1. News
  2. New to Market

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.

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.

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

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.

9 September 2024
Executive search, HR, Graduates/Apprentices/School leavers, Apprentices/Grads/School leavers, Accounting/Finance

Stafforce announces major investment in UK expansion

The new hubs will be located in Newport, Blackburn, Daventry, Bristol, Barnstaple, Loughborough and Tilbury. 

This significant growth initiative is a key element of the strategic plan being implemented by Kelly Kendall COO, who recently joined NAG and is in charge of driving growth, investing in people, talent and new locations.

According to a company statement, the expansion is backed by executive chairman Nick Cragg and CEO Paul Smith.

NAG offers talent management solutions from apprentice to boardroom appointments. The combined group has a turnover in excess of £100m and brands include The Apprentice Employment Agency, Graduate Career Solutions, Stafforce, Cra-Cro Site Services, Nicholas Associates, Ashley Kate HR & Finance, Main-Board and Olano.

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.

9 September 2024
Banking/Financial services, Legal

Search firm Major, Lindsey & Africa grows Partner Practice Group in London

Five consultants, specialising in partner level searches for law firms globally, are joining from legal search boutique LTN & Partners.

The expanded Partner Practice Group brings together significant experience across the UK and key European markets, complementing the launch of MLA’s Dublin office earlier this year. Beyond Europe, the new team has a track record of working in the US legal sector, and the expanded team will collaborate closely with MLA’s global network of offices, especially in the US.

This addition will also further bolster MLA’s expertise in priority practice areas including financial services, private equity, disputes, restructuring and capital markets.

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.

3 September 2024

REC launches campaign to champion flexible working in the UK

The new Labour government will unveil a long-awaited Employment Rights Bill later this autumn that is aimed to bolster protections for vulnerable and exploited workers. However, there are concerns that the Bill could go too far in stemming flexible contracts that benefit workers in work-life balance, accommodating personal life issues and enabling them to pursue long-term goals.

“Highly regulated agency work already offers employment rights and in-work progression,” the REC said in a statement released today. “And when the government reforms the Apprenticeship Levy as promised, it should also create more opportunities for them to upskill.”

For the ‘Voice of the Worker’ campaign, REC commissioned Whitestone Insight to interview 520 temp agency workers in Britain online in June 2024 to hear what they thought about agency work and why it mattered to them. Polling found:

  • Almost eight in 10 temp agency workers (79%) say their work provides an important need for flexibility.
  • More than two-thirds of temp agency workers (68%) say that their work provides a greater work-life balance.
  • More than half of temp agency workers (53%) believe that this is the right kind of role for their current stage in life – an active choice.

“Britain’s temporary labour market is working well for people, firms and the modern economy – with about a million temps working every day. And its success at bringing and retaining people in the labour force is vital to the new government’s central mission of driving growth,” the REC said.

Key points of the Voice of the Worker campaign are:

  • Flexibility serves a social purpose – more than two-thirds of temps say that their work provides them with a greater work-life balance.
  • Britain’s labour market is a source of competitive strength, with workers having a wide range of permanent, temporary and contract-based options.

The REC will highlight video and written case studies of temporary workers, in a variety of sectors in the UK economy, in which they explain the reasons for wanting flexibility and the benefits of temp working.

REC CEO Neil Carberry said: “Flexibility at work is something to feel optimistic about. It is working for millions of people. Individual choice and employers’ need for a versatile workforce can be brought together to deliver better careers and higher productivity. As our new survey and video case studies show, flexibility is a vital bridge to work for people who need to balance caring responsibilities, work despite health issues, combine work and study, and upskill.

“Government needs to make sure new rules support temps and that means having a real understanding of their lives. Firms too should always ensure that they think of temporary workers as people to support and develop. Getting this right is crucial because our acute labour and skills shortages mean we need to fill record numbers of vacancies, with a mix of temporary and permanent jobs. And we can close productivity gaps by giving people more varied and developmental career paths.

He went on to say: “Good and lasting workforce changes that are effective for workers and businesses happen when employers and government work together to determine what works for everyone. We passionately hope our new campaign will help even more policymakers appreciate the opportunity temporary work brings, the benefits it offers and why it is life-changing in many ways.

“The new government has won a huge mandate to go for growth - and we are excited to be working with them to support that,” Carberry said, “but as our Voice of the Worker campaign shows, success in that mission rests primarily on getting the people stuff right in workplaces around the country.”

• For more on this story, see the Sep-Oct 2024 issue of Recruiter, out next week

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.

3 September 2024
Creative/Digital/Media, IT/Telecoms

NEW TO THE MARKET: 2-6 SEPTEMBER 2024

• Gi Group Ireland has opened a new office in Cork, Ireland, and plans to grow its workforce by 25-30% in the next 6-12 months, according to a company announcement. Gi Group recently acquired longstanding temporary and permanent staffing supplier Kelly Services Ireland, and so is marking its first phase of expansion with a new office facility for its Cork-based team. The new office will offer candidate testing rooms and private meeting rooms, with its location enabling easy access for local candidates.

• Holistica Consulting, led by expert Ayub Shaikh, has passed the 100-hour mark of video training content in the IT recruitment training sector. Holistica has successfully trained tens of thousands of clients globally, transforming how recruitment professionals engage with the ever-changing world of technology. The global business has trained consultants from the largest recruitment and consulting firms around the world, including Hays, Capita, PageGroup, Manpower and LA International.

• Jobilla, a European digital recruitment firm, has launched a new set of AI-powered recruitment tools designed to streamline the hiring process. These tools automate time-consuming tasks such as creating ads, landing page content, and email drafts, cutting campaign setup and running time by at least half. They also enhance candidate screening to identify the best profiles for open positions. A key feature of the platform is its localisation function, which produces native-level content in multiple languages, helping companies attract talent in new markets. Jobilla has also secured €6m (£5.05m) in funding to support further development of its AI-driven platform and expand its market presence in Europe.

Recruiter Magazine

SUBSCRIBE TO PRINT
VIEW PAST ISSUES
Top