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Irish jobs market reaches 20-year high, as office re-entry drives unprecedented levels of recruitment activity
Irish jobs market reaches 20-year high, as office re-entry drives unprecedented levels of recruitment activity
Sigmar Recruitment today reports a record high number of job placements over April, May, and June 2021. The number of placements during this period is higher than any other quarter in the recruitment company’s 20-year history. Current figures are up 6% on the previous record set in 2019 before the pandemic. As one of the largest recruiters in Ireland, Sigmar has offices across the country and is present in all professional sectors. The first half of the year saw strong, consistent growth with job placements breaking all records in the month of May, with June accounting for the second-highest month ever. Commenting on the rebound of the labour market, Sigmar founding Director, Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig says: “The jobs market in Ireland has never been stronger or more buoyant than it currently is. We’re seeing several macro trends converge all at once, which is creating significant churn in the market. Remote working has literally opened up a world of new opportunities no longer bound by location. This is coupled with a rising tide of consumer confidence, as many professionals find themselves in a stronger financial position than before the pandemic. “The last 18 months has asked big questions of us all, and the humdrum of lockdown has created a desire for change which is now resulting in unprecedented numbers of people moving jobs. Employee loyalty is increasingly under question, with remote work being less enjoyable, many workers are now committed to the experience of work over the employer, adding further to the current levels of churn.” IT accounted for one-third of all job placements throughout the quarter, followed in order by Financial Services, Sales & Marketing, Accountancy, Life Science & Manufacturing, Office Support, Public Sector, Construction, Professional Services. Business confidence has also grown steadily over the course of the year, as vaccination gathered momentum. The “low-touch economy” is booming is sectors such as e-commerce, digital, and logistics. Says Mac Giolla Phádraig: “The resurgence of permanent recruitment is somewhat unique to how we’ve rebounded from previous downturns, where we typically saw flexible work return quicker.” Although the vast majority of job placement in Q2 were understandably remote, Sigmar reports that the tide is beginning to change with the majority of employers now committing to hybrid work over the coming three months. Mac Giolla Phádraig advises: “As we now choose our workplaces, at a time when the power dynamic has shifted to the employee, employers need to ensure adequate work practices to reconnect the workforce with the workplace equitably. There is an inherent risk that new workforce inequities may emerge, such as “proximity bias”, where those closest to the centre of influence get greater recognition and therefore promotion opportunities as opposed to remote workers. When it comes to individual contribution the opposite could be argued that remote workers get the benefit of having less in-office distractions and their output is therefore greater.” Mac Giolla Phádraig likens remote work to long-distance relationships, which in many cases don’t work out. “We’ve gone from “living” with our employees in an office environment to long-distance relationships, which often sees commitment recede over time. The context of location also opens up new experiences and possibilities, which are now being explored on a scale never before seen.” He adds, “if we thought the war for talent was tough, just wait for the battle of attrition. It’s now emerging as the number one challenge for businesses across the globe.”
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Eoin Langdon promoted to Director
Eoin Langdon promoted to Director
Eoin Langdon has been promoted to a Director at Sigmar Recruitment. Eoin Langdon has been an Associate Director of the recruitment firm for the past four years. Before that, he was manager of the IT division for five years. A massive congratulations from all your friends and colleagues at Sigmar - so well deserved!
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Sigmar shortlisted for International Recruitment Awards 2020
Sigmar shortlisted for International Recruitment Awards 2020
Sigmar are delighted to be shortlisted for two awards at this year's Talint International Recruitment Awards which will take place in October 2020. Our team are finalists in the awards for: "Best Client Service", which recognises excellence and collaboration in the delivery of talent acquisition project or ongoing campaign; and "Best Recruitment Agency To Work For in Ireland and the UK" (£20-50m turnover), which recognises employers of choice in recruitment who can demonstrate innovation and impact in their attraction, induction, development and retention of talent. Sigmar were last year announced as the winner of "Best Recruitment Company to Work For in Ireland and the UK" so are looking forward to defending the title. Due to ongoing social distancing, TALiNT Partners will deliver the TIARA Recruitment Agency Awards Ceremony as a virtual event on Wednesday 21st October. See the full list of finalists
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Sigmar’s COVID Jobs Initiative Guides ONE in SIX Newly Unemployed in its First Three Months
Sigmar’s COVID Jobs Initiative Guides ONE in SIX Newly Unemployed in its First Three Months
Sigmar Recruitment today announces the impact of its, not for profit, COVID Response Jobs initiative three months after its launch. The online platform was set up as the COVID crisis took hold, and subsequently saw six hundred thousand people lose their jobs. It was set up to connect jobseekers with frontline jobs, offer career advisory services as well as free up-skilling opportunities for the restricted workforce, ultimately to support a more robust and effective recovery. The initiative has since seen: 83,716 jobseekers’ availed of career advisory services ranging from; video interviewing, remote working, digital collaboration, social branding, job hunting in the low-touch economy to traditional advice on interview preparation, and CV content. 10,702 availed of free online upskilling, through learning partner Alison.com. Most common courses completed were in Project Management and MS Excel. 3,010 jobseekers connected with over 200 frontline employers across retail & grocery, catering, healthcare, supply chain, production, security, and warehousing. 900+ jobs advertised over the period. 15,050 jobseekers subscribed on weekly basis for employment insights. Commenting on the initial results, founder of the initiative and Sigmar CCO Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig said; “ We’ve been overwhelmed by the level of engagement amongst jobseekers coming to the site, particularly the quantum availing of the career advisory services, which have been tailor-made