Agencies need to "sharpen up their act" to ensure that they remain attractive to clients, a former head of recruitment at Royal Mail told Recruiter.

Mark Gilbertson, who now runs his own HR search and selection firm, Peak Talent, and has also worked for Cable & Wireless, said that agencies must stop their "scattergun" approach and ensure they retain relationships with clients.

Among those recruiting directly is security firm Chubb, who ran an advert in the Evening Standard recently asking: 'Tired of recruitment agencies doing your thinking for you? Come to our open evening.'