Future bright for recruiters, says TV's Dragon

Future bright for recruiters, says TV's Dragon

Recruitment investor and Dragon's Den entrepreneur, James Caan, enthused' by projected UK jobs growth

Speaking at the inaugural UK Recruitment Director's Networking Event yesterday (24th June), Mr Caan spoke openly about his thoughts on the future of the UK staffing industry and predicted good times ahead.

The event, hosted by Louise Triance, MD of recruitment community, UK Recruiter, and Helen Reynolds, MD of recruitment investor HB RIDA, brought together senior figures from various segments of the recruitment industry, learning about the legal and financial implications of the past two years and how these impact on the Government's tough new measures. Mr Caan offered a holistic view of the staffing landscape.

Government right on policy

Addressing an audience of 70 recruitment directors, Mr Caan explained he felt the Government was right to tackle the economic crisis head-on, citing the troubles in Greece as an example of ill-plighted procrastination. "Initially I was sceptical about Mr Cameron's stance on the deficit but now I firmly believe the Conservative's policies will be good for business. Sorting out the problems now, whilst initially painful, will be good in the long-run", he said.

Driving the economy

Speaking candidly about the 900 billion UK deficit, Mr Caan predicted that whilst a rocky road still lay ahead, there would be a "positive mid-2012 recruitment bounce', where sentiment surrounding the Olympics will carry the market forward." Mr Caan said he would be looking to invest in businesses aligned with the Olympics and the East London regeneration project.

Buoyant industries

"Some industry sectors will thrive during the next twelve months," Mr Caan opined. "In particular and I may be wrong I would expect positive movements within healthcare, manufacturing, outsourced business, welfare to work, financial services and IT," he continued.

Community engagement

During an entertaining Q&A session, Mr Caan was asked, amongst other searching questions, for his thoughts on what recruiters should do to deal with the emergence of social networking. He was quick to attest that recruitment businesses must "embrace social networking if they are to survive an evolving climatebut not lose the ability to pick up the phone!"

Leveraging niche communities, he suggested, will be key to challenging lower-cost recruitment solutions.

So the staffing sector looks set for an interesting couple of years. With light at the end of the tunnel, now seems the appropriate time to step up to the plate and start delivering the services both jobseekers and clients demand. The recruitment industry is evolving, but that, it seems, might just be a good thing.

Simon Lewis | Editor | Only Marketing Jobs

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