What were the recruitment market trends over the past 6 month for the industry?

Over the past six months, we have seen the effects of the cost of living having an impact on the industry with candidates’ decision making and rationale for seeking new roles. Brexit has had an impact at a clinical level across the industry with nursing, Doctors, Veterinary and Psychology all noticing an effect. This is turn is increasing operators cost base, which increases the urgency for a permanent solution rather than locum/agency costs.

We have seen a decrease in the number of quality candidates from EU countries and increased demand from clients for candidates for specific vacancies with some roles requiring a deeper, more thorough search. We now have a heavily candidate-driven market which is also very competitive for employers and recruiters seeking experienced candidates.

Like any industry we have seen costs increase and this has driven demand for a high quality and cost efficient service. Clients that we partner with seem to be taking advantage of our value added services such as salary surveys, talent reports and sector analysis which has supported them in their brand positioning and candidate attraction.

If so, what reasons were there for this?

The acute and consumer markets have seen an increase in private patients due to the Covid backlog that the NHS is currently experiencing. These markets are also seeing some secured NHS contracts passed over to help take the pressure off the services provided by the NHS. The impact of Covid has seen significant pressure on staffing across the industry, whilst there was perhaps a little less movement throughout covid candidates are now seeking employers that are nimble in their approach with WFH, culture and future plans of companies being the key information for job seekers.

In short, there is a lot of growth in the sector with companies wish to secure the best candidates to support this growth.

What advice would you give to job seekers based on current market conditions?

The best advice we can give to job seekers, within the current job market, is to engage with a relevant recruitment specialist in the sector and the region you’re looking to work in. You can then openly discuss the market and be clear on your expectations and needs. That way the recruiter can introduce you to relevant companies and tailor towards your expectations. If you are skilled in your sector and passionate about the healthcare market you can likely increase your salary, progress your career or join a company that has a great culture. If you want to change your career this is a great time to explore options.

I would also advise candidates that are not actively looking to engage with expert recruiters in your field. Not only can you understand market trends but you can hear about confidential and under the radar vacancies, as a business we only really advertise around half of our vacancies and spend the majority of our time headhunting the best talent that match a brief.

Have client expectations changed at all? Any demands for a certain skill set at present?

I feel clients rightly demand the right skillset for the patients and customers, clinical as always in high demand but at a senior level strong commercially focussed strategic leaders that can add value to a business are attractive to clients.

Specialist roles that focus on theatre, oncology and diagnostics have also seen an increase in demand. This trend has also been seen consistent in the consumer health markets, specifically among veterinarians, dentists and optometrists with several large organisations having multiple long term requirements.

What successes have the Healthcare division seen as a result of the past six months?

Increased demand in middle to senior level in acute, I’m particularly proud of the volume of high quality senior assignments that we have completed. We have placed over 20 directors in the last 6 months, over 50 management roles in total and over 170 permanent placements in the private sector.

We have had back to back record breaking quarters and multiple repeat business with clients which I can only see as a positive relative to our capability to deliver. In the consumer and healthcare markets we have worked with clients to meet specific briefs influencing their searches to attract the best talent. We’ve met client demand with high-impact volume projects by successfully completing staffing requirements for a new build hospital as well as larger remit permanent clinical reduction projects. Our Consumer Health team has seen significant growth in securing senior operations managers across nurseries, veterinary, ophthalmology and fertility.

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