Recent research by Intuit QuickBooks has shown that employees in small businesses, defined in this instance by businesses with less than 9 employees, has increased by 1,300 jobs in March. Equivalent to 0.03% growth when compared to February.
While this may only be a small increase it does continue a trend in 2026 of a continued rise of employment in small businesses.
Below we have shown what we consider the top 5 tips when looking for new employees.
- Do not rely solely on CVs. While CVs are the standard starting point and do help a lot, they don’t always tell the whole story. Try giving applicants practical tests, this can show not only how an employee works to see if they would be a good fit but could also show hidden skills. Not everyone may realise what they have is a skill worth putting on a CV or may not even realise they have it if they do it naturally. Always remember, having a formal qualification or background doesn’t always mean they have the skills to put the knowledge to practical use in the real world so don’t restrict your candidate pool based solely on a CV.
- It’s always better to retain staff than hire new staff to replace those leaving. Try setting up short informal chats with team members, both individually and as a team, to find out what could help motivate them to stay. Don’t forget this isn’t always about money! Being proactive while engaging with staff can help to reduce staff turnover, in turn keeping vital staff and avoiding having to train anyone new which will cost time and money.
- Train and up skill staff, both in general but nowadays in AI as well. The new work force needs to be kept up to date and most importantly tech-literate, by training existing staff in things like AI you can not only improve efficiency in your business, but it will help to retain vital staff.
- Make sure you are offering a competitive benefits package. Everyone is looking for staff and will try their best to attract the top talents, including luring your staff away from your business. Try to make sure that you are keeping up with your competitors when it comes to benefit packages to not only keep staff but also attract the best talent. A benefits package isn’t just financial either, it can include things like remote working or flexible hours. You will need to make the decision on what best fits your business and staff.
- Keeping up with employment law and making sure you are compliant. Employment law is always changing, and with the latest changes for “Day One” rights its vital your business is up to date and compliant for the very first day of the recruitment process.
If you’d like any further information, or assistance, with any of the above please get in touch with us.
