Although July’s unemployment figures from the ONS showed that female unemployment had reached its highest level in 15 years, a new study from Robert Half suggests that opportunities for women are increasing.

The research suggests that women, including those working through umbrella companies, have increasing opportunities, particularly when it comes to career advancement and remuneration.

78% of the HR directors who contributed to the study said they do not believe women are at a disadvantage to men in the workplace. Of those who do not believe men and women are equal in the workplace, 50% say family commitments cause the imbalance.

The MD of Robert Half UK, Phil Sheridan, said it was encouraging to see that most HR directors do not see men as having an advantage over women at work, but more still needs to be done.

Organisations should review their remuneration and succession plans regularly to make sure women receive fair and equal treatment, with policies that take personal and family commitments into consideration.

He went on to say that firms can help to break the glass ceiling by nurturing the talents of strong women early in their careers and putting in place diversity programmes that have been specifically tailored towards women.

Currently, only 41% of HR directors have, or plan to implement, advancement programmes specifically tailored for women. Out of those who do, 93% think they are an effective way to help women become professionally equal with men. This would suggest that these policies could prove a good branding opportunity for employers to attract women candidates.

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Robert Walters, a specialist recruitment agency, says that the HR sector is now actively looking for people with human resources and corporate responsibility skills. This should come as positive news for contractors who possess the requisite skill set.

The agency notes that they have noticed an increase in the number of vacancies in learning and development, staff with expertise in compensation and benefits and generalist HR workers.

Martyn Wright, the MD of Robert Walter’s HR division, said that this trend shows that companies are now focusing more on the need to retain their key talent.

This view is backed up by a recent survey of 194 HR managers in the financial services sector in the Capital. Morgan McKinley carried out a telephone survey and found that the top priority for 42% of managers is the structure of remuneration packages and pay rates, while 41% felt that headhunting by competitors is their second most significant concern. 30% of HR managers identified a shortage of talent as their third most pressing concern.

More than a third of the survey’s respondents expect to create new jobs shortly and 55% of managers think that finding candidates with the right experience and skills is going to be more difficult than it was last year.

Although remuneration packages continue to be a high profile issue, only 17% of managers expect the bonus element to increase. 47% expect average salaries to rise whilst 48% expect no change.

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