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New to Market

14 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering

NEW TO THE MARKET: 14-18 APRIL 2025

• Manufacturing and engineering specialist Busy Bee Recruitment has relaunched its website. The refreshed online platform has a modern design and enhanced user functionality, offering an intuitive browsing experience that makes it easier than ever to explore current vacancies, submit CVs quickly and securely, access expert recruitment advice via a blog and submit vacancies directly online.

• Deel, a global payroll and HR provider, has launched a suite of AI-driven products to help companies hire, manage, and pay international teams. Deel will offer an all-in-one global workforce platform integrating payroll, HR, and IT, designed to support compliant operations across borders. Key updates include: Real-Time Payroll in over 53 markets (expanding to 130+ by 2027), offering instant calculations and faster processing; Deel PEO for offering top-tier benefits without enterprise-level costs; Benefits Admin for simplified, compliant benefits management across countries; Deel Talent for streamlined recruitment via trusted agency networks; Workforce Planning, Compensation, and Engage tools – powered by AI – for smarter headcount strategy, global pay management, and employee development; IT Lifecycle Management features like MDM, IAM, and EPP, supporting global device and security control.

11 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, IT/Telecoms

Spotted Zebra merges Interview Intelligence and Assessment in one platform

This is technology that transcribes, analyses and evaluates conversations through an AI-powered lens. The merger connects assessment results with interview data, addressing the growing challenge enterprise talent leaders face: making confident, objective hiring decisions when candidate information can be fragmented across multiple tools.

In a statement, Spotted Zebra says that enterprise talent acquisition teams are facing twin pressures from AI-generated candidate applications and deepening skills shortages. 

The launch responds to a critical market challenge, the statement continues; while more than three in four businesses report widening skills gaps, employers are inundated with applications with around half of all jobseekers using AI tools to apply for roles. Current solutions force companies to choose between expensive, disconnected systems or compromise on either assessment breadth and depth, or a scalable interview process and structure.

“We’ve integrated Interview Intelligence with Assessment because our enterprise customers are facing unprecedented challenges in talent acquisition,” said Ian Monk, co-founder and CEO of Spotted Zebra. “By unifying these previously siloed technologies, we’re enabling talent teams to make data-informed decisions based on a complete picture of each candidate’s capabilities.”

Unlike standard Interview Intelligence tools that primarily transcribe conversations, Spotted Zebra’s implementation establishes a data framework that truly connects skill measurements across different evaluation methods:

  • Real-time skill evidence mapping: Comprehensive role skills profiles are automatically created thanks to AI-powered intake meetings between recruiters and hiring managers. 
  • AI-assisted interview questioning technology: The AI-powered Interview Guides automatically generate targeted question paths for specific role skills profiles and each candidate.
  • Consolidated hiring evidence dashboard: The Decision Kit combines summarised skill data from both assessment scores and interview evidence, weighting each source appropriately based on predictive validity for specific skill types. 

According to the company statement, AI in Spotted Zebra enhances human decision-making, ensuring the final call on a candidate’s suitability for a role is objective, data-backed and always in the hands of the hiring team.

Headquartered in the UK, Spotted Zebra was launched in 2020 by Monk and co-founder and chief commercial officer Nick Shaw.

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10 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Executive search

NEW TO THE MARKET: 7-11 APRIL 2025

• UK recruitment firm HRGO has launched ‘Betty’, an AI agent tackling recruitment ghosting by ensuring all job applicants receive feedback. Since its December 2024 launch, Betty has provided personalised insights to over 40,000 candidates. A survey of 1,000 users found 90% valued the feedback, addressing a major frustration in the hiring process at scale. Betty was named after Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Parkinson, the founder of HRGO back in 1957.

• Recruitment firm Sowena Group has moved into new headquarters in Manchester city centre. Perran Cooke launched Sowena Group last summer after more than a decade in the recruitment industry, including roles as regional MD for the North at executive search company PSD Group and as a director at Axon Moore. Sowena now has a team of five and has taken office space at The Tootal Buildings on Oxford Street. The company statement says Sowena Group is expected to deliver more than £650k in revenue this year.

