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Hays Purchasing & Supply Report Cost Efficiencies Fuelling Procurement Demand

According to Hays Purchasing & Supply, the leading specialist recruitment company, the implementation of efficiency and cost control drives within organisations has led to a sustained demand for experienced purchasing professionals.

“Many SMEs and smaller companies are being required to improve the supply chain to protect their profit margins, which calls for sophisticated planning and improved procurement within the market. Blue chips and larger organisations are also driving supply chain improvements to ensure the route to market is increasingly efficient,” commented Pat Law, Managing Director at Hays Purchasing & Supply.

This has led to a steady demand for supply chain professionals, as employers seek to recruit for a range of purchasing jobs, including procurement, sourcing and contracts managers as well as those in forecasting roles.

“The diversity of roles spans across industries; from pharmaceuticals, food, fast moving consumer goods and the service sectors. Energy and utilities are also particular growth areas,” continued Law. “Salaries and benefits packages have remained competitive although jobseekers are being more flexible when it comes to remuneration and location to secure their next role.”

With many organisations cutting back on their learning and development budgets as part of cost-cutting programmes, the onus is on employees in procurement jobs to assume responsibility for their own development by demonstrating flexibility and making themselves indispensable. “Candidates should be looking for challenges and projects that broaden their experience, enhance their skill set through continuing professional development, whether through formal or informal training and they should look to take on extra responsibilities and seek ways to add value at every opportunity. Project based work outside of the ‘day job’ should be used to stimulate ideas and new ways of thinking,” advised Law.

Working in an interim capacity, especially for those who have been made redundant in the current market, provides an excellent platform to gain experience of diverse industries. “There is however more competition for those interim roles,” said Law. “It should also be noted that there are excellent opportunities for skilled jobseekers in both the public and private sectors, and therefore it is important for jobseekers to explore all available options and look to maximise their transferable skills.”

Employers are expecting more from their recruits and it is up to individuals to deliver results from the outset, “Previously, organisations might have taken on a candidate who ticks the majority of boxes, filling any knowledge gaps with training to hone their skills. But now candidates need to hit the ground running and show how they can add value by making the current processes more efficient,” remarked Law.

Commercial organisations are increasingly looking to improve their existing procurement teams, making them more efficient, effective and leaner to ensure a knock-on effect on profitability. “Each part of an organisation needs to be operating at maximum efficiency and as a result the focus for senior management is to cut costs across every step of the supply chain, from purchasing to final delivery,” concluded Law.

Hays Purchasing & Supply is part of Hays plc, specialising in purchasing and supply jobs including warehousing jobs and contracts and supplier management. It is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. The Group employs 8,294 staff operating from 380 offices in 28 countries across 17 specialisms.

Via EPR Network
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Joslin Rowe Questions Whether The Lowest Point For HR Recruitment In London Has Passed

Joslin Rowe, the specialist recruitment company, has reported a recent noticeable upturn in HR recruitment following a year long slide in City HR job volumes. While most of 2009 has been characterised by a continuing slump in HR recruitment, job volumes reached their nadir during mid June 2009, with a 77% decrease in HR jobs compared with 2008.

joslinrowe

Daniel Cooper, a senior consultant with Joslin Rowe’s HR recruitment team, commented: “Mid-May to mid-June signalled the lowest point, where the only positions being recruited for were incredibly specialist, such as learning & development roles, expat positions and comp & bens. There were very few generalist positions available. However, the last few weeks has seen a marked increase. There’s been an incredible bounce upwards.”

According to Joslin Rowe data, the HR jobs desk is now handling more roles than at any time since the recession was declared in 2008. And, more importantly, the sheer variety of firms recruiting is a strong indicator the market may no longer be in a downward spiral.

“We’ve seen our first few senior HR jobs being released from the legal sector, whilst a number of investment banks and insurance firms are recruiting again – even those who were hardest hit,” said Cooper. “Another positive is the number of HR generalist jobs. Certainly, the recruitment we’re seeing at the moment is way ahead of previous client predictions which all pointed to the end of 2009 before recruitment would reach current levels.”

Conversations with Joslin Rowe clients indicate that departments are now so lean, even a small increase in business activity will necessitate increased HR headcount, with one HR Director admitting his team is so stretched, he might be back up to 2008 headcount levels by the start of 2010.

