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The Sunday Times

Mandis Index

Media Coverage

In addition to being the data compiler for The Sunday Times Agony Index, Mandis is often referenced in the media as a respected source of business intelligence data.

A selection of these can be viewed by clicking the links below:-

 

 

 

Recruitment Consultant - Published September 14, 2007

JCI figures - Over 25,000 jobs created in August

Over 25,130 jobs were created across the UK’s 21 key industries in August according to the latest Job Creation Index (JCI) from Adecco and Mandis – two per cent down on the same period in 2006.

Commenting on the results René Schuster, CEO Adecco Group, UK & Ireland, said, “August 2007 may have seen a slight overall decrease in job creation compared to this time last year, but over half of the sectors scored a positive JCI and those that scored a negative result were only marginal. A number of key sectors such as consumer goods manufacturing and textiles have seen strong scores contributing to an overall healthy month.

This month’s findings add strength to recent news that the manufacturing sector has reported the fastest growth rate in 15 years. This is a great result and reflects the strength and breadth of talent within the UK industry. The manufacturing landscape in Britain has often been associated with large-scale production, but on closer inspection it’s those smaller, niche manufacturers, which have in fact contributed significantly to this strong growth.

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People Management - Published August 8, 2007

27,000 new jobs - Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index

More than 27,000 jobs were created across the UK’s key industries in July, a 7% decrease on July 2006. The health and social care sector recorded the biggest increase in job creation compared with last year, with 86 jobs created, up from six.

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People Management - Published July 12, 2007

28,000 jobs were created across the UK in June

More than 28,000 jobs were created across the UK’s 21 key industries in June 2007, a 43% decrease on the rise in June 2006. The Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Medical Products and Biological Sector recorded the biggest increase in Job Creation compared with last year with 204 jobs being created up from 32.

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Recruitment Consultant - Published July 11, 2007

28, 037 positions created says Mandis/Adecco study

Over 28,037 jobs were created across the UK’s 21 key industries in June 2007. This is according to The Mandis/ Adecco Job creation Index.

This figure is down by 43 per cent when compared to job creation in June 2006, but a number of sectors have seen a strong performance including the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sector, which recorded a Job creation index of 538.

René Schuster, CEO of Adecco Group UK & Ireland, said, 'June 2007 has seen a dip in job creation compared to this time last year. Few areas have reported an increase in job creation whilst a number of the industries have had significant declines according to the figures provided by Mandis. However, there were some admirable improvements in the number of jobs for some sectors when compared to last year, particularly chemicals and pharmaceutical and media, marketing and publishing industries, which have really excelled this month.'

Philip Arnold, director of Mandis, commented, “Although the JCI has decreased overall by 43 per cent compared to June 2006, some areas have shown large percentage increases compared to the previous year. However, it should be noted that except for leisure and recreation, the JCI figures were fairly low during the same month in 2006.

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Recruiter Magazine - Published June 7, 2007

39,000 jobs were created across the UK

More than 39,000 jobs were created across the UK’s 21 key industries in May 2007, down 19% on last years figure, according to The Mandis/ Adecco Job Creation Index. The Index showed that May’s best performing sector were energy and utilities, health and social care and leisure and recreation.

The month’s poor performers were media, marketing and publishing and chemicals and pharmaceuticals. René Schuster (pictured), Adecco chief executive UK & Ireland, says: 'May 2007 appears to be a relatively quiet month, with most areas reporting a significant decline in job creation intentions. However, there were some industries that gave very promising performances and we have seen significant spites in sectors such as leisure and recreation, which are impacted by seasonal change and investment.'
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Recruitment Consultant - Published May 9, 2007

28,000 jobs created in April

Over 28,000 jobs were created across the UK’s 21 key industries last month according to the latest Job Creation Index (JCI) from Adecco/Mandis.

The figure is down by 16 per cent when compared to job creation in April 2006 largely due to the fact that the previous two months have seen exceptional performances from a number of sectors.

April 2007 appeared to be a relatively quiet month, with most sectors seeing a significant decline in job creation intentions but the month still saw some strong performers, with overall performance being driven again by the chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical products and biotechnology sectors.

