A major survey is to take place among firms across Kent and Medway to establish the impact of the pandemic on the local employment market.

Thousands of workers across the county have been either put on furlough or lost their job over the last year due to the impact of the health crisis.

Now the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, which represents firms, working in partnership with HRGO Recruitment, has today launched he Kent & Medway Employment Outlook.

The research project will "seek to identify the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the local employment market".

It is hoped its findings will allow support in the future to be better targeted.

The survey’s findings will also be shared with the Kent & Medway Employment Task Force, a public/private sector group set up by Kent County Council and led by council leader Roger Gough, which is looking at the interventions required to strengthen the employment market and to help local people can get back into work.

Jo James, CEO of Kent Invicta Chamber said: “The employment landscape has shifted significantly over the past 12 months and with the furlough scheme due to come to an end at the end of September, we do anticipate further redundancies.

"By carrying out this research we will better understand the current and future needs of the business community. Working with partner’s we will seek to identify the best support measures to put in place for local businesses, as well as gaining a greater understanding of the skills needed to enable business growth."

Julie Lewis Mackay, regional manager for Kent at HRGO Recruitment, added: “We have seen significant shifts in the recruitment landscape in 2020, the reverberations of which will no doubt last well into 2021 and beyond."

Employers are encouraged to take part in the survey by clicking here. The survey runs until the end of April.

Results from the survey will be published in May.

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