UK employers focus on cost management with confidence near record low

UK employers focus on cost management with confidence near record low

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - British employers are prioritising cost management over growth with their confidence ‌close to a record low and their staff ‌are likely to see inflation eat into their pay in the ​year ahead, according to a survey published on Monday.

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Workers in Canary Wharf financial district of London

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a professional body for the human resources sector, said rising costs ‌and uncertainty were ⁠continuing to weigh on hiring and investment decisions.

The survey, which was conducted after the ⁠start of the Iran war but before Britain's latest bout of political instability, showed:

• Cost management was the ​top priority ​for UK employers ahead ​of improving productivity and ‌growing market share

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• Iran war does not yet seem to have materially affected hiring intentions in the UK

• Indicators of employer confidence held close to record lows

• Planned pay awards were mostly around 3% ‌for the next 12 months - unchanged ​from levels over the past ​two years but ​below most forecasts for a rise ‌in inflation

• The CIPD survey ​of 2,049 employers ​was conducted between March 23 and April 23, before heavy losses in local and regional elections ​for Prime ‌Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party this month increased ​pressure on him to resign.

(Writing by William Schomberg; ​editing by Suban Abdulla)

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