The JCI figures are determined by comparing the number of jobs created within UK industrial sectors each month with the number of jobs created for the corresponding month in the previous year. The JCI figure shows individual industry performance, measured as a percentage above or below the number of jobs created from a year ago.

René Schuster, Adecco's CEO UK & Ireland, said: 'Although there has been a significant decrease in number of job creations in April 2007, this followed exceptional performances over the past two months and the same month last year. Despite the fact that this month the figures from Mandis indicate a general downturn in job creation, we are confident that as the year progresses we will see a number of sectors recruiting steadily.'

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People Management - Published April 5, 2007

34,000 jobs were created across the UK in February

More than 34,200 jobs were created across the UK’s 21 key industries in February 2007, a 2% rise on February 2006. The Insurance and Pension Sector recorded the biggest increase in Job Creation compared with last year with 155 jobs being created up from 6 in the same month last year.

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The Sunday Times - July 3, 2005

Gloomy outlook puts base rate in balance

This week's interest-rate decision by the Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) is on a knife-edge, amid further evidence that the economy is weakening. Although most economists expect the Bank to delay a cut until August, some City traders predict a move this week.

The latest British Retail Consortium-KPMG retail sales monitor - which is published on Tuesday - will show shop sales continued to fall last month. Like-for-like sales are understood to have fallen by nearly 1% in June compared with a year earlier, after a 2.4% dip the previous month. The downturn in consumer spending has produced a sharp shift in interest-rate expectations, which has undermined the pound. Sterling dropped to $1.77 on Friday evening.

Another sign the economy is in difficulty comes from the Sunday Times-Mandis "agony" index, which monitors corporate distress among 100,000 businesses as reflected in redundancies, profit warnings, weak trading statements, plant closures, spending cuts and restructuring. In the first six months the index showed a 20.7% rise over the same period in 2004 and more corporate distress than at any time since 2000.

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www.employersjobs.com    9th March 2005

Job Creation Index sees more than 42,000 jobs created in February 05

New figures for job creation reveal healthy state of employment market. The Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index (JCI) has revealed that more than 42,000 jobs were created across the UK's 21 key industries in February 2005, bringing fresh impetus to online job searches. This represents an increase of 47 per cent on figures for February 2004. The retail and consumer goods sectors led the way with almost 14,000 jobs created across the two industries last month. They were followed by finance and banking, which together created 4,431 new positions, and technology, which saw the JCI rise by 309 points.

"February has been a positive month for job creation with a number of sectors emerging as front-runners," Richard MacMillan, Adecco's managing director, told onrec.com. "Consumer goods, retail and finance and banking have all demonstrated strong growth potential and it will be interesting to follow this as the year progresses and see whether they can generate the same success seen in 2004." The two sectors which saw a downturn in job creation, according to the JCI, were insurance and pensions, which dropped by 81 points, and the telecommunications industry, which decreased by 79.

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Press Association February 14 2005

UK BUSINESS 'IN GOOD SHAPE'

UK business is in good shape despite the turbulence currently being felt in the housing and retail sectors, new figures showed today. Business advisory firm KPMG said the number of negative alerts - such as profits warnings or the announcement of redundancies or significant restructuring - fell 14% in the final three months of 2004. 
A total of 1,154 warnings in the final quarter compared with 1,339 warnings during the same period a year ago and came despite higher borrowing costs and the rapid increase in oil and other commodity prices. Recovery was fastest in the telecoms and IT sector where firms made 60% fewer profits warnings at the end of last year as the benefits of investment in new technology began to filter through. Problems facing retailers were laid bare by the survey, which showed a 46% rise in the number of warnings in the sector in the run-up to Christmas. 
A total of 108 warnings were recorded, up from 74 a year ago, as retailers suffered from the impact of five interest rate rises in 13 months on the spending habits of shoppers. Overall, Philip Davidson, head of restructuring at KPMG said the figures compiled for KPMG by Mandis Information Services were "encouraging news" that went against a trend of recent surveys showing profits warnings were on the up in the UK. "It clearly shows that sentiment across large listed, privately owned and smaller UK businesses is improving," he said.

