REGISTER NOW LOG IN Back to News 5th May 2021 Recruiting for success As the country starts to emerge from the pandemic, Insider assesses the impact of the last 12 months on the recruitment sector. The recruitment sector has seen a series of dramatic changes over the last 12 months and was one of the first to feel the full impact of the pandemic and subsequent downturn in the economy. As the economy continues to reopen and lockdown restrictions ease, recruiters are having to once again deal with rapid changes in the market and demand for their services. There is expected to be a surge in demand for staff in a wide range of different sectors from childcare to hospitality. James Hughes, managing director of Sphere Solutions, has experienced the ups and downs of the recruitment sector over the course of the pandemic. His company operates in the construction sector and, as a result, it has fared better than many other recruitment businesses. He says "The end of March 2020 was not a good time for the majority of recruitment companies. Specialising in construction, we were hopeful there would be a quick return to normal trading conditions but sadly this was not the case. "Immediately we lost 80 per cent of our temporary workforce as they were either let go or told to come back 'when this is over'. "Permanent vacancies disappeared as clients put everything on hold until further notice. Little did we know 'further notice' would run into months. We were dealing with a complete collapse of our business and there was nothing we could do." Changing Picture Fast-forward to autumn and the market was in a vastly different place for Sphere Solutions. "All the sectors we work in were much busier with the civil engineering, building, and residential showing promising signs of recovery," says Hughes." "Our temporary and permanent teams are working to near full capacity and the optimism about the future is there when speaking to clients. The forced shutdown of our markets gave us an opportunity to think about how we were doing things and afford us the time to make some difficult decisions we had probably put off. "These were specifically regarding our entire technology platform, which was an amalgamation of various CRM [customer relationship management], payroll, customer portal and accounting software we had acquired over 15 years. We now have an opportunity to grow with a streamlined technology base to support us." Hughes says recruitment will always depend on a strong relationship within the industry and with clients. He adds: "You also need your team to be able to work smartly and efficiently, backed up by a sound technology package with the demand for innovative solutions by your customer base an ever-evolving requirement." You can read the full article in the May issue of Insider Magazine Related News We are passionate at Sphere about improving the service we offer to our clients and candidates We are passionate at Sphere about improving the service we offer to our clients and candidates. Feedback is such an important tool in our development. This week we have created a feedback survey for... 26th April 2021 Living Wage Accreditation Here at Sphere, we are thrilled to have received the real Living Wage Accreditation and be part of 7,000 businesses in the UK that voluntarily choose to pay their staff a wage that meets... 8th April 2021 Covid19 awareness through education. An accredited course for all industries, creating safe workspaces for all. The COVID-19 Safe Working presentations are aimed at employees who are returning to work on construction sites, shops, offices, factories etc. following closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as an induction by... 15th July 2020 Cardiff Office 1 Ty Nant Court Morganstown Cardiff CF15 8LW Tel: 029 2081 3331 Plymouth Office Gordon Court Craigie Drive The Millfields Plymouth PL1 3JB Tel: 01752 421888 Bristol Office Hollywood Estate Hollywood Lane Bristol BS10 7TW Tel: 01173 250352 Gloucester Office Kestrel Court Waterwells Business Park Quedgeley, GL2 2AT Southampton Office Sphere Solutions Southampton International Business Park International House George Curl Way Southampton SO18 2RZ Telephone: 02380 302 574 Swansea Office The Post House Adelaide Street Swansea West Glamorgan SA1 1SB Telephone: 01792 439146 On the site Home Job Search About Us Register With Us News/Blog Reviews Candidates Employers Contact Us Our Team Social Media Linked In Twitter Facebook YouTube Time Sheet Download time sheet Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy Cookies Site Map Copyright © Sphere Solutions 2021 | Web Design by CREO JOB SEARCH