Who replied?

To say that the past three years have been difficult is an understatement. Government support via the furlough scheme proved to be a lifeline for many employees and employers, but there were still job losses as whole areas of the economy shut down.

For those with a lower headcount than pre-pandemic levels, was that planned (as a result of down-sizing or reorganisation) or did employees leave of their own accord, for a variety of reasons, and were just never replaced?

For those who now have a higher headcount, was it unbroken growth or were there periods of greater than average losses followed by a burst of recruitment?

The data tells us about the clients who have responded, but it is difficult to draw any further conclusions.

55%

Have seen their workforce grow post-pandemic

If increasing headcount is a measure of success, the pandemic does not appear to have put a significant dent in growth .