“The key is of course, whether this growth can be sustained,” admits Cooper. “I think if we start to see jobs for internal recruiters, we’ll certainly know we’re heading in the right direction. At the moment, entry level HR jobs, graduate recruitment and internal recruitment are yet to recover.”

Another positive is that salaries for roles coming to market have remained very competitive. Despite this, candidates who previously earned £70,000 are now willing to look at roles at the £65,000 mark in order to return to the labour market.

Dan Cooper believes, “Job seekers are realistic enough to realise that whilst in the good times they may have seen their salary soar from £50,000 to £70,000, the market has re-aligned itself and they are happy to do the same.”

About Joslin Rowe:
Established in 1982, Joslin Rowe is one of the leading UK financial services recruitment firms in the UK. Joslin Rowe consultants, candidates and clients work together to achieve the best employment opportunities and long term relationships. Joslin Rowe recruits for accountancy jobs and banking jobs along with other financial services jobs across London, Edinburgh and Glasgow including interim contracts, temporary and permanent positions. Joslin Rowe is a Randstad company – the second largest HR services group globally.

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IT Leads Organisational Efficiency – Reports Hays Information Technology

Hays Information Technology, a leading specialist recruitment company, reports a number of specialist IT skill sets have come to the fore during the current climate, as organisations seek to maximise efficiencies.

hays

Providing technical solutions in a structured and cost-effective manner remains a key priority, particularly for larger organisations and consequently this has led to sustained demand for architecture expertise in the current IT architect jobs market. “Enterprise architects can still command excellent salaries and remuneration levels reflect the substantial cost savings that these individuals can bring to their organisations,” commented James Lloyd-Townshend, Managing Director at Hays Information Technology.

The focus on cost efficiency has also fuelled demand for business intelligence consultants, whose remit is to prepare management information reports, keep senior stakeholders informed on all aspects of company performance and highlight areas where resources need to be diverted in order to optimise financial outlays. “SharePoint experience is a particular skill set that employers are looking for, as this can make a real difference to the way businesses share information, which in turn has a dual knock-on effect on engagement and productivity,” added Lloyd-Townshend.

Virtualisation is a central part of an organisation’s IT strategy in achieving consolidating and standardising infrastructure. This results in server and device consolidation and these reductions mean less capital expenditure, lower power consumption and maintenance costs, fewer human resource support requirements and software licenses. Cloud computing and cloud-based applications are seen as a pivotal part of this economy drive. Other specialist skills that are currently in demand for IT jobs include VMware, C# and .Net.

Some of the larger organisations in particular will be looking to increase their expenditure on IT projects during the second half of the year, in preparation for the upturn. “Businesses will initially look to bring in senior interim professionals to manage these projects and we would then expect them to gradually increase their permanent headcount as and when the market starts to pick up,” added Lloyd-Townshend. “Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are also taking advantage of the current market conditions to attract talent and these organisations offer opportunities for individuals to make a real difference to their businesses.”

While the nature of the current economic climate has altered the parameters for IT recruitment, many organisations are reassessing their requirements in preparation for delivering fundamental strategic projects, as this represents an opportunity to steal a march on the competition and subsequently gain market share. IT professionals can also bring their commercial skills to bear in the public sector, which is keen to hire individuals with a commercial background. “It is important that jobseekers research transferable skills and understand how these organisations operate,” added Lloyd-Townshend as a note of caution.

Finding increasingly cost effective infrastructure solutions, enabling faster data access across organisations and sharing information to gain operational efficiencies have all led to a steady demand for specialist IT skill sets, which will help organisations through the downturn and provide a solid platform for the economic recovery.

About Hays Information Technology
Hays Information Technology is part of Hays plc, specialising in IT jobs including developer jobs and programmer jobs. It is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. The Group employs 8,294 staff operating from 380 offices in 28 countries across 17 specialisms.

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Hays Reports Field Sales Experience Sought By Employers To Ride Out Recession

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Hays, leading specialist recruitment company, has reported that the need for employers to fine-tune their sales teams is becoming ever greater during the current downturn. An experienced sales team that can hit targets and deliver much needed income streams will help organisations counter the adverse recessionary forces prevalent in the
marketplace.

“There is a demand for field sales operatives at the moment across industry sectors for all levels of experience, particularly junior and middle range roles. Demand for senior appointments has been more affected by the downturn but there are still good opportunities for the right calibre of individual,” said Kevin Dunbar, National Business Development Manager at Hays Sales, “Having a strong sales force in place, underpinned by an effective strategy, remains one of the best ways for organisations to trade out of this recession.”

