1. News
  2. New to Market

New to Market

6 May 2025
Public sector, Creative/Digital/Media

NEW TO THE MARKET: 5-9 MAY 2025

• Heidrick & Struggles has launched a new Government & Defense Tech Practice, aimed at serving the growing demand for technology leadership within public sector organisations. With governments estimated to account for 10% of global technology and IT services spending, the firm sees this as a significant market opportunity. The practice consolidates the company’s experience from over 200 engagements to provide leadership solutions for organisations delivering technology to national, state and local governments worldwide.

The new practice will support clients by offering leadership search, development and organisational effectiveness services. It brings together more than 30 experienced partners across sectors such as IT services, aerospace and defence, energy and private equity, operating globally across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The initiative addresses the increasing reliance of governments on advanced technologies like AI, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity and robotics.

• Workforce management solutions firm Matrix has supported more than 10,000 individuals across the UK into employment between March 2024 and April 2025 through its Social Value team. The efforts focused on a wide range of community initiatives, including employability workshops, career guidance and volunteering opportunities. These programmes were designed to help students, jobseekers and public sector employees gain essential skills and access new career pathways.

• UK start-up Project Brains has launched ProdigyPB, an AI-powered platform designed to revolutionise job description creation and recruitment. Tailored for SMEs, growing businesses, and HR teams, ProdigyPB helps define precise hiring needs by aligning job roles with specific business challenges. The tool generates clear, bias-free job descriptions in seconds and enables users to engage with vetted fractional specialists from Project Brains’ talent pool, according to a company statement. ProdigyPB is currently available in Beta across the UK.

28 April 2025
Life sciences, Engineering

NEW TO THE MARKET: 28 APRIL-2 MAY 2025

• Jobmatch Sweden, a leader in occupational psychological testing, is expanding in Norway through a new partnership with consulting firm Sund Raad. Sund Raad, which focuses on enhancing employee engagement for small and medium-sized businesses, will integrate Jobmatch’s DNV-certified Talent test into its services. This marks Jobmatch’s second partnership in Norway, following its 2022 collaboration with Hapro Jobb og Karriere. Jobmatch Talent is a scientifically validated tool used for recruitment and employee development, according to the company press release.

• STEM recruitment specialist Matchtech has launched STEM Futures, a free, on-demand employability platform aimed at helping young people break into engineering and technology careers. The programme includes expert-led sessions on job search strategies, CV writing, interviews and personal development, and is part of Matchtech’s broader initiative to address the STEM skills gap and support emerging talent.

In addition, Matchtech has awarded the first two grants from its Materna Fund, a £2.5k bursary created to support engineering students facing financial hardship. The inaugural recipients, Sergio Carreno Vargas and David Sarembock from the University of Portsmouth, are using the funds to focus on their studies and development without the added pressure of financial strain.

• Meet Life Sciences has launched Synergy, a new standalone service designed to tackle people capability challenges in the life sciences sector that go beyond recruitment. As part of Meet’s evolution into a full-service talent solutions partner, Synergy offers tailored support in areas like workforce planning, leadership development, skills mapping, culture embedding and organisational design. Led by vice-president Kirsty Wilson, the service is built specifically for the life sciences industry and is focused on delivering measurable, outcome-driven solutions. Unlike traditional consulting, Synergy provides hands-on support from design through to implementation, helping clients build the capability needed to grow, adapt and lead in a competitive global market.

• Right Management, part of ManpowerGroup, has launched a refreshed brand strategy called ‘The Right Way’. It’s a human-centred, data-backed framework that aligns workforce development with business strategy. The new identity centres on ‘The Right Way loop’, a distinctive visual element with modern colours and typography that will be used across all brand touchpoints.

25 April 2025
Construction & property, Graduates/Apprentices/School leavers

National student lettings agency launches apprenticeship scheme

In a bid to support young people and grow skilled and knowledgeable individuals for the student lettings sector, loc8me recently launched its 18-month programme, which is open to anyone aged 16-18. The scheme will offer hands-on experience, mentorship and the opportunity to engage in paid work.

