It must concern retailers when they read articles such as ‘Recruiters refute no green shoots claim’ (recruiter.co.uk, 22 September).

It’s vital, in our role as recruiters, that we give our clients confidence in our understanding of the market we operate in and that we have recognised the many operational and financial challenges they continue to face.

Many more retailers have taken their recruitment in-house during these challenging times to save on costs and will need to be sure that before they spend with third-party suppliers again that it’s money well spent and with a business who truly understands its marketplace.

Retail chiefs, including Marks & Spencer chairman Sir Stuart Rose, John Lewis Partnership chairman Charlie Mayfield, Alliance Boots chief executive Alex Gourlay, Morrisons finance director Richard Pennycook and New Look chief executive Carl McPhail, have warned that retailers face further pressures on consumer spending. Andrew Higginson, chief executive of Tesco’s retailing services division, said the market will be “flat at best” for UK retailers over Christmas.

Their comments are included in a survey commissioned by PR firm Kreab Gavin Anderson, which found many believe the consumer market will not pick up until 2011. The CBI also predict that “modest growth” in the economy will not happen until the third and fourth quarters of 2010.

Having recruited for and also having worked at a senior level with Tesco, Marks & Spencer and John Lewis, with 23 years’ experience in retail, I would struggle to proclaim a false dawn and challenge the combined and unanimous views of the leading figures in retail who warn us of tough times ahead.

The truth is that these are the views of people who know a thing or two about the retail market and we would do ourselves a service in strengthening our credibility as recruiters by assuming our responsibility to understand our market and listen to our clients.

I fear the comments in the article of the 22 September will only serve to give retailers the view that recruiters are out of touch with the reality of the market conditions and that comments like ‘There is a little bit more “boing” on the market’ and ‘No-one is going to make tonnes of money like it was three years ago’ will worry many retailers that the recruiters’ focus is on ‘making tonnes of money’ and not the vital methodology and quality of recruitment delivery.

It’s essential that during these tough times recruiters have taken the opportunity to review their business model such that they share the pain of their clients and that their business is structured to deliver the necessary recruitment cost savings and value for money.

We must rise to the challenge that clients expect more from recruiters to support them through these continuing tough times. I fear many recruiters I have spoken to have a very inflexible and fixed business model and believe that if they can ride out these tough times then things will then revert to ‘making tonnes of money like it was three years ago’.

Recruiters need to recognise the industry has changed forever and that our own success comes from listening to clients and having the flexibility to adapt and meet their needs.

Challenging the view of the retail chiefs of the leading retailers on the visibility and expectation of ‘green shoots’ is in itself a bit ‘green’ and can’t be a sensible view to express as it does nothing to support the efforts many experienced recruiters are making to assure retailers that they do indeed understand the marketplace that they operate in and that they have not been simply waiting for things to revert to a time when vacancies were plentiful and high recruitment fees were commonplace.

Our responsibility as recruiters is to know our market and to listen to our clients - and we challenge this at our peril.

John Wight is managing director and owner of specialist executive recruiter John Wight Recruitment