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The Independent 12 February 2005

How to get a head start in the race for your dream job

If you are looking for a new job, there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful. Unemployment is at its lowest level in the UK since 1971, and opportunities are plentiful. According to the Office for National Statistics, the average number of job vacancies for the three months to December 2004 was 648,800. This was up 44,900 over the year. 

So far, so good, but these statistics do not tell the whole story. There is also a trend towards people moving jobs frequently to improve their prospects. According to the latest Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index, six million people are planning to change jobs in the next 12 months. That means that competition for plum positions has never been fiercer. Clawing your way up the career ladder is also getting harder. Vacancies for senior positions may attract fewer candidates, but standards are expected to be higher. Globalisation has also upped the ante. Applicants may now find that they are expected to compete with hot shots from the Hague and whizz-kids from Washington.

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The Times January 27, 2005

Students say the outlook is bright

82% of students are confident that they'll land a job when they graduate and predict that they will earn just over £19,000. They might be deluding themselves, however. Financial Times (Jan 24) reports that last year there were 260,000 graduates and 80,000 graduate-level jobs - and just 15,000 on formal graduate development programmes. Students wanting to improve their job prospects should consider construction. If getting dirty doesn't appeal, then the latest Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index shows that healthcare and retail are boom employment areas, media and marketing aren't

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The Sunday Times January 2, 2005

Economy has 14th year of growth

The economy is heading for its 14th successive year of growth, forecasters say, but the housing market faces a prolonged period of stagnation. The latest Sunday Times Mandis Agony Index shows that 12% fewer companies got into difficulty last year compared with 2003. The index monitors corporate distress from a database of more than 100,000 firms compiled by Mandis Information Services, Nottingham. Last year 4,834 companies got into difficulty, the lowest number since 2000. Britain's expected expansion of between 2.5% and 3%, just below the Treasury's forecast of 3% to 3.5%, will mark the continuation of a growth run that began as long ago as 1992. On Friday Britain completed a record 50 successive quarters of continuous growth. This will also be the 12th year in a row in which Britain has outstripped euroland in economic growth, according to Citigroup. It attributes Britain's superior performance to a higher proportion of people employed in so-called knowledge-intensive industries.

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The Guardian December 18, 2004

Guardian Jobs and Money Pages : Work in progress

Employers this week welcomed the government's refusal to scrap a standard retirement age. Ministers said the standard retirement age will be set at 65 and reviewed after five years, when the EU Directive on Age Discrimination is introduced in October 2007. Workers will be permitted to request staying on beyond this compulsory retirement age, although employers will have the right to refuse. Abolishing a standard retirement age would have allowed older workers to continue working beyond 65 and retain their employment rights to sick pay and redundancy. More than 48,900 jobs were created across the UK's 21 key industries last month, signalling the impact of the festive season as key sectors staff up to meet consumer demand. According to the Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index for November, sectors with a Christmas twist - retailing, leisure and transport - accounted for more than 60% of new jobs. The upward trend in the headline rate of inflation is starting to trickle down to pay settlements, according to the latest analysis of pay deals by IDS. The average pay rise climbed to 3.1% in the three months to October 2004, the first change in this measure since autumn last year.

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The Guardian November 13, 2004

Guardian Jobs & Money Pages: Work in progress

More than 41,000 jobs have been created across the UK's 21 key industrial sectors according to the latest Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index. Around eight out of every 10 new jobs created last month were in the service sector and, when taken together, healthcare, leisure and hospitality, retailing and transport made up 62% of this total. Just 19% were in the manufacturing sector. The data is gathered through research into the employment intentions of 500 leading UK organisations.

