Faced with difficulties in sourcing managers, clients in the leisure industry are increasingly looking to diversify. According to recruiters, clients are looking at candidates from outside the industry in an effort to enhance their existing business model.

James Procter, director of 4Leisure Recruitment, told Recruiter that difficulties in sourcing general management had meant clients were more prepared to experiment.

“The leisure industry has realised there is a lot of talent in other sectors, so they’re starting to think outside the box. They realise that to move the industry forward they need to bring in new blood,” he said, adding that the major leisure chains always have vacancies for general management.

James Brotherhood, manager at leisure jobs board www.leisurejobs.com, has noticed a similar trend. “Operators are more willing than ever to look at candidates who do not have industry direct experience,” he said. “Large gyms are doing a lot of food and beverages; they have beauty salons, they have retail sites. They are multi-channel businesses. There are lots of parallels with other industries.”

Procter added that clients are understanding that the sector is becoming more commercial, and it is not just general managers who need to be aware of the commercial impact they have on an organisation, it is heads of departments too.

But on the whole, recruiters don’t appear to be panicking about the recession, as a healthy interest from candidates and steady vacancy numbers continue to buoy the industry.

The Monster Employment Index recorded a 9% year-on-year increase in the number of opportunities advertised online in October, compared with an overall UK industry increase of 1%.

Procter said 4Leisure had experienced a record month in September, recording its highest turnover in the six years it has been operating.

“Clients are becoming slightly more picky about what CVs they select and candidates are more choosy in picking more stable jobs, but the demand is still there,” he added.

Brotherhood said he believed the general public would continue to use leisure facilities even as the public tightens its collective belt.

“People are more aware about their lifestyle choices now and the operators aren’t seeing any adverse effects yet. In a lot of fitness clubs they have 12-month contracts, so they can’t just all up and leave at the same time,” he explained, adding that he had experienced an increase in demand for sales people.

Procter has noticed a similar trend. “A lot of businesses are looking for more proactive sales people,” he said.

Salaries in the sector have remained level, according to recruiters. Sarah Kay, divisional manager of Anderson Knight, told Recruiter that salaries have remained “stagnant”, while SkillsActive, the sector skills council for active leisure and learning, found there were only marginal changes in salary over the past three years. Between 2005 and 2007, the average salary increased from £15,600 to £16,000.

Some recruiters have noticed a slight increase in the number of candidates coming on to the market. Kay said: “It was always quite a candidate-led market. We are starting to find that it can be easier to get hold of candidates.”

However, Procter disagreed saying staff turnover has slowed slightly. “The leisure industry has a notoriously high turnover. In the last three to six months it’s got better. That’s not necessarily good for us, but what it does mean is that companies can concentrate on recruiting a higher calibre [employee] because they can concentrate on vacancies they need to fill.”

Brotherhood told Recruiter the company is looking forward to the boom created by the London 2012 Olympics. “We work very closely with the people who are supplying the facilities. They are already looking for the managers and they need to be in place to talk to people from day one.”

[email protected]