Senior recruitment consultants Dave Kreitz and Mackenzie Harrop have joined Sowena in recent weeks, along with Leah Allen as head of marketing and Megan Buckley as marketing executive. Cooke said he expects the team to grow to 10 by the end of this year, creating roles for recruitment consultants, back office and support staff, market research specialists and a non-executive director. Sowena Group focuses on senior finance posts in high-growth and private equity and venture capital-backed businesses across the North-West and beyond.

3 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Executive search

Dragon-backed Chapter 2 boosts talent offering with transformation service

Backed by Steven Bartlett (from BBC Dragons’ Den and his Diary of a CEO), this strategic expansion aims to solidify “Chapter 2’s 360-degree talent solutions offering, delivering comprehensive, data-driven solutions to the most pressing talent challenges facing businesses today”, according to a company statement. 

Spearheading the new service is talent strategy director David Brammer. The Transformation & Advisory practice will tackle every area of talent acquisition, from capability and capacity to hiring process optimisation and workforce planning. The practice will also provide talent strategies to prepare businesses for AI-focused roles for the future of work.

As part of this offering, Chapter 2 will conduct in-depth talent and hiring audits, identifying opportunities and reducing hiring-related challenges, through structured hiring diagnostics and benchmarking. 

The service also includes recruitment efficiency assessments, policy and risk evaluations (including IR35 compliance) and contingent workforce strategy development.

Leo Harrison, founder and CEO of Chapter 2, says: “Establishing the Transformation Advisory completes our 360 offering, making sure that we’re able to provide solutions to both common and uncommon challenges that companies face in not only today’s workplace, but the one of the future.”

With 26 years’ experience leading global talent acquisition strategy for brands such as Boots, Kingfisher and Ocado, Brammer will be supported by experienced hire Marta Wasowicz, as the director of advisory and transformation.

L-r: Steven Bartlett, Marta Wasowicz, David Brammer, Leo Harrison ©Chapter 2

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24 September 2024
Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Public sector, Education, Engineering, Construction & property, IT/Telecoms, Healthcare/Medical

MCG Group rebrands as Auxo Group

The move aims to eliminate operational silos and create a more integrated, efficient and powerful talent solutions provider, the company said.

This strategic unification is intended to offer clients a more comprehensive suite of services, from specialist recruitment to talent solutions like Auxo XPO, which offers contingent workforce solutions, recruitment process outsourcing and business process outsourcing to serve clients’ end-to-end needs. 

Auxo Group, whose name derives from the Greek Goddess of growth and prosperity Auxo, operates within the healthcare, technology, engineering, education and construction sectors.

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16 September 2024
Retail, Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering, Construction & property, IT/Telecoms, HR

NEW TO THE MARKET: 16-20 SEPTEMBER 2024

• The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) has introduced a new service, APSCo Advanced Media, in collaboration with TRS Media. This service aims to help recruitment firms optimise their media and advertising spend. By providing data-driven insights and expert guidance, the service ensures that staffing firms can make strategic, cost-effective advertising decisions across various job boards. It also aims to free up time for consultants and marketing teams. APSCo members will benefit from a range of features, including a dedicated helpdesk, advert audits, media ‘sense-check’ services, job board health checks, media buying and account management, Indeed management, ad insights reports, and advertising best practices for recruiters.

• Gaia, the AI-powered recruitment platform formerly known as Socially Recruited, has introduced self-serve access to over 50 applicant tracking system (ATS) integrations, including tools like Workday, Salesforce and Gusto. This update allows customers to manage workflows and improve campaign performance directly from their Gaia accounts. Gaia has also added full integration with Bullhorn, a cloud-based ATS provider, further expanding its integration options.

• Manpower, a global staffing and permanent resourcing provider, part of the ManpowerGroup, will open job hubs in seven Walmart locations across the US, with the first two opening last Friday, 13 September. Manpower will offer one-stop convenience to local jobseekers. The new Manpower job hubs are designed with accessibility in mind and are welcoming to active jobseekers or casual shoppers who may want to explore employment options in their area.

• Mechanical Partners has launched a new specialist business focused exclusively on mechanical recruitment. Mechanical Partners is the sister company of EC&I Partners and provides recruitment solutions in pre-construction and design, project management and skilled trades for mechanical professionals across the UK.

• Personio, Europe’s HR software company for small and mid-sized businesses, has announced a series of advancements designed to alleviate the burden of manual and time-intensive administrative tasks for HR teams, and free them up to focus on delivering impact for their organisations. The new innovations will help HR teams address these challenges with more functionality in people analytics and performance review cycles that adapt on the fly, alongside quicker ways to build and automate custom workflows.

