Great Britain: employers look for alternatives to laying managers off

How do businesses adjust to the economic crisis? According to the 2009 survey carried out by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the CELRE (the salary survey specialist), employers tend to redistribute skills within the company. The transfer of engineers increased of 10% in one year; 16.7% of top executives were transferred while 4.2% were fired. The same trend is true for junior executives – 18.3% were transferred and 3.5% dismissed. “It is encouraging to see employers looking for ways to avoid redundancy” said Lord John Eatwell, chief economist at the CMI, who observes that “employers are finally beginning to recognize that retaining competence is a far more cost-effective option than rebuilding a talented team from scratch.” He nevertheless afraid that businesses will have to lay off more if the recession continues.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

id Lord John Eatwell, chief economist at the CMI, who observes that “employers are finally beginning to recognize that retaining competence is a far more cost-effective option than rebuilding a talented team from scratch.” He nevertheless afraid that businesses will have to lay off more if the recession continues.

Key elements go elsewhere. However, the CMI’s survey underlines another aspect of British employment due to the crisis: many employers complain that they are having a hard time keepin

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Germany: crisis and transformation wage agreement in the chemical sector
Following a two-day marathon negotiation in Bad Breisig (Western Germany), the social partners of the German chemical and pharmaceutical industries—the IG BCE trade union and the BAVC employers'...
27 March 2026
Malta: a draft amendment to better protect against workplace harassment
The news. On 23 February 2026, the Maltese government introduced a draft amendment to the Employment and Industrial Relations Act, seeking to expand the scope of protection against workplace...
Italy: parental leave extended until the child’s 14th birthday
The 2026 Italian Finance Act has extended optional parental leave, which can now be taken until the child is 14 years old, up from 12 previously. This leave has a maximum duration of 10 or 11...
Germany: launch of the “WE-Fair” alliance for binational training of skilled foreign workers
Germany continues to expand and diversify its initiatives to attract skilled foreign labour from outside the EU. In mid-March 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development...
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Netherlands: new government seeks to “control” social costs
In his government policy statement to Parliament on 25 February, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced several measures designed to "control" social costs. Notably, he proposed raising the...
2
Spain: a bill to regulate internships
On 3 March, the Council of Ministers approved the bill on the “Status for persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies”. The text limits the number of interns a company can...
3
Germany: launch of the “WE-Fair” alliance for binational training of skilled foreign workers
Germany continues to expand and diversify its initiatives to attract skilled foreign labour from outside the EU. In mid-March 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development...
4
EU: co-legislators aim to pivot European Globalisation Adjustment Fund towards restructuring anticipation
On 25 February, the Council of the EU and the Parliament reached an agreement on the Commission’s proposed regulation to expand the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Under the...
5
Block to slash workforce by nearly half
The news. In his latest shareholder letter, Jack Dorsey, CEO of payment service provider Block (formerly Square), announced plans to slash the company’s workforce “by nearly half, from...