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The Business October 10, 2004

Economic growth forecasts cut as UK profits warnings surge

Leading financial institutions are downgrading their 2004 UK economic growth forecasts as a series of poor surveys out this weekend confirms the economy is slowing. Goldman Sachs has cut its third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast to 0.5%, less than the 0.9% predicted by the Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC). JP Morgan now sees only 0.4% growth in the third quarter, and has cut its full-year forecast from 3.4% to 3.1%. The first cut in UK interest rates is now expected in August 2005, sooner than previously forecast, a poll of top UK economists from Ideaglobal out this weekend reveals. The price of a barrel of oil is expected to stabilise at $ 45 (£ 25.2, E36.4) by the end of the fourth quarter, its poll of analysts also predicts, a development which will further hit the global economy. In the UK, this will boost chancellor Gordon Brown's tax revenues but cut consumption and corporate profits. An unexpected 0.8% collapse in UK industrial production in August, the third consecutive monthly reduction in output, was the main reason for the downgrades. The only good news is a fall in the value of sterling which is giving UK exporters a much-needed boost. But some economists are warning that Office for National Statistics (ONS) data could be utterly misleading and may be revised up. If this happens, calls for serious reform of the statistical body are bound to grow. John Butler, UK economist at HSBC, said: "The UK industrial performance over the past few years as well as the past few quarters has been the worst in the G7 and the bizarre gap between the survey evidence and the official data continues to widen." Profit warnings from UK-listed companies are also surging, a report from Ernst and Young reveals. The number of profit warnings doubled in the third quarter, compared to the same quarter of 2003. Warnings were up 15% compared with the second quarter, the worst result since the first quarter of 2003. After a surge of 38 in September, the survey recorded 74 profit warnings between July and September. This was up from the 64 warnings issued during the second quarter of 2004, and nearly double the figure for the same period in 2003. Companies in the household goods and textiles sector issued the highest number of warnings, followed by general retailers, and media and entertainment companies. Companies issuing a warning saw their share price fall by an average of 15% during the subsequent day's trading. The labour market is also suffering, according to the latest monthly jobs creation index from Adecco and Mandis. Their poll of 500 companies across 21 industries registered a 33% collapse, with only 22,909 jobs being created in September 2004, down from 34,305 in September 2003.

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The Guardian October 9, 2004

Guardian Jobs and Money Pages - Work in progress

More than 22,909 jobs have been created across 21 key UK industries, with a noticeable rise within the energy sector. According to the Adecco UK's monthly job creation index, the hospitality sector also saw continued success. The JCI figures compare the jobs created each month with those created during the same month in the previous year. The JCI data, which is collated by Mandis Business Intelligence and sponsored by Adecco, analyses employment intentions of 500 leading UK organisations.

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Scotland on Sunday October 3, 2004

More firms look on bright side as level of negative signals plummets

The number of Scottish companies making negative announcements has fallen to its lowest monthly level for two and a half years. There were 26 such announcements in August - the lowest number since the 16 reported in February 2002, which continues the downward trend throughout this year. The figures, compiled by Mandis Information Services Ltd in Nottingham for KPMG Corporate Recovery, reveal the number of businesses making negative announcements of any kind, including profit warnings, redundancies and significant restructuring. The general engineering and manufacturing figures - often a broad barometer of where the economy is heading, showed a year-on-year decrease from 18 per cent in Q2 2003 to 3 per cent in Q2 of 2004. This has continued, with only three warnings reported during August. 
Blair Nimmo, head of KPMG Corporate Recovery in Scotland, said: "Despite recent interest rate rises, there is a real feeling that the business climate is improving. As the figures demonstrate, Scotland's engineering and manufacturing sectors are showing further signs of recovery, with many reporting increased order books and employment." While most other industry sectors saw warnings remain flat, the electronics and textiles sectors also saw significant decreases on a quarterly basis. The only sectors that had an increase in negative warnings during August are those in the food services and agriculture and fisheries industries, with five warnings each during August. 
Nimmo said: "The figures suggest that Scotland's electronics and textile companies have entered a new mature era, as the financial and operational restructurings of the past few years begin to pay dividends. Companies must focus on sustaining the business models they have put in place to ensure future growth. "The sectors showing increases - certainly those in agriculture - are still suffering the fallout from the many issues faced in recent years, as we've seen with SBF Agrico, Dundas Brothers and Scotpigs this year." Despite the optimism expressed in the KPMG figures, a survey due out tomorrow from the CBI is expected to show a downturn in confidence spreading to the financial services sector due to the rises in interest rates and a slowdown in business volumes.

