Sweett in recruitment hunt for “right people”

Grant Prior 10 years ago
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Sweett Group is on a recruiting drive as staff numbers rose 10% during the last financial year.

The search for new staff comes as the consultant sees increasing opportunities in the UK market as the construction recovery continues.

Sweett saw group headcount grow to 1,535 during the year to March 31 2014 as pre-tax profits rose to £2.8m from £2.1m on turnover up to £89.4m from £80.6m last time.

Recovery in the UK is leading the way with as the group announced it was extending its three-year recovery plan by another year.

Sweet said attracting staff is crucial to its continuing success as clients start to value the right people over price when it comes to awarding jobs.

Chief Executive Dean Webster said: “The legacy of the recession for our industry is the lack of human resource capacity available to meet rising demand, whilst this will create a challenge for us to attract and retain the best people, it will provide an opportunity for us to improve margins.

“It is interesting to note that we are now seeing a trend beginning to emerge, particularly in the UK market, where clients are placing increasing emphasis on choosing firms which have the right people and right experience, as opposed to just on price.”

Webster added: “Coming off the back of a long and deep recession, the UK construction industry is now growing and activity levels have significantly improved.

“We believe this growth is sustainable as output is currently still 14% below peak in 2007.

“Construction forecasts, both in terms of volumes and pricing are being revised upwards as the UK economy grows.

“Whilst there continues to be a marked difference geographically, there is now evidence to support a recovery in many regional cities outside London and the South East.

“Industry forecasts, when measured against a 2012 base, are predicting output growth of circa 6% pa in each of 2015, 2016 and 2017 and cost consultancy and project management services come at the front end of the cycle.

“The strongest areas are likely to be private commercial and industrial, private housing and infrastructure, all sectors where we have expertise.”

For the latest construction vacancies visit our Jobs Spy page here

 

 

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