Guest address
Helen Livesey MBA MREC CertRP Senior business director, Hays
Firstly, please allow me to pass on my warmest congratulations to all of you here today, such an incredible achievement and I know you have made your families and friends very proud, and you must be extremely proud too.
Many of us study so we can improve our skillset and self-development, but also so we can better ourselves, expand our mindsets and carve out the best career we’re capable of – so I thought I would give you a flavour of the current payroll job market and what we’re seeing here at Hays, so you can understand how your payroll qualification will help you thrive and achieve your career goals. Since you’ve been studying for your CIPP qualification, so much change has happened in the payroll industry which has been challenging for you all. Keeping everyone paid in the Covid-19 pandemic may have been a trying time, and created you all massive amounts of additional work, but what it also did is massively highlight the vital role of the payroll profession, and the importance of payroll within the economy and organisations. Hays and I welcomed the calls we received during the pandemic from finance directors and HR directors telling us just how much they valued their payroll department and how they would be lost without them – and this was really brought home to them during those challenging times. You’ve seen three prime ministers in the time you’ve been studying, and a few budgets along the way. But what hasn’t changed is how in demand your skillsets are in the world of work. In fact, you’ve become even more in demand than ever. I’ve worked for Hays for 22 years and I’ve never seen a market like this before. With the long-term structural issues within the UK labour market i.e., the retirement of the baby boomer generation, and the 1.2 million European Union workers who left the UK after Brexit, it makes it harder than ever for organisations to find quality payroll professionals like yourselves. We have a population of around 62 million, but only 29 million are now economically active and contributing to the economy. This is the lowest amount of people contributing to the world of work and the economy the UK has ever seen. This can open new opportunities and horizons if you’re looking for a new challenge in your career. Why am I telling you this? Because you currently have the most incredible amount of choice of job opportunities you may ever see in your career. You need to use this time wisely and plan your next career steps carefully. With your qualification and experience, you’re so marketable and have the key skills that employers want, and you need to use this to your advantage. This is an opportunity to go and test your skills and qualifications in the marketplace and find the best opportunity to help your career accelerate, using your qualification to its fullest. Managing your career can be difficult and confusing to many. Good advice, honest and open guidance and a caring approach are some of the values we pride ourselves in here at Hays. Our job is to ensure you find the best job, that’s right for you at every stage of your career.
Congratulations again and enjoy your celebration.
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CLASS OF 2022
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