Desire for recruitment growth to get M&A going, says Folwell-Davies
14 October 2013
Recruitment agency executives’ drive for growth and expansion in 2014 will also fuel mergers & acquisition activity in the recruitment sector, Deloitte recruitment industry services partner Katie Folwell-Davies has predicted exclusively to recruiter.co.uk.
Mon, 14 Oct 2013Recruitment agency executives’ drive for growth and expansion in 2014 will also fuel mergers & acquisition activity in the recruitment sector, Deloitte recruitment industry services partner Katie Folwell-Davies has predicted exclusively to recruiter.co.uk.
Recruiters’ interest in growth and expansion over the next year was documented in the newly-released, inaugural Deloitte and Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) benchmark survey. A full analysis of the survey can be found in the new October edition of Recruiter magazine, out this week.
The study revealed that 61% of participants in the Deloitte/APSCo ‘UK Recruitment Index 2013’ look to open new offices next year.
Folwell-Davies is a leading player in M&A activity within the UK recruitment sector.
“A key theme coming out of the findings is expansion into new markets, which is often achieved through acquisition,” Folwell-Davies told recruiter.co.uk. “I think the survey results, coupled with increasingly positive economic indicators, suggest M&A activity is set to rise.”
When asked how protracted the driver for international expansion would be, she responded: “While there are growth areas for the UK recruitment market, international expansion is key. Strong economic forecasts in certain overseas markets offer valuable opportunities for UK recruiters to bring best practice to high-growth overseas clients.
“As the UK and European economies begin to improve, recruiters may retrench and focus on markets closer to home. However, I believe those businesses that can successfully grow a sustainable overseas revenue stream will reap the benefits. Margin, turnover and retention of key staff could all improve in the long term. As businesses become increasingly global, companies need to seek the best talent across much wider geographies, while candidates are beginning to desire more mobility.”
Recruiters’ interest in growth and expansion over the next year was documented in the newly-released, inaugural Deloitte and Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) benchmark survey. A full analysis of the survey can be found in the new October edition of Recruiter magazine, out this week.
The study revealed that 61% of participants in the Deloitte/APSCo ‘UK Recruitment Index 2013’ look to open new offices next year.
Folwell-Davies is a leading player in M&A activity within the UK recruitment sector.
“A key theme coming out of the findings is expansion into new markets, which is often achieved through acquisition,” Folwell-Davies told recruiter.co.uk. “I think the survey results, coupled with increasingly positive economic indicators, suggest M&A activity is set to rise.”
When asked how protracted the driver for international expansion would be, she responded: “While there are growth areas for the UK recruitment market, international expansion is key. Strong economic forecasts in certain overseas markets offer valuable opportunities for UK recruiters to bring best practice to high-growth overseas clients.
“As the UK and European economies begin to improve, recruiters may retrench and focus on markets closer to home. However, I believe those businesses that can successfully grow a sustainable overseas revenue stream will reap the benefits. Margin, turnover and retention of key staff could all improve in the long term. As businesses become increasingly global, companies need to seek the best talent across much wider geographies, while candidates are beginning to desire more mobility.”
- An exclusive report on the findings of the Deloitte/APSCo survey appears in the October issue of Recruiter, which lands on desks later this week.
