PointSix — North
Blueprint for success
The first PointSix event of 2022 explored the talent challenges and solutions that will enable recruiters and RPOs to differentiate and prosper this year As skills and talent shortages continue to drive recruitment demand, the question for recruiters is not simply how long will high demand last, but how quickly will training and technology transform the industry to solve the skills crisis? On the 27th of January, TALiNT Partners and Odro co-hosted the first PointSix event of the year in Manchester, bringing together 30 staffing and talent solutions leaders to debate some key questions. How are they attracting and retaining their own top performers to supply their clients with the talent they need? How can they differentiate as both an employer and partner of choice to capitalise on market opportunities? What new models and services will support more profitable growth this year? And what part will technology play? Adoption of AI, automation and a range of talent tech solutions has sky-rocketed in the last two years but recruiters and RPOs have also demonstrated new value. “We are not automating away the recruiting function – quite the opposite,” commented HR industry analyst Josh Bersin at the end of 2021. “Recruiters have shown the value they bring in understanding cultural fit, adjacent candidate skills, pay equity and refining job specs with hiring managers. They are the tip of the spear of all these HR practices.” This is borne out by two new reports from TALiNT Partners which ranked the top 500 UK staffing firms by turnover (Recruitment Power List) and benchmarked some of the world’s top RPOs (Talent Solutions Power List). The total turnover of the top 500 recruiters in 2020 was £36.8bn, down only 10% from £40.8 billion in 2019, as they offered new services including RPO and MSP (which saw 25% and 13% growth respectively according to the WEC). Asked what their clients most value and what they expect to see more demand for, 79.4% of
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TALiNT International February 2022
the benchmarked talent solutions providers said Assessment and Deployment of Technology, followed by Screening and Assessment (76.1%), and Employer Brand and Candidate Attraction (74.5%). Alex Evans Managing Director TALiNT Partners
PROFITABLE GROWTH This was explored further in a panel that looked at the risks and rewards of new talent solutions models. Debbie Davenport, Executive Director of award-winning RPO / MSP provider, Rullion, explained that the key to profitability is taking a commercial view over the lifetime of contractual agreements, fully understanding the level of investment required, and identifying opportunities for additional services – which can enhance your core offering and provide additional sources of revenue from new and existing customers. “Price will certainly be a key contributor to success, so work closely with your finance team so the business case for investment is made in line with the expected returns,” she explained. “Utilise a range of market indicators to ensure you are well positioned to spot growth waves such as modular, on-demand talent solutions accelerated by the pandemic as customers seek ‘plug and play’ resourcing models that will give them more agility, flexibility, scalability and cost benefit.” David Lynchehaun, Group Sales Director of Morson Group - which won Best New Talent Solution Provider at the 2021 TIARA Talent Solution Awards – observed that D&I services are a basic requirement from clients who expect more diverse pools of candidates – but demand is growing for more support around inclusion and retention of talent. This latter point was echoed by Louise Shaw MCIPD, Director of Resourcing Transformation at Omni, which was Highly Commended for Tech Transformation at the 2021 TIARA Recruitment Awards. A former inhouse recruiter, she observed that internal mobility and upskilling are priorities
