Recruitment struggles drive surge in business for agency
An employer brand agency in Leeds has seen turnover rise by 100% in the last six months compared to the same period last year, topping £2.2m for the first time.
Chatter Communications, which celebrated its 10th birthday last year, has won 21 new clients in the last 12 months.
These include ScS Group, NHS Blood and Transport, Third Bridge and Severfield PLC, to sit alongside existing clients such as Asda, Morrisons, O2 and Yorkshire Building Society.
Chatter works with organisations to help them attract, recruit and retain the best talent.
It says that as stories of “The Great Resignation” and struggles around recruitment have been well documented over recent months, more businesses have turned to the agency to help them refine and communicate their employer brand to prospective and current employees.
The agency’s current headcount stands at 25. Seven new starters have joined the team in the last 12 months, with an additional seven new roles now being recruited for.
Paul Ainley, managing director, said: “It’s really tough out there in terms of recruitment right now. Roles are very hard to fill and the workforce’s priorities have changed thanks to the pandemic.
“Tech and healthcare roles have always been notoriously difficult to recruit for, but that is now stretching to semi-skilled positions, and we’re being approached about everything from engineering and retail to manufacturing.
“Some companies are resorting to large joining and retention bonuses, but where does that end?
“The truth is, if you’re not clear about why someone should genuinely want to work for your business rather than your competitors, it’s going to be really hard to recruit and retain employees.”
