As the world of work has changed in a post-Covid environment so has the world of recruitment as it evolves to keeps pace.
That’s the view of Sarah Ellwood, managing director of Supertemps, a North Wales recruitment agency which has been supporting jobseekers and employers for more than 40 years.
Recent years have brought a change in the way people work, their attitude to conditions and working hours, and more emphasis on the environment and health and wellbeing.
“I think our sector on the whole has embraced these changes, and we ourselves try to lead by example,” said Sarah.
“We designed a new health and mindfulness strategy for our team, which includes wellbeing days and a shorter working week culminating in ‘Funday Fridays’, as well as other benefits and incentives.
“The world of work has changed, and so has the world of recruitment, but one thing that hasn’t is that it’s about people – it always has been and always will be.
“We have great talent in North Wales and keeping it in this region is paramount.”
Post-pandemic the agency – which has its headquarters in Colwyn Bay – has experienced a rise in demand across numerous sectors including manufacturing, hospitality, and bilingual administration.
North West Wales has been especially busy for staff at the Parc Menai site, but as well as matching clients with the perfect candidate, much of their time is spent guiding hirers through the process and steering them towards long-term, sustainable solutions in the face of unprecedented obstacles.
Vicki Armstrong-Smith, the company’s Bangor-based business manager, said:
“There has definitely been a rise in customers since the pandemic. Our Bangor office is surrounded by industry and Supertemps is the go-to recruiter for many of the local factories because we have a Gangmasters Licence, which is a legal requirement for anyone supplying staff into the areas of food processing and packaging, agriculture, and horticulture, of which there are many in this part of the world.
“Across the board we have seen an increase in the number of enquiries, but also some challenges that were not as common before Covid-19, notably remote and hybrid working, high turnover of staff, people seeking alternative careers and a dearth of new talent applying to work in the sectors that were hardest hit.”
Vicki said the company has witnessed growth in the past couple of years on the ‘permanent side’ of the business, and green shoots in a wide variety of roles – particularly Welsh speaking.
She added:
“As well as temps the permanent side has taken off again; there are plenty of vacancies out there.
“But some of the biggest issues in filling positions have been a lack of information in job descriptions, unclear job adverts, and employers taking too long to respond to applicants who then move on and continue their search elsewhere – good employers are missing out as a result.
“That’s where the personal touch a recruitment agency can offer is pivotal, rather than trying to do it online without guidance, because it can be a minefield, especially since the pandemic with more remote working, and given geopolitical challenges.”
