Hidden trends in UK recruitment

March 8th, 2022 | Industry News

Every industry is having its recruitment issues – and one that we’re probably not that aware of is the crisis in the security industry. From prison work to door duty to driving, the security industry has faced a crossroads with employees sitting in furlough and looking at the demands of high-risk work and antisocial hours. Online recruitment software has definitely seen this trend, with a high number of security officers registering their interest in a career change.

Problems don’t end there: security personnel also have to maintain Security Industry Authority (SIA) qualifications and undertake compulsory training at their own cost, while many of them have been in the front line, facing a high risk of contracting COVID-19. Finally, many security personnel have not renewed visas and moved/returned to EU countries.

Recruiting and retaining talent has become essential, and key approaches include:

• Using recruitment agency software to identify candidates who may be able to undertake low-demand roles such as gatehouse work: the industry has traditionally been an under-employer of disabled people with the first SIA guidance being offered as late as 2018
• Older people are also a potential target audience and recruitment software has a role to play in matching older individuals with roles that may be part-time or easier hours for those who might struggle with night work, for example
• Local charities and voluntary organisations may be a good source of people needing rehabilitation, and while the SIA has clear rules about expiration of prison sentences etc, these are not insurmountable and networks can usefully be built between the sector and such organisations.

What does recruitment agency life look like today?

Different, is the simple answer! With only 13% of recruitment agencies in the UK who were surveyed, saying that they are fully office based, one of the biggest changes has been to the way that recruitment consultants interact with clients, candidates and each other. Recruiting software is now as valuable as a communication platform as it is for tracking candidates.

In the year ahead, 30% of agency owners say that they are going to move to a fully remote model – this has impacts for the best recruitment CRM, which may be the only contact that a candidate has with her recruiter. As a result, and with 78% of agencies saying they hope to increase their permanent employment portfolio, sensitive and flexible recruitment management software is going to be a key component of the way that recruiters engage with both their client base and their candidate pool.