Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Online recruitmentRecruitment & retention

E-recruitment favoured over employment agencies during recession

by Louisa Peacock 4 Jun 2009
by Louisa Peacock 4 Jun 2009

EXCLUSIVE


The recession has sped up the decline of recruitment agencies in favour of e-hiring, exclusive research by Personnel Today has found.


Nearly half (48%) of the 400 employers surveyed in the study, conducted in conjunction with e-recruitment provider WCN, said they had reduced their recruitment agency budget since last year.


Two-thirds (66%) admitted they were using their company websites as a recruitment tool for most jobs, while one-third (32%) said they used online jobs boards.


Peter Gold, founder of recruitment consultancy Hire Strategies, said employers were moving to e-recruitment not only to save costs, but to improve the candidate experience of applying for jobs, because it cut out the ‘middle man’.


“E-recruitment is no longer a fad, and for the majority of generalist jobs agency spend is being reduced,” he told Personnel Today. ‘Firms can save money and get the right people while providing a fantastic journey for candidates.


“There is a real pressure on agencies,” he added. However, for more senior or specialist jobs, recruitment agencies would always play a part, he said.


The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) insisted recruitment agencies were never going to be phased out entirely.


Chief executive Kevin Green said: “It’s nonsense that this recession has marked the beginning of the end for recruitment agencies. When demand picks up again employers won’t have the resources or the skills to sift through the marketplace for the best candidates.”


Meanwhile, Green said the REC was “investigating” complaints from some of its members that a trial recruitment agency set up by the Guardian newspaper in February was cherry-picking candidates that had applied for roles with its paid clients and putting them forward for other opportunities with their consent.


The Guardian said it was not doing anything illegal, adding that jobseekers often applied for more than one job at a time.

Avatar
Louisa Peacock

previous post
Network Rail HR chief to be confronted over conduct by union boss at AGM
next post
Pinewood Studios to create 1,000 jobs

You may also like

Number of working people with disability up 1.3...

17 May 2022

Wages fall 1.2% behind inflation as cost of...

17 May 2022

Lack of flexibility pushes half of women to...

16 May 2022

easyJet joins battle for cabin crew with £1,000...

16 May 2022

How to build a compelling talent attraction strategy...

12 May 2022

Only 5% of job ad wording fully gender...

9 May 2022

EasyJet tackles staff shortages with seat tactic

9 May 2022

MPs vote against further NHS workforce planning requirements

29 Apr 2022

Disability pay gap wider than in 2014

29 Apr 2022

Avoid salary history questions in recruitment, guide urges

29 Apr 2022
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+