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Printing World September 16, 2004

August increase in job creation

August has seen the first positive increase in job creation since April with a 21% increase. According to the Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index the month also saw continued growth in the Paper, Packaging and Printing sector. The figures are determined by comparing the number of jobs created for the corresponding month in the previous year.

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EGi Web News August 12, 2004

Drop in company warnings reflects growing confidence

The number of warnings made by companies fell by 25% during the second quarter of the year despite rising interest rates, according to a report by accountant KPMG. KPMG Restructuring said there were 1,005 negative warnings, such as profits warnings or the announcement of redundancies or significant restructuring, during the three months to the end of June. It said this compared with 1,349 warnings during the first three months of the year and 1,357 warnings during the second quarter of 2003. The number of warnings made by general manufacturing and engineering firms, which are often seen as a barometer of where the economy is heading, halved during the period to 76, down from 158 during the same months of 2003. These firms also made 41% fewer warnings than during the first quarter of the year, when there were 128 negative warnings. Philip Davidson, head of KPMG Restructuring, said: "Despite recent interest rate rises, there is a real feeling that the market is on the up. "As the figures demonstrate, general engineering and manufacturing are showing that they may have come through the worst of their problems. "We have also seen a significant decline in figures in areas such as the West Midlands which are traditionally manufacturing focused, as UK businesses continue to perform well in the wider European marketplace." He added that for manufacturing firms the financial and operational restructuring they had carried out over the past few years was beginning to pay dividends as productivity improved. Firms in the electronics sector also reported a substantial decrease in warnings, with 52 warnings made during the second quarter, 46% fewer than during the first three months of the year and 56% less than during the same period of 2003. However, retailers continued to struggle, with companies making 101 warnings during the quarter, down only fractionally on the 116 issued during the previous three months, and the 113 made in the second quarter of 2003. Davidson said: "It is likely that the recent interest rises will put additional pressure on consumer spending and continue to hit sales growth. "However, from the perspective of companies servicing debt, interest rates would have to move a lot higher to have any impact." The figures, which were compiled for KPMG by Mandis Information Services, found that during the second quarter of the year the highest number of warnings came from London-based firms at 257, followed by those in the North West at 126. But firms in the West Midlands made just 51 warnings, down from 89 in the first quarter of the year and 102 during the same period of 2003.

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The Business - August 8, 2004

Rates bite into new homes market

Prices of new homes in the UK have started to fall as higher interest rates chased away buyers, a survey out this weekend reveals. The average price of a new property in July was £ 276,442 (E420,200, $ 505,000) down 0.6% over the last month and up by only 4.9% over the past 12 months, according to Smartnewhomes.com. David Bexton, chief executive of Smartnewhomes.com, said: 'The Bank of England's tactics to slow down the market are working and taking effect on new homes. Homebuyers are running scared from the consistent rate rises and dropping out of the market.' Higher interest rates have also started to dampen business optimism, a quarterly survey from the Institute of Directors will reveal on Monday. The balance of directors more, rather than less, optimistic about their company's prospects slipped to 40% from 46%. But 72% of directors questioned said their companies were doing well, up 1% on the previous survey. Graeme Leach, chief economist at the Institute, said: 'Despite a fall this quarter, business optimism remains well above the levels seen over the past two years. Given the recent interest rate increases to 4.75%, a fall in optimism was probably inevitable.' There is also new evidence that recruitment is slowing. The Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index, which tracks 21 industries, registered a 4% drop in the number of jobs created in July 2004 against July 2003. The vehicles and associated equipment and the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors were the worst performers last month. The Bank of England is nevertheless expected to unveil an upbeat quarterly inflation report this week, after buoyant 0.9% economic growth in the second quarter.

