Hays Contact Centres - January 2010

Hotspots

The lifting of recruitment freezes in late 2009 has created a need for management skills as contact centres grow their teams once more.

Candidates with solid banking and financial services experience, strong product knowledge and first-call resolution skills are also sought. The lifting of recruitment freezes for banking and financial services contact centres has also been the contributing factor of this activity.

Demand is also notable in the FMCG, manufacturing, industrial and medical devices industries, which were largely unaffected by the economic downturn. However these employers need to become more flexible in the industry and systems experience they will consider. As 2010 progresses, the number of available candidates with solid skills will reduce.

The coming quarter

Employers have indicated that they have positive recruiting expectations for both temporary assignments and permanent positions. Employers who were not able to recruit permanent staff during 2009 are now able to fill gaps in their workforce. In addition the securing of new contracts, such as in the facilities and property contact centre environment, has created new permanent positions.

Employer trends

Employers have indicated they intend to secure new candidates in the first quarter of 2010, particularly in the first month of the year. Those employers that wait for further signs of market stabilisation are likely to miss out on the best candidates.

The perception that there are a lot of jobseekers available remains. However for permanent roles the best candidates remain passive job seekers. While employers have vacancies released and headcount freezes lifted, they need to increase timeframes to allow such passive candidates to move.

Candidate trends

The number of entry-level candidates has increased. These candidates are a valuable resource to train up in the business.

A number of candidates with solid tenure in specific industries are available, presenting a good opportunity for employers that act quickly.