability measures from business continuity, employee safety, contingency planning, compensation and rewards and training and development," he said.
"In the second, organisations will look towards driving efficiency, business growth and performance in the post-pandemic era, and we see recruitment playing a key part in this once again," he added.