One area where the demand for sales experience has become apparent is in the public sector, with a particular focus on IT field sales. Continued investment by government in the upgrade of its IT development infrastructure has led to an increase in demand for experienced professionals.

Kevin continued, “Professionals with public sector account management experience, for example in the health and central government sectors, are in demand”.

A track record of success is very important in an industry where achievements are highly visible and dependent on targets being met. The rewards for the right people also remain competitive and individuals can expect a company car, laptop, mobile, as well as other standard benefits, such as pensions and private healthcare.

“Uncapped commission is still being offered by some companies and this remains one of the key benefits offered,” Kevin added.

One of the main issues facing employers is attracting a suitable calibre of applicant, as the sales discipline suffers from high levels of staff turnover. Ensuring that the recruitment process runs smoothly is imperative. Kevin explained,”Employers can sometimes recruit the wrong person for the role in the first place and this leads to increased attrition rates. This can be reduced by preparing detailed job and person specifications, carefully highlighting the competencies required, and establishing a thorough interview process.”

Despite the difficulties faced by certain sectors of the economy, the demand for field sales remains resilient. “The individuals that are most in demand are those that are not simply managing existing clients but also achieve business development with new clients,” Kevin concluded.

About Hays:
Hays Sales is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group and specialises in a wide range of sales jobs from fundraising jobs to telesales jobs. It is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. As at 30 June 2008, the Group employed 8,872 staff operating from 393 offices in 27 countries across 17 specialisms.

For the year ended 30 June 2008:
– the Group had revenues of £2.5 billion, net fees of £786.8 million and operating profit before exceptional items of £253.8 million;
– the Group placed around 80,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 300,000 people into temporary assignments;
– the temporary placement business represented 49% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 51% of net fees.

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Senior Insurance Professionals In Demand Reports Hays

Hays, specialist recruitment company, reports the demand for senior professionals across the UK is buoyant across all disciplines of the insurance sector, including commercial broking, underwriting, claims and actuarial. Despite the general market uncertainty, there have been a steady number of senior insurance appointments, both in the London and UK regional markets.

“We are experiencing a steady flow of recruitment activity for a range of senior insurance roles, from commercial account executives to senior underwriters, claims and pricing managers. While employers are keen to take on individuals with very specific skill sets, some professionals are wary about changing jobs in the current climate,” said David Carr, Regional Director for Hays Insurance. The demand for project managers is also growing, as many organisations focus on saving money and improving specific areas of their businesses in order to drive efficiencies, manage finances and make a tangible impact on the bottom line.

Compliance requirements for blue-chip insurance organisations to adhere to the industry regulations implemented by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the European Commission have fuelled demand for experienced regulatory and compliance managers. “These individuals can provide support and guidance on all aspects of business compliance. An understanding of the Solvency 2 Framework (to be implemented in 2012) and individual capital assessment are also advantageous,” added David.

The growing importance of risk management across a business has also brought about a requirement for experienced actuaries and recruitment levels for suitably qualified professionals have not slowed. Senior actuaries are important decision-makers – commercial acumen, communication skills and the ability to explain complex concepts to a non-technical audience are all key competencies sought by employers. “Increasingly complex capital models need to be formulated to adhere to the regulatory changes. Business development, risk management and risk re-pricing are all prized skills,” commented David.

While the demand for underwriting managers and directors remains steady, there is a particular emphasis on niche products and specialist underwriting roles, in areas such as commercial property and liability. But there is also demand for senior claims roles and partner level opportunities within the larger broking houses. There are also senior director positions available for reinsurance professionals in the City, as primary insurers are hedging their risk positions to ensure their liquidity ratios meet obligations.

“There has been an increase in reinsurance given the climate of loss minimisation and this is further helping to support the insurance sector during the difficult economic climate,” David concluded.

About Hays Insurance
Hays Insurance is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group and specialises in insurance jobs. It is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. As at 30 June 2008, the Group employed 8,872 staff operating from 393 offices in 27 countries across 17 specialisms.

For the year ended 30 June 2008:

– the Group had revenues of £2.5 billion, net fees of £786.8 million and operating profit before exceptional items of £253.8 million;
– the Group placed around 80,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 300,000 people into temporary assignments;
– the temporary placement business represented 49% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 51% of net fees.

Via EPR Network
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