The top priorities for HR this year

Productivity in the UK has fallen yet again, according to figures from The Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In the first quarter of 2017, productivity fell by 0.5%, with UK slowdown the largest in the G7 group of leading economies.

Furthermore, the ONS report found that whilst UK employment has risen – salaries have fallen by 0.2% over the last three months. Compounding this is the latest CIPD/The Adecco Group Labour Market Outlook, which suggests that austerity will continue to affect businesses, as organisations say that their median pay increases will be just one per cent for the next twelve months.

One way to prevent an exodus of talent and improve staff productivity is through offering opportunities to learn new skills. Sheila Attwood, Pay and HR practice Managing Editor at XpertHR, explains: “Learning and development has emerged as the top issue for HR professionals across all sectors for the first time in the 15 years that we’ve been running our annual survey.