Rec-to-rec recruiters are experiencing an increase in demand for multi-lingual consultants as UK-based agencies target international business.

Vic Chuntz, chief executive at rec-to-rec consultancy Aston Taylor, told Recruiter diversification had caused the demand.

“In IT for instance, the market has been saturated in terms of the number of recruiters and it’s natural for people to start looking abroad.”

For example, IT recruiter SThree’s results for year-end 2008 showed the group’s international business grew by 64% to £97.4m (2007: £59.3m), representing 45% of the group total revenue (2007: 32%).

Robin Huggins, division manager of NetworkersMSB, told Recruiter the company has recruited multi-lingual consultants after identifying a need for IT workers with language skills in the Glasgow area.

“The most highly sought language skills include French, Spanish, Dutch, German and the Nordic languages.  There is now also a need emerging for Eastern Europe languages such as Polish, Russian and Turkish.”

Huggins added the demand was experienced elsewhere in the UK particularly in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Tim Connolly, director of rec-to-rec A La Carte Search and Selection, has also noticed an increase in demand, telling Recruiter:

“Recruitment companies are looking to do more work overseas to spread the risk. It pays to have languages speakers, preferably native, as that really helps candidates and clients buy in to the business.”