Welcome to 2019

Everyone at the REC hopes the New Year brings you and your business huge success.

Last year was a record breaking one for recruitment and recruiters. The industry helped a million people into permanent roles, and put a million temps into client businesses every day. That is an amazing record of success, built on your skills and hard work.

All the more impressive, given the current backdrop of uncertainty. Despite economic uncertainty and fast changes in our labour market – both technology and skills needs – feedback from clients to our Jobs Outlook survey suggests strengthening support for the role recruiters play.

The REC Compliance Test is a sign to clients and candidates that they can trust the way you work. Hopefully you completed your compliance test before Christmas!  But if it slipped in the pre-Christmas rush, there is still a window for you to complete it. Get in touch if you need any help to get this done.

2019 will bring more change, but there are also huge opportunities out there to grow your business and for recruitment to grow as a high value professional services sector, delivering growth for your business and prosperity for the UK. Take a look at the latest blog from our Campaigns Director, Tom Hadley, with five key reasons to be cheerful going into this year.

Whatever path this year takes, the REC is here to help you navigate your business through it. We are all about brilliant recruitment – championing good practice, speaking up for great recruiters and helping you to succeed. It is this focus that saw our member numbers grow last year and will guide us in the months ahead.

So what are our new year’s resolutions?

• We’ll invest in supporting members in new ways, with improved and more dynamic web content and more market-relevant data for your business. For IRP members, we will begin to deliver a more modern and online professional body – including more flexible learning options.
• We’ll be more focussed on getting closer to you in person, too. We’ll be on the road as always, of course, but with new staff based outside the South-East we will be more present in every part of the UK.
• We will adopt a new and modernised communications and campaigns approach amplifying our voice and message making us more persuasive with policy makers. We had a great record of success in 2018, with key REC wins in the Budget, the Taylor Review response and the Immigration White Paper – but there is always more to do.

All of this is designed to make sure we speak up for and help you in the ways you need us to.

The REC is your organisation, and it will always put you first.

I’m interested to hear from members about what more we could do to support you, as well as your feedback on the market and any concerns you have. Just drop me or your account manager a line.

Have a fantastic start to the year!