• Talmix, a global digital talent marketplace, has announced a strategic partnership with TAPFIN, a managed service provider (MSP) under ManpowerGroup. This collaboration integrates Talmix’s business talent marketplace into TAPFIN’s workforce management programmes, allowing TAPFIN clients to access a wider range of talent and regions. The partnership aims to enhance flexibility, reduce unmanaged spending, and improve access to high-quality, on-demand talent. Both companies see this as a significant shift in the staffing industry, combining innovation and established expertise for global workforce solutions.

11 September 2024
Transport & logistics, Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering, IT/Telecoms

Driver61 launches recruitment platform Fluidjobs for motorsport industry

In its first month, says the company statement, FluidJobs.com has attracted 5,000 weekly active users and features over 400 job listings, ranging from graduate to senior positions in Formula 1, IndyCar, WRC, Formula E and other top-tier motorsport series.

Known for its popular motorsport YouTube channel, Driver61 provides educational content, driver guides, AI coaching through Trophi.ai, and now, motorsport industry recruitment services.

Former racing driver and YouTube personality Scott Mansell (pictured) started the Driver61 YouTube channel in June 2015, presenting videos primarily about Formula 1 and autosport in general.

The launch of FluidJobs.com marks another step in Driver61’s diversification strategy, following the successful launch of Trophi.ai, an AI-powered coaching platform for racing simulation and eSports. 

“We saw recruitment as a natural fit for our mission,” explained Mansell, who told Recruiter that he is no relation to the former British F1 champion Nigel Mansell – a question he gets asked all the time! “All aspects of motorsport are competitive, even starting a career in the field has its challenges. We’re using Driver61’s unique position as one of the world’s most popular motorsport-orientated YouTube channels to address this. With 1.26m subscribers and 47.5m views per month, we’re well-placed to make a significant impact.”

FluidJobs.com aims to bridge the gap between talented individuals and motorsport organisations, with a broad focus on the career journey; from helping graduates enter motorsport engineering roles to helping F1 teams find senior engineering and aerodynamics hires.

According to a company statement, in its first month, the site has attracted 5,000 weekly active users and features over 400 job listings, ranging from graduate to senior positions in Formula 1, IndyCar, WRC, Formula E and other top-tier motorsport series.

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9 September 2024
Retail, Apprentices/Grads/School leavers

Asda offers work experience to students with special educational needs

The programme will see Asda continue to collaborate closely with charity DFN Project SEARCH, expanding the initiative to a total of 11 stores including the existing Queensferry, Wales store.

The programme aims to give young people with special educational needs a taste of a real-life working environment, Asda said in a statement. Only 4.8% of people in England (4.1% in Scotland) with a learning disability go on to secure paid employment once their education finishes, compared to 80% of their peers. Asda’s initiative will provide students the opportunity to learn new skills and grow in confidence so that they can gain employment once they finish their studies.

As part of the expanded programme, Asda will introduce bespoke uniform items for interns, including t-shirts and fleeces will carry the message: ‘Happy to Help, please bear with me I’m learning.’ The uniform will help customers recognise that the young people are learning so that they can build their confidence to support and interact with future customers.

Asda will also work closely with local colleges to provide students with a full-time course of study based at the store, as well as access to work-based experiential learning every day and a specific employability curriculum, the company said.

Asda became the first supermarket to collaborate with DFN Project SEARCH in the summer of 2023, which saw the retailer work closely with a local college – Coleg Cambria – to provide paid work experience at its Queensferry store.

After the 2023-24 programme concluded earlier this year, Asda subsequently offered permanent positions to all of the five students within its Queensferry store, cementing its position as a diverse and inclusive employer.

The stores participating in the expanded programme are Farnworth Superstore, Sheffield Supercentre, Llandudno Superstore, Tunstall Superstore, Colne Superstore, Blackburn Superstore, Workington Superstore, Nuneaton Superstore, Hull Mount Pleasant Superstore, Derby Supercentre, and Queensferry Supercentre.

DFN Project SEARCH aims to support 10,000 young adults with a learning disability, or autism spectrum condition (or both) into paid employment by 2030 and has already helped more than 2,600 people to date.

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