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Manchester Evening News - May 31, 2004

REGION SETS BAD EXAMPLE

National retail figures for this quarter remained at a high level compared to those recorded at the same time last year, when there were adverse effects because of the war in Iraq and SARS. In line with that trend, the retail sector produced the highest number of warnings across the region, with a total of 17 announcements. Among the north west retailers having a tough time in the first quarter of this year was Bury-based JD Sports. In January the company said Christmas trading had been weak and that margins had been squeezed. It is now undergoing a strategic review under the new leadership of former finance director Peter Cowgill and chief executive Barry Bown. The figures, compiled by Mandis Information Services for KPMG Restructuring, report the number of businesses making negative announcements of any kind including profit warnings, redundancies and significant restructuring. Tony Lumb, director with KPMG Restructuring in the north west said: "Retailers are once again not finding it easy to make profits this quarter, as margins remain under pressure and keen pricing is required by consumers.

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Personnel Today - May 11, 2004

JOB CREATION INDICATORS

Job creation in the UK food and drink, technology and pharmaceutical sectors has seen some encouraging growth compared to this time last year, according to the latest Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index (JCI). The JCI figures are determined by comparing the number of jobs created in a sector each month with the number created the previous year. The figure shows performance measured as a percentage above or below the number created a year ago.

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Nottingham Evening Post - February 17, 2004

140,000 CASH BOOST FOR CITY DATA SERVICE

Mandis was originally set up as a management consultancy ten years ago, but managing director Ray Murphy developed it into a subscription-based information service. Now it is to invest in new software which will help grow its service nationally and internationally. The lion's share of the investment - £ 125,000 - has been made by Catapult Venture Managers through the East Midlands Venture Capital Fund. A further £ 15,000 has come from non executive chairman Andrew Brode. Mandis, which is based in Front Street, Arnold, gives its subscribers bulletins - via the internet - containing reports about change and activity in the UK's top 100,000 companies. The information can be used to detect everything from sales leads to potential merger and acquisition targets. The company's information-gathering and sifting system has been developed in-house over the last four years, and the material it gathers has also been used to develop two spin-offs. These are ExecuBank, which assists individuals with career change, and Hidden Careers, a business information package aimed at students which is sold to universities and colleges. With the cash injection, Mandis will be able to market its services more widely and develop the software and technologies necessary to offer clients a continuously updated picture of UK corporate health. Mr Murphy first approached Catapult a year ago, and in the following months they talked over detailed business plans in the following months. Catapult also helped find a new chairman in Andrew Brode, who is an information industry expert. "The funding has two key purposes," said Mr Murphy. "Firstly to allow Mandis to step up the marketing of our unique business information service across the UK and internationally. "Secondly, to help develop the second generation of business intelligence software and processing capabilities to meet the enormous demand from the private and public sector for accurate, up-to-date, detailed information about the health of corporate UK at a sector and regional level. "These new services will be delivered on subscription over the internet and the complexity and time of their development will give Mandis an important, sustainable competitive advantage which we fully intend to exploit." Mike Piper, a director of Catapult, completed the investment deal with Mandis and paid tribute to its strong management and growth potential. He added: "We were pleased to be able to introduce a highly experienced chairman who not only has vast knowledge of this sector but has also recently floated his own business on the London stock market. "We welcome approaches from other well-managed young businesses that aspire to similar levels of success."

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Scotland on Sunday - February 15, 2004

POSITIVE DATA SHOWS FIGHTING FIT ECONOMY

New figures are revealed today showing a sharp fall in Scottish company failures. The data will be seen as further confirmation that the economy is in a much stronger position than has previously been reported. According to accountancy firm KPMG, the number of liquidations in Scotland during the final quarter of last year fell by 36 per cent on the same period a year ago. The number of receiverships was down 30 per cent. Further analysis by Nottingham-based Mandis Information Services of the number of Scottish businesses making negative announcements of any kind, including profit warnings, redundancies and significant restructuring, showed that negative warnings are at their lowest since the second quarter of 2002. Blair Nimmo, head of KPMG Corporate Recovery in Scotland, said the figures on company failures reflected a "substantial decline" and showed the corporate sector was in generally good health. "Throughout 2003 we have seen a marked reduction in the number of Scottish businesses failing," he said. "Most of the signals we are seeing at the moment are pointing in the right direction. Of course, you have to be careful not to draw too many conclusions, but in this case we are seeing a dramatic drop." But Nimmo said the figures did come with a slight health warning in that the fourth quarter of 2002 saw a relatively high number of receiverships and liquidations - in excess of 200.

