Florida-based First Advantage Corp, a global risk mitigation firm, has acquired R E Austin, an employment screening company based in Colchester. Advantage says the deal further expands its international market share by establishing an ”immediate and significant” presence in the UK background screening market.

IT recruitment specialist Hurst Resource Management and Nexus have signed deals with Enterprise Finance Europe (EFE), allowing them to realise cash by invoice discounting. EFE, a member of the Bank of Ireland Group,  provides working capital to companies with turnovers between £2m and £100m.  Nexus has recently placed temporary personnel with Reuters and Southern Technologies, among others.

Sutton is one of 13 London boroughs in a new Shared Recruitment Service. Dean Shoesmith, who heads up Sutton Council’s human resources, is chair of the London-wide Heads of HR group and has researched new ways of bringing together boroughs’ recruitment services. “At the moment applicants get a variable service across London. We started working on a joint basis for recruitment advertising with two other boroughs back in 2003 and this worked well.”

Allied Healthcare has secured a “significant” contract in the London Borough of Lambeth. It began in February, and is expected to add 4,000 hours a week to Allied’s Social Services division.