Rank: Super forum user 
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Just a check with forum users on the job market within your respective industries as we appear to be heading out of recession.
there are clear signs in my current industry of a marked turn-around - just wondered how this compared.
I know many users are construction based and this is the traditional barometer for the economy.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I thought we were officially out of the recession with the GDP at or better than it was before 2008. If the jobs market is a reflection of the current state of industry then there are oodles of them at present.
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Rank: Super forum user
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GDP per capita is still way below 2008 levels.
Wages are still depressed, and productivity is still lower than 2008.
Growth is slower than competitors.
The country still has a rising deficit, and rising faster.
The employment figure are distorted by the large rise in self-employment (whether real or bogus).
Reasons to be cheerful (1)(2)(3).
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Rank: Super forum user 
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still growing and now allowed to grow the team.
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Rank: Forum user
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We manufacture products for the building trade and have seen the best years trading in a decade, there is a clear up turn in business and its expected to get better for us. I hope this is a sign for other industries too.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Not such a rosy picture here in Northern Ireland. Officially the economy is still 13% below the level it was at before the recession struck, and construction in particular is approximately 25% below the peak level (and little sign of recovery).
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Rank: Forum user
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Currently working in fit-out and refurb in t' north.
Our company is looking like having the best year in it's ten year history.
Taken on 3 new Project Managers since I joined in April.
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Rank: Super forum user
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We're busier than at any time in the last 7 years or so, BUT margins are still wafer-thin.
Since the last few years have been marked by such volatility, we have quite a few companies in our supply chain who suddenly and aggressively expanded to take the place of a defunct or struggling rival. Not all of them managed it in a way that maintained excellent service, so snagging issues appear to be more common. The knock-on effect of this has been the development of cleverer ways of sorting these out before they become expensive, which will benefit us whatever happens.
In my QHSE team we will have gone from 3 (full-time equivalent) people years ago to 0.2 (twice during the last 3 years) to 1.5 at the moment, soon to be 2.5.
Good luck!
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Rank: Super forum user 
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It's hard for me to say as I work in the voluntary sector and for a charity that seems to be able to raise money whatever the wider economic climate. One thing's for sure, it's starting to get impossible to get anywhere in this country again, there seems to be much more traffic on the roads lately and that must mean something,
John
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Rank: Super forum user
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Thanks so far. Good point about the traffic, I leave home on Monday & travel south returning Thursday, as Traveling on Friday is awful especially north (M6). However, it getting as bad now coming home Thursday.
If traffic is a measure things are on the up.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Things looking up?
This depends on the definition of "things".
As far as returns are concerned we have a major contractor on site that has recently taken on a Health & Safety Manager and a H&S "officer". This is on a £850 million project!!
The former receives a salary of £22K whilst the "officer" is on £19K. One has the magic post nominals whilst the other is Tech.
Disgraceful, I know - but there are many that would work for that pittance.
The market is saturated with H&S bods, yet NEBOSH and others continue to churn them out.
Time for a cull I guess.
Jon
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Rank: Super forum user
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From my personal experience construction in London is extremely busy at the moment. Only problem is employers seem reluctant to recruit safety personnel to make up for the staff they got rid of during the downturn or to increase salaries for existing staff to make up for the five year pay freeze. Hence a vastly increased workload compared to 6 years ago with no visible benefits.
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Rank: Super forum user
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We have just been told that we are cutting back further (We are going into a "joint venture" soon and need to be slimmed down).
In 2009 we had 3 full time H&S bods plus 1 part time assistant to look after 700 hundred staff (working in labs and out in the field).
Following a reorganisation we went up to 900 staff (mainly in the field) and only 2 fulltime H&S bods plus one part time.
The current plan after slimming down will be: 1 fully qualified H&S person looking after 500 (mainly) lab staff.
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Rank: Super forum user
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I work in construction and in the last six months I have certainly noticed a marked upturn in the number and size of projects which I have and the number of approaches that I have had from agencies, however this needs to be balanced against a distorted by Pre-General election spend, salaries do appear to be 20% lower than they were five years ago and that many CDM-C have retired or left the role.
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