Firms waste millions on workshy youngsters

Young people donít like hard work and want too much money, according to Britainís small business bosses. In fact, most of them would rather employ older staff because they work harder and are more reliable, a new report by Abbey National business reveals.

Research by Abbey National business found that British firms spend millions of pounds every year trying to find the right staff. Yet good quality candidates are thin on the ground and half of Britainís companies say it is difficult to get suitable workers.

Small business bosses are particularly disappointed with the quality of young jobseekers, with over a quarter (28%) branding them as poor. But the picture gets worse:
56% say young employees donít want to work very hard
52% believe young staff want too much money
67% believe young people want more glamorous jobs than those on offer
42% say young jobseekersí wage expectations are too high

In fact bosses are so disappointed with young staff that nearly two thirds (64%) of businesses would rather choose older employees because they are more reliable and work harder.

On average small UK businesses1 have to recruit new staff six times a year, paying out an average of 764 in recruitment fees and advertising costs each time. Bigger companies, with between 50 and 250 employees, spend nearly just over 1,800 for every position they have to fill.

Gary Hockey-Morley, Director of Abbey National business, says: ìYoung people are the future of British business, but it is clear that there are many negative perceptions about them in the job market.

ìAlthough bosses are some of the hardest working people in the country they are not recruitment professionals and rely on gut instinct. Thatís why they often choose older, more mature staff. However, young people need to be even more professional in interviews and recruiters have to work to overcome gut feel. The Abbey National business recruitment guides will help bosses find the right staff, young and old, to ensure their business grow and thrive.î

Abbey National business is offering a series of free recruitment guides on its website www.anbusiness.com that are available to everyone, even if they are not Abbey National business customers.
The guides cover important topics such as:
When to recruit to meet your business needs
Preparing a detailed job description
Ways to attract the right candidates
Good interviewing techniques
How to select the right person for the job

Other key findings from the Abbey National business research:
The north east has the lowest opinion of young staff
ñ 68% of bosses in the region say young jobseekers donít want to work very hard
Older workers are most popular in the Midlands and the east where 68% of bosses in the region would employ them over younger staff
The Midlands and the east has the highest turnover of staff recruiting 6.7 times a year, compared with the lowest in the north east who recruit 5 times a year
The Midlands and the east spends the most on each new recruitment at 1,245 per job ñ the north east spends the least at only 220 for each position