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Utility Week  - January 9, 2004

Jobs outlook takes a dive

Employer confidence in Britain's utility sector for the first three months of 2004 is lower than this time last year - even though a report before Christmas was optimistic about job prospects. Research company Mandis-Adecco reported in November that utilities were experiencing a jobs boom as they took on staff to deal with the consequences of impending cold winter weather. But the latest employment outlook survey from workforce management company Manpower said seasonal staffing-up was tailing off. Its net employment outlook, calculated by subtracting those employers who plan to reduce staffing levels from those who plan to hire staff, was plus-5 per cent for utilities in the first quarter of this year. This compares with a national average across all sectors of plus-9 per cent. This is down 8 percentage points on the same quarter last year and down 4 points on the previous quarter. The most positive industry sector was transport, scoring plus-15. The poorest performer was manufacturing at plus-3 points.

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Aberdeen Press and Journal - January 3, 2004

Expected Surge In UK Employment Will Create Major HR Challenge

The monthly job creation index produced by business information specialist Mandis and employment services firm Adecco said a decrease in job creation last month compared to November added weight to the argument that companies were 'writing-off' December because of the ever-lengthening festive period. Richard Macmillan, managing director of Adecco UK and Ireland said: "Many sectors saw a predictable drop in job creation as things wound down for the holiday period. "In December, we saw the utilities sector continue its seasonal upturn as energy consumption increased, however, the most promising finding was the strong increases in the technology and insurance and pension sectors. Looking at our own data in the UK, we are now starting to see job creation outstripping placements, which has started to put upwards pressure on wages - a further sign that things are improving." He said 2003 had been a very positive year in terms of overall job creation and said 2004 looked to be even stronger.

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The Times (London) - December 11, 2003, Thursday

Employment positions in November

The British food, drink and tobacco industry, and entertainment and leisure sectors both saw big increases in new employment positions in November while healthcare, and printing and packaging industries both suffered, according to the monthly Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index.

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Daily Post (Liverpool) - November 19, 2003

MERSEY ECONOMY IS ON THE MEND

A Crucial litmus test of Merseyside's economic health last night pointed to a growing recovery in the business community. Figures released by KPMG Restructuring showed there were fewer warnings from Merseyside business in the third quarter of 2003. The survey by the global accountancy firm comes just days after the Daily Post revealed Merseyside's dole queue is at its lowest level for 30 years. That followed even more studies showing a grow-ing confidence in economic growth across Liverpooland Merseyside. KPMG Restructuring counts the number of negative warnings from major businesses as an indicator of the economic wellbeing. It includes profit warnings issued in advance of company results, notices of redundancies and other factors indicating a negative connotation. 
Brian Green, partner with KPMG Restructuring in Liverpool, said last night: " The figures are encouraging as they show sectors that have been badly hit over the last couple of years, such as transport and travel and utilities are starting to recover." In Merseyside and the North West, the number of warnings fell 26pc from 135 in the second quarter of 2003 to 100 in the third quarter. The figures, compiled for KPMG Restructuring by Mandis Information Services report the number of businesses making negative announcements of any kind including profit warnings, redundancies and significant restructuring . 
Mr Green added: "Across many sectors, the figures indicate there is a degree of recovery in the air. However, with interest rates now on an upward trend, the outlook for businesses is far from secure. "The good news for retailers with the third quarter's decline in negative warnings is tempered by the prospect of tougher market conditions as they gear up for the crucial Christmas period. Retailers appear to have overcome the problems of the beginning of the year, but are now faced with the dilemma posed by doubts over consumer confidence. With the latest retail figures showing the rate of sales growth slowing and the recent interest rates rise indicating the Bank of England's concern over the levels of consumer debt, trading conditions look set to get tougher. "In a sector where competition remains fierce, a fall in consumer spending could lead to another rise in reported cases in the New Year."

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