Junior to mid-level professionals leading the recruitment race

Employees with junior to mid-level experience are the focus of white-collar recruiters in July, according to the latest Michael Page Employment Index.

July completes the third month of consistently strong demand for mid level professionals, with 36% of companies surveyed hiring mostly at this level. The recruitment of junior professionals has also shown positive growth, with hiring activity at this level increasing by 13% since May 2010. Once companies have rebuilt their operational functions, it is likely that the demand for more senior level roles will rise.

Some 43% of companies surveyed planned to hire new staff in July, with a further 47% maintaining existing levels. The majority of the new hires in July will be for front line positions in areas such as sales and account management (41%). A further 24% of companies are hiring for operational functions like purchasing and supply chain, whilst 17% are increasing their back office capabilities across areas such as accounting and marketing.

The requirement for technical skills is rising in line with increased hiring activity. Some 21% of respondents reported finance as the area in which they have had the most difficulty recruiting skills for this year. People with skills in information technology were the next most difficult to recruit (14%), followed closely by human resources (13%) and sales and marketing (13%).