I wonder how many of you are feeling slightly nervous and worried about coming out of lockdown? I have spoken with several businesses around Devon in the agriculture and hospitality business who are struggling to find employees and yet we have one of the highest national jobless percentages in recent years at 4.9%. I think furlough will have a drastic impact on that as we will have half a million people on furlough in the South West, when it comes to an end in September.

I think many people have struggled to get their mojo back after the latest lockdown, some are scared, some have lost confidence, some are struggling with motivation and just happy to remain on furlough. I think we are all in for a big shock when September arrives and furlough is no more. The weather over the second May bank holiday has not helped with motivation as people celebrate freedom in the lovely weather and everyone goes “demob happy”. Pubs are now open, the sun is shining and we can meet up with friends outside.

l think the news last weekend that landlords could start evicting tenants as England's coronavirus eviction ban comes to an end from June 1 is worrying, as “around a million households fear losing their homes”. Already some 400,000 renters have had eviction notices or been told to expect them, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says. Eviction notice periods were extended to six months as an emergency measure during the pandemic - but will drop to four months from June 1. Before the pandemic, notice periods were usually two months in England. So, some poor tenants are in for a rude awakening. Sadly, I fear that the same awakening will dawn on those who are on furlough with no real job to go back to as many companies have held off redundancies while furlough is in place.

It's time to wake up and smell the coffee if you are in one of these unfortunate positions. It's time to take back control of your life and start thinking about how you can work in the future. At Motiv-8sw, one of the organisations I am a director of, we believe that every individual matters and we are here to help anyone in East Devon to get back into work whatever their circumstances. We pride ourselves in our results as we rebuild confidence, empower people to change careers, and improve their ability to win employment. We have some amazing coaches who can help any individual back into work.

So, if you are struggling with rent or fearing that there may not be a job for you after furlough ends then please do get in touch. We help signpost you to specialist agencies or guide you towards one of our coaching programmes that is tailored to meet your needs. We can then help you to regain your mojo, find a new job and we can reassure you that help is on its way as the government funds schemes to get people back into work in East Devon.

Many employers are struggling to find employees, especially within the hospitality industry. If you are an employer then please do get in touch with us for it is our job to make sure that we get people back into work. We can then put the right candidate in place for you with no agency or recruitment fees.
Helping those within the local community is what Motiv-8 is all about and we get great satisfaction from seeing people succeed in their lives whatever their past and however old they are. Everyone deserves a chance to fulfil their potential.

Whether you need help finding a job or if you are a local employer looking for new people please do get in touch with us.