Raffaele Russo, founder of loc8me, said: “We’re thrilled to launch this apprenticeship programme, giving young professionals a real chance to learn, grow and begin building a career in an exciting industry.

“Now more than ever, young people are seeking opportunities, guidance and goals to pursue. With this programme, we’re investing in their future – and in the future of the lettings sector.”

Apprentices will have the chance to study the theoretical and practical elements of the lettings industry, and on starting, they will be given a mentor from the loc8me team to support their development via regular meetings throughout the course.

loc8me now operates in 13 major university cities across the UK, including Loughborough, Durham, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leicester, Hull, Bath and Bristol.

Freya Watson-Russo, academy co-ordinator, said: "At loc8me, we’re committed to nurturing the next generation of letting agents. … We’re giving young people the chance to build a future, gain confidence and carve their own path.”

Founded in 2008 by Russo, loc8me manages more than 2,500 properties and employs more than 75 staff members.

(L-r) Apprentice Ollie Coe, loc8me's marketing assistant and academy co-ordinator Freya Watson-Russo and apprentice Isabel Tebbutt ©loc8me

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.

14 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering

NEW TO THE MARKET: 14-18 APRIL 2025

• Manufacturing and engineering specialist Busy Bee Recruitment has relaunched its website. The refreshed online platform has a modern design and enhanced user functionality, offering an intuitive browsing experience that makes it easier than ever to explore current vacancies, submit CVs quickly and securely, access expert recruitment advice via a blog and submit vacancies directly online.

• Deel, a global payroll and HR provider, has launched a suite of AI-driven products to help companies hire, manage, and pay international teams. Deel will offer an all-in-one global workforce platform integrating payroll, HR, and IT, designed to support compliant operations across borders. Key updates include: Real-Time Payroll in over 53 markets (expanding to 130+ by 2027), offering instant calculations and faster processing; Deel PEO for offering top-tier benefits without enterprise-level costs; Benefits Admin for simplified, compliant benefits management across countries; Deel Talent for streamlined recruitment via trusted agency networks; Workforce Planning, Compensation, and Engage tools – powered by AI – for smarter headcount strategy, global pay management, and employee development; IT Lifecycle Management features like MDM, IAM, and EPP, supporting global device and security control.

8 March 2023
Charity & not-for-profit

CharityJob campaign calls recruiters out for snubbing candidates

This is the idea of a new campaign called #GetBackToMe from CharityJob, a leading UK charity job board.

CharityJob has launched a campaign on social media and on billboards in London to raise awareness of how important it is for recruiters to get back to all of their candidates, to improve the candidate experience and boost their hiring potential.

The charity conducted a survey in October 2022, comprising nearly 500 candidates, which revealed the most common pain points and barriers they have faced when applying.

“In a job market that currently finds us with more roles than available candidates to fill them, recruiters are losing potential applications through something as simple as not having responded in the past. And for candidates it’s demoralising to invest valuable time applying for roles, or attending interviews, to hear nothing back,” says Steve Wexler, co-founder of CharityJob.

“We’ve launched our #GetBackToMe campaign to make recruiters aware of how important it is for their reputation, and as well as their future recruitment potential, to respond to all of their applicants.”

Some 79% said that they are less likely to apply to an organisation or company in future if they had been ignored totally for a previous role.

Candidates also said that completing long application forms was a bugbear (59% of respondents) and not hearing back from recruiters (54% of respondents) was another of the most common pain points.

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.

1 March 2023
Creative/Digital/Media

James Corden-backed film studio to create thousands of jobs in the North-East

FulwellCain Studios, a joint venture between global entertainment company Fulwell 73 and Cain International, has announced plans for Crown Works Studios in Sunderland, creating some 8,450 jobs across the North-East over the next decade, according to online news services Bdaily and Prolific North.

Actor James Corden is one of the partners involved in the project.

Described by city leaders as “the single most significant development announcement to come out of the North East in decades”, the project – aimed at creating one of the largest entertainment studios in Europe – will build on Fulwell 73’s existing presence in the city.

