Interim vacancies on the up as demand for flexible labour continues

Interim vacancies continue to grow as demand for flexible talent shows no signs of slowing down. That’s according to new research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), the trade association for the recruitment sector.

When looking specifically at interim hiring across different sectors, the data, provided by business intelligence specialist Vacancysoft, reveals that the retail, consumer goods and services sector has the highest number of interim vacancies. Despite being one of the worst-hit during the pandemic, the sector has published nearly 4,000 jobs so far this year, and has grown by 4.2 percentage points when making comparisons to data from 2020. This is perhaps reflective of companies within the sector utilising flexible labour during an uncertain year instead of committing to permanent headcount costs.

Across companies hiring for interims this year, Sky is leading the table, publishing 200 new jobs across England and Wales so far, which is a 120% year-on-year-rise, perhaps explainable by the company’s decision to roll out its own smart television in October. In terms of vacancy volumes, AstraZeneca follows behind, with hiring levels up 32% in relation to 2020, while NatWest experienced the fastest growth with interim recruitment up 272.2% year-on-year.

Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo comments:

“The steady increase in interim recruitment activity across England & Wales shows that firms are increasingly utilising flexible resources to not only manage the fluctuating demands of a Covid-hit market, but also fill immediate demand as skills shortages remain rife. However, while interim professionals may be a temporary resource, reliance on their skills will remain high for the immediate future, making it crucially important the firms have an appropriate engagement plan for these individuals. And with competition for highly skilled interim professionals rife, businesses need to ensure they are utilising the experience of specialist staffing businesses that have extensive interim networks, to access the people they need, when they need them.”