Recruitment firm looks for new solutions

One of the Black Country’s fastest growing recruitment agencies is pressing the button on further expansion by creating five new jobs.

MET Recruitment, which recorded £5.8million sales last year, is looking to recruit consultants and resourcers to boost its 18-strong team after demand from clients in the administrative, distribution and manufacturing space rocketed.

Specialising in temporary and permanent industrial, commercial and technical staff, the company continues to place more than 500 workers every day and that figure could increase by 200 if there was a bigger candidate pool.

“In the twenty-five years I’ve been involved in the sector, I don’t think I’ve seen such a shortage and it is beginning to cause issues for firms that are looking to bounce back from the pandemic and need access to temporary workers,” said Robin Tong, managing director at MET Recruitment.

“We are having to educate our clients to the current situation as this is a regional, possibly national issue. It’s not all doom and gloom, there are things we are jointly doing to mitigate the challenge, but it takes additional time and more up-front work to really drill down on the detail of the roles and what they involve.

“Our team of consultants are already working even closer with clients to encourage them to take a longer-term overview of their skill needs and asking them to look at how they make the position more attractive, whether that is actual pay rate or benefits of employment.

“We’re playing our part by investing in expanding our team and introducing a new app that will make managing candidates even easier.”

MET Recruitment was originally set up to supply staff to the mechanical and electrical trades and has gone from three people in a small office on the Pensnett Trading Estate to an 18-strong agency operating from a dedicated head office on Wolverhampton Street in Dudley.

The company’s growth has been driven by two key appointments, with Matthew Hunter joining in 2011 to head up the industrial division and Nella Share arriving three years later to create the commercial recruitment arm of the business.

Investment in its 360 degrees recruitment solution for clients and an industry-best support infrastructure for candidates has helped it secure a strong client base across engineering, manufacturing, professional services and the services sector.

Robin said: “One quick fix for the situation could be the Government relaxing freedom of movement, but I don’t think any of us can see that happening anytime soon. So, the emphasis will be firmly on recruitment firms innovating and our clients looking more strategically at how they address demand and future skills requirements."

Pictured: From left, Nella Share, Matthew Hunter and Robin Tong