With unemployment rising by more than 164,000 in the last quarter, staffing firms need to be more innovative about winning positions, a recruiter has claimed.

Tom Liptrot, director of industrial and commercial recruiter Esprit People, said that with fewer roles available, recruiters must be more imaginative about winning new roles.

Liptrot said: “The industry sorely needs a period of moderation. The current glut of recruitment firms in the UK will experience a natural adjustment through mergers and acquisitions, as the less imaginative agencies continue to undercut one another to win the spoils of a counter-productive bidding war.
 
“The more creative and evolved recruitment agencies will survive by finding their own niche markets within the sector and establishing their expertise there. Savvy agencies will also ensure that they get personal with their clients and candidates, understanding their needs and only offering up truly viable matches, rather than a scattergun tactic of putting forward as many candidates as possible in the hope that one will ‘stick’.”