Businesses in UK claim reforms of maternity leave which came into force yesterday will saddle them with a ￡2billion bill.
The period of paid leave to which new mothers are entitled has been extended from six to nine months.
Lobbyists say this is good for working women - but bad for business. The￡2billion cost will come from recruiting and training workers to cover new mothers' longer absences.
Family groups, however, welcomed Labour's extension of maternity leave, which they say will encourage women to stay home with their children for longer.
The Forum of Private Business said it was worried about the changes. Chief Executive Nick Goulding said: The extension of maternity leave is a major concern for many small businesses.
"It would appear that little thought has been given to the financial impact for businesses who can't easily find a replacement for the absent worker."
Small firms which employ fewer than 49 people account for 99 per cent of all UK businesses. Mr Goulding said these companies will struggle the most.
The average cost of filling a job vacancy is ￡10,000, according to recruitment consultancy Angela Mortimer.
This includes the "hard" costs, such as placing a job advert, and the "hidden" costs, such as time spent conducting interviews.
Ashley Williams, a director of Angela Mortimer, warned: "Business leaders are frequently unaware of the true costs involved in recruiting new people.
"Intangible costs such as time spent sifting through CVs need to be taken into account on top of the more obvious expenses."
中文：
英国产假改革方案于昨日生效，各企业叫苦不迭，称这一改革会让他们背上20亿英镑的负担。
英国女员工的产假从之前的半年延长到了九个月。
游说人士称，这一新规定对女员工有利，但对企业不利。由于产假的延长，企业将在招聘及培训“补缺”员工上花费20亿英镑的成本。
然而，一些家庭组织则对劳工部的此项改革表示欢迎，他们认为这将使女性能有更多的时间在家照顾孩子。
私营企业论坛则对这一改革表示担忧。论坛首席执行官尼克•高尔丁说：“产假的延长成为很多小企业的一大担忧。”
“这似乎没有考虑到产假的延长将给那些难以找到替代者的企业所造成的经济影响。”
雇佣人数少于49人的小企业占英国所有企业的99%。高尔丁先生说，这些企业受到的影响将会最大。
据Angela Mortimer招聘咨询公司介绍，填补一个职位空缺的平均成本为1万英镑。
其中包括投放招聘广告等“硬成本”，以及花在面试上的时间等“隐形成本”。
Angela Mortimer公司的一位主管艾什莉•威廉姆斯发出警告：“企业的领导常常意识不到招聘新员工所要花费的实际成本。”
“除了那些能看得见的成本外，花在筛选简历上的时间等无形成本也需要考虑在内。”
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