Read any of the latest headlines about Manchester and it’s a mixed bag of positives and negatives when it comes to businesses.
On the one hand, you’ve got Dominos creating 5,000 new jobs and celebrating with a new pizza topping.
On the other hand, popular Italian restaurant Rosso announced in September 2023 that it was closing.
Away from the restaurant sector, you’ve got a new office block that’s stood empty for two years waiting to be filled at the same time fintech company OakNorth has called Manchester a “logical choice” for its next office.
The point here is that Manchester’s business sector is in a constant state of flux.
That’s not unusual for a major city. Some businesses will thrive, others will fall by the wayside.
The question is how does a business avoid the latter?
There could be dozens of reasons why one business fails, and another thrives.
One common reason, however, is staff. Specifically, companies that either don’t have enough staff or don’t have the right employees.
Staffing matters in business
When a company falters in this area, it has a domino effect.
Tasks don’t get carried out correctly, customer service quality drops, costs spiral, and the business as a whole suffers.
Data from the Office for National Statistics shows us that the job density ratio in Manchester in 2021 was 1.23.
This is the most recent ratio recorded, and it tells us that, for every person eligible to work in Manchester, there are 1.23 jobs available.
In other words, there are more job opportunities than people able to take them.
Thus, we can say that, if businesses in Manchester are going to thrive, they need to do one of two things:
1. They need to offer an attractive job package to ensure they get the best employees within a potentially limited pool of options.
2. They need to look elsewhere and bring talent into the city.
The former is fairly easy to do but potentially costly as one business might find itself in a salary war with its competitors.
So, what can a company do to bring people in from elsewhere?
The first step is to highlight the positives of living in Manchester.
There are countless highlights employers could show to prospective employees, so we won’t list them now.
However, the point to note here is that people need to see Manchester not only as a nice place to work but live.
Don’t be afraid to bring in people from outside Manchester
Let’s say a CEO wants to cast their net as wide as possible and look for talent overseas.
That’s more than possible, but only if you follow the right routes.
Any UK company that wants to employ skilled workers, i.e. the right employees, needs to use the visa system.
As noted by immigration law firm Reiss Edwards, a skilled worker visa will only be granted when certain conditions are met by employers and employees.
For example, the minimum salary level is £26,200.
That’s just one of many requirements that both parties have to satisfy before and after a skilled worker visa has been granted.
That’s why companies taking this route should enlist the services of legal experts.
This might sound like a daunting prospect for a small to medium-sized business, but it doesn’t have to be.
The statistics suggest that Manchester is an employees’ market. There are more jobs than workers, so employees have the power.
So, it could pay dividends to look outside of the city limits, even if that means searching foreign markets.
It might not be the first thing company owners think of when it comes to recruitment, but bringing over skilled workers doesn’t have to be a big issue.
With the right knowledge and help, it’s more than possible.
For companies in Manchester that want to avoid falling by the wayside, staffing is important, which is why it pays to look for talent outside of the city.
