2016 is likely to be the year here in the UK when we really find out how strong the much-touted economic recovery is.

On the face of it, many of the building blocks seem to be in place to enable the country to enjoy a prosperous year – we have a majority government for the first time in five years, inflation is benign, and unemployment is low and still falling.

In fact, in the three months to November 2015, 5.1 per cent of the working age population were jobless – this compares with a long-term average of just under 7.2 per cent throughout the period from 1971 to 2015.

Hooking The Right Fish In A Smaller Pool

When the number of jobless people falls to such low levels, this brings a new set of challenges for any business needing to hire new workers.

It means that the pool of readily-available recruits is small, with skills shortages leaving small and medium-sized businesses facing the prospect of having to pay more to secure the right people.

In such conditions, employers may also have to re-examine the matches between the job roles they are looking to fill and the candidates available, meaning that they may have to take on an employee who does not fulfil all their criteria. As a result, this might also lead to them having to examine the training they offer, as a result of bringing in new people who might not have the optimal amount of directly relevant experience.

David Vs Goliath

The big question for many smaller firms in need of staff as they hope to grow is whether they will be able to compete effectively with better-known, often multi-national concerns for the best people available.

Those smaller companies can expect to have to fight hard to attract and retain their best staff, especially when bigger firms can offer established, attractive packages of fringe benefits, such as pension schemes and flexible working policies designed to suit those juggling their career with family responsibilities.

The Advantages Of A Small Business

This is where the advantages of using a specialist recruitment agency dedicated to finding staff in particular business and industry sectors can come into their own.

These companies survive by virtue of their deep knowledge of the business sectors in which they specialise, and their ability to network effectively and discreetly with employers and candidates working in these fields. They would much rather retain a smaller base of both, and focus really closely on understanding and meeting their needs, than set out to corner the market, and have a wide spectrum of clients to try to keep happy.

Also, as a smaller business itself, such a company will have an instinctive understanding of and connection with other SMEs in their chosen sectors. It will know the challenges facing anyone running a small firm, and this will mean it can find candidates who have the right mentality to fit in, and who appreciate the particular challenges of working in such a setting.

That’s where we at Perpetual Recruitment come in. Our motto: “We don’t just understand your business, we live your business” is backed up by an organisation which is set up to service the respective sectors it works with to the highest standards.

We have dedicated recruitment specialists for the oil and gas, surveying and architecture, engineering, manufacturing, and executive recruitment fields. This means we have a team which truly understands what you do, and the current climate and particular challenges your business faces.

Big isn’t necessarily beautiful when you’re looking for a partner to help you meet the challenges of building the ideal team for your business. In fact, if you want to build a loyal and happy workforce from the bottom up, you should look at linking up with a like-minded agency which can spare the time to really get to know your business.

That way, you can put yourself in the happy position of being able to compete effectively in a crowded market, and choose from a field of candidates who are on your wavelength. So search out a specialist recruitment company, and the road to expanding your business can be made much smoother.