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Second quarter results & trends

Second quarter results & trends

Comparing 2020 Q2 to 2021 Q2 shows a night and day shift back to more normal conditions at Chase & Holland Recruitment. Let us be honest though 2020 Q2 was the worst quarter we had seen as a business for a long time and taking head count in account the worst in our history. It is with this backdrop in mind that I am delighted to say that not only is 2021 Q2 over 100% up on last year it is a Q2 all-time record by 1.2%. So not only have we seen a return to more normal trading it is fair to say the market is very busy.

So, what does this mean in our main divisions?

Finance & Accountancy no comparison to last year Q2 but as per Q1 this year it is fair to say our Finance & Accountancy division is as busy as it has ever been. Q2 2021 is our best Q2 result of all time. We have seen particularly high demand for the clerical level positions and the newly qualified up to 5-year PQE roles. However, it is fair to say it is busy across the whole market and is turning rapidly into a candidate short market.

Salaries have also started to increase across most roles with a particular pressure in the form of counter offers as businesses work hard to hold onto talent.

Supply Chain & Procurement Q2 2021 for this division has seen it return to its previous form now only being 3% down on previous best Q2 results. It is clear to see that this division is now on the verge of growing as fast as it did prior to Q2 2020. We are seeing a large demand from clients setting up new facilities and expanding/investing heavily in the supply chain particularly around the mid-tier positions.

Although candidate shortages are beginning to present themselves it is not yet as acute as we are seeing in Finance.

HR & Office Support have had its record quarter of all time in Q2 2021 by some 14% which is a fantastic result and is due to the hard work being done in this division as well as it being a fairly new division for us. Service and Sales lead roles have been high demand over the last quarter with HR remaining strong.

Success in this area has been all about our clients having the ability to fast track the recruitment process in what is a competitive market for good candidates.

IT is still proving to be very busy and for Chase & Holland has remained stable for Q2 2021 which is not reflective of the current market which has high demand and a low supply of candidates.

Overall, the market is in a very positive place which would go hand in hand with what we are seeing from our clients. According to KPMG and REC job flow and placements are no at the highest level they have been since 1998 in many sectors. After everything that has happened and, in many ways, still happening it is great to see so many success stories among our clients and the UK in general.