The joint venture will spearhead the development of a 1.68 million sq ft film industry hub in Sunderland’s North-West suburb of Pallion, with up to 20 premium sound stages suitable for major feature film and HETV productions. The scheme, which requires support from government to go ahead, will be delivered in three phases, with work set to start later this year and the final phase set to complete by 2027.

Subject to planning processes, Crown Works Studios will stand on land on the banks of the river Wear, which played a critical role throughout the industrial revolution, when the city was a shipbuilding powerhouse.

“The studios will be transformational for the city’s economy, cultivating an eco-system on a scale not seen since Nissan’s investment in Sunderland in the 1980s, while meeting the growing demand for studio space in the UK. Upon completion, the scheme could generate £336m for the local economy every year, creating jobs and contract opportunities spanning a vast range of disciplines including the trades and manual skills,” the Bdaily news service said.

Fulwell 73’s partners – Gabe Turner, Ben Turner, Leo Pearlman, Ben Winston and James Corden – issued this joint statement: “We are unified in our belief that there is a unique opportunity to bring further high-end production to the UK through this ambitious Sunderland-based studio project; putting the region on the map as a global production destination.”

Pearlman, managing partner at Fulwell 73, continued: “Fulwell is a company built on family and the North-East is embedded in our DNA. For over 100 years my family had a business here in Sunderland and called this great city home, so to be able to bring Fulwell back to where the inspiration for our global entertainment company began is a truly humbling experience.

“Through delivering the studios, we will create a long-term production industry infrastructure, attract even more significant high end production to the UK and ensure that future generations of North Eastern talent can develop and prosper at home within the region.”

Crown Works Studios will include provision for production workshops and office space, a vendor village for supply chain businesses, administrative and social facilities, a multi-storey car park and an extensive backlot.

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.

1 March 2023
IT/Telecoms, Hospitality/Leisure

Work from anywhere with Campsited’s mobile data package

Offered by Campsited enables employers to provide their employees with the opportunity to work and live in natural settings across several countries for one to 12 weeks at a time.

Properties are vetted for Wi-Fi availability and suitable working and living amenities, and Campsited offers e-sim mobile data packages for employees to use to minimize data roaming costs.

The programme follows the growth of remote and flexible working policies since the pandemic, with Statista reporting that 30% of employees now work at exclusively remote companies. According to research by Owl Labs and Global Workplace Analytics, 74% of employees feel happier when they work remotely. The reasons vary from not having to commute, to having more flexibility and spending more time with their families.

Employers are recognising the role that flexible working arrangements play to attract and retain employees, with 50% of all global organisations believing that empowering a remote workforce is important (IBM Institute for Business Value).

Campsited described the Open Air Work From Anywhere “the possibility to genuinely make a difference to the health, happiness and motivation of a company’s workforce”.

Outsourced call centre service provider Zevas has introduced the programme to its workforce, “to support the physical and mental wellbeing of employees already working remotely” by providing the opportunity for them to live in and experience another country. Through Zevas’s subscription to the Campsited programme, their 200+ employees will be able to access accommodation options that cater to their professional needs and personal appetite for open-air adventure. 

Campsited said: “The added benefit for our established network of more than 270,000 accommodation sites is a boost in demand outside of peak season.”

Employees can choose to work from a variety of countries, including France, Italy and Spain. Campsited will shortly extend the programme adding properties in both the US and South Africa.

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.

1 March 2023
Legal, Executive search, IT/Telecoms

NEW TO THE MARKET: 27 FEBRUARY-3 MARCH 2023

• Umbrella company Liquid Friday has launched Liquid Stride, an insights dashboard for recruitment agencies. The platform allows recruiters of temporary and contract workers to retain existing talent, enhance redeployment rate and reduce candidate drop off. Liquid Friday’s new contractor app, launched in alignment with this technology, updates their agency when they are considering or actively seeking their next assignment.

• Legal search firm SSQ has opened its first US office in New York. The new office will be led by James Newton, an experienced legal recruiter who has relocated from London to lead SSQ’s new US initiative. The team in New York will offer a wide range of services to both law firms and in-house legal teams, placing talent across the US.

Recruiter Magazine

SUBSCRIBE TO PRINT
VIEW PAST ISSUES
Top