In the wake of eighteen difficult months for the recruitment industry, the beginning of the summer saw the market pick up.

Permanent recruitment is rising at a record rate according to the latest KPMG and Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) survey.

According to Gallup, the number of people working full-time who are highly engaged and enthusiastic about their work is 15%.

Even before the pandemic, the typical Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm working pattern had become outdated.

Given we have been in lockdown since January and are only now hoping to emerge, recruitment has dealt with the dip in business confidence and endless uncertainty remarkably well.

Right now, the accountancy job market is active. It’s moving fast, employers know the skills they want, and those in search of a new role have - in the main - made up their mind to move quickly.

It was March when the Prime Minister laid down the most significant restrictions on British people in living memory. Businesses closed. I learned the word furlough. Zoom became a verb. And we were told we “must stay at home” for the first time.

It is well known that work is good for mental well-being, but inadequate working conditions and an unsupportive environment can have a significantly negative impact on our psychological health, hindering our ability to perform well and remain productive.

Remote working started for many as a way to get through the pandemic. It has fast developed into an expected benefit and, for some, become a necessary lifestyle change.

After more than 20 years providing advice and support to accountancy professionals, I am all too aware of the negative reputation the recruitment industry often endures.

It is obvious that the world of work is changing but, in truth, it has been changing for some time.

At the start of 2020, the number of people working in the UK reached a record high of just over 32.5 million.