Credit crunch staff offered Harrow lifeline
Published 22nd September 08
STAFF facing swingeing job cuts at city institutions hit by the credit crunch are being offered a recruitment lifeline by Harrow Council.
Harrow's human resources department has contacted the HR wings of investment bank Lehman Bros and the Halifax with a view to recruiting specialised staff.
Harrow Council, the borough's largest employer with a workforce of 7,500, has vacancies in I.T, the benefits service, legal and several other areas. The council has also contacted Pertemps, the recruitment agency, at its City branch.
Canary Wharf in London is home to Lehman Brothers, which this week axed 4,000 posts following its collapse on the American stock market.
Cllr Paul Osborn, Harrow Council's portfolio holder for performance, communication and corporate services, said: "Many city workers may now, through circumstances not of their making, be looking to switch career.
"What we are saying is that there are strong and exciting career opportunities to be had in local Government - we employ 7,500 people with a budget of hundreds of millions, and we actively want top calibre people to work for us. Where until now we have been forced to use expensive agency staff, we would now like to recruit people on staff.
"We know that many of our residents are commuters, so our suggestion is: why hack your way into Canary Wharf at dawn when you can work in Harrow and enjoy a better life balance?"
Harrow Council is looking to hire around 25 staff in the first instance
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