Maximise your hiring success: The benefits of recruitment agencies for small businesses

Hiring can be a challenge, particularly after years defined by economic uncertainty. Estimates for 2023 show that the labour market is over a million people short of the pre-pandemic trajectory. Key reasons for this include older workers retiring earlier than expected, the end of free movement between the UK and the EU, and insufficient previous investment in upskilling and reskilling – all contributing to a serious talent scarcity. And even though unemployment is set to rise slightly to around 4.2% this year, it is still lower than rates seen in 2020 and 2021, meaning recruitment will continue to be a challenge.

With all of these potential hiring difficulties, small businesses in particular would benefit the most from seeking help from a recruitment agency. The fight for top talent is tight, and recruiting is a time and resource consuming activity, one that many small businesses might not have the in-house capacity to manage. While using a recruitment agency might seem like an unnecessary expense, especially during a financial downturn, the value added by working with an expert who can create tailormade solutions for your industry makes it worth the investment.

Let’s take a look at some of the many ways your small business can benefit from working with a recruitment agency:

Save time

From start to finish, hiring a new employee is time-consuming, and small businesses rarely have time to waste. A recruitment agency can handle the entire hiring process efficiently, without disrupting your normal operations. From identifying potential candidates to scheduling interviews and handling pre-employment screening, we can take care of every step, leaving your team more time to devote to what is most important - running your business.

Save money

While it might initially seem like an unnecessary additional expense, using a recruitment agency can be more cost-effective for a small business. Your in-house talent might not have the resources to devote to a full-time hiring process, and any time they spend on recruiting will have to come from other vital processes. A dedicated recruitment process handled by an expert team will ultimately take less time and reduce your cost to hire. 

Benefit from agency expertise

Hiring new employees might seem like a straightforward process for you to handle in-house. But there are many external factors that you might not be aware of that could change your approach to your hiring strategy. Is your industry expected to expand or retract in the upcoming year? Is your region experiencing increases or decreases in unemployment?

Adecco is a labour market expert with valuable insights into industry trends, salaries, and hiring methods, with information that a small business might not have access to. We also have access to a wider range of job seekers and can use our knowledge and experience to find the best fit for your business more effectively and efficiently.

Gain diversity

Having a recruitment agency manage your talent search can help provide more diversity to your workforce, which in turn can build a more innovative and dynamic team. Diverse teams have proven to be more creative and better at decision making. Additionally, diversity improves morale and employee retention, provides a better understanding of a wide customer base, and enhances a company’s reputation.

With access to our vast candidate database, you can benefit from our wide talent pool to hire the most qualified candidates and reap the benefits that having a diverse team can provide. When sourcing talent for our clients, we’re able to leverage our network of over 100 offices to find the candidates best suited to your needs. We have access to hard-to-find professionals with specific skills and even candidates who may not be actively looking for a new role.

Gain objectivity

A recruitment agency can provide a level of professionalism and objectivity that may be difficult to achieve in-house. This can be especially helpful for small businesses where there may be a lack of internal resources or expertise in recruitment. As a third party to the process, a recruitment agency can evaluate a wider pool of candidates objectively based on their skills, experience, and qualifications, without being influenced by bias or emotions related to the small business

Finding qualified candidates can be challenging. Small businesses can benefit the most from tapping into the expertise that a recruitment agency can provide. With Adecco as your recruitment partner, we can take the hassle out of the hiring process by offering a personalised and flexible approach. We can take care of every step of the talent acquisition pipeline, from identifying the best candidates to onboarding. We have decades of experience and industry-leading experts who can advise on best practices and show you how to showcase your business’s strengths best in order to attract quality candidates.

Ready to hire? Adecco can help you put the right people on your team and give you the support and resources you need to keep them there. To learn more, contact us today.