Manufacturing and effective resourcing

Manufacturing remains strong with the Manufacturer publication reporting a contribution by the manufacturing sector of £6.7 trillion to the global economy. The UK is reported to be the 11th largest manufacturing nation with manufacturing making up 54% of UK exports and employing 2.6 Million people*.

Brachers’ manufacturing clients are showing strong growth and looking to ensure that their workforces meet the need for increased demand but in a way that supports sustainable business growth. Employers are looking at a variety of means of supporting such growth and whilst zero hours contracts have attracted negative publicity, a properly structured contract can benefit both an individual and a company by providing experienced labour at times which enable employees to balance other commitments, such as childcare.

Voluntary or compulsory overtime has traditionally provided a means by which businesses can increase their capacity. Recent developments in relation to holiday pay mean that in many cases, regular overtime now has to be included in holiday pay calculations and this has provided some challenges for employers. This is both in terms of funding an additional cost which might not have been budgeted for but also in identifying which employees might be eligible and carrying out the calculations which have to be done on an individual basis. Many payroll systems do not yet offer an automated solution to these legal developments.

Business are looking to outsource non-core functions; for example, catering, cleaning, building and security and this use of flexible resourcing can offer a cost effective solution. As an illustration, Brachers’ separate HR consultancy arm (Kent HR) offers HR services on a flexible basis, enabling businesses to access HR support as required, rather than having the on-going cost of an employed HR manager.

Statistics by Sector*

Automotive

• £27bn revenue in 2011
• 720,000 people employed across the industry
• More than 75,000 young people employed as apprentices over the last 5 years

Construction

• 88,000 new job opportunities yearly
• 1 in 14 of the UK workforce works in construction

Electronics

• £78bn a year
• Over 850,000 employees
• 2.9% of the UK’s workforce

Food and Drink

• £76bn turnover
• 400,000 workers domestically
• 15% of the manufacturing workforce

How we can help

Brachers and Kent HR can assist businesses in reviewing workforce arrangements, contractual arrangements and holiday pay obligations. Fact sheets and additional information can be obtained found here along with information about our regular training which includes sector focused events. For further information please contact Catherine Daw on 01622 655291 or catherinedaw@brachers.co.uk if you would like to discuss how we might be able to help.

*Statistics taken from the Manufacturer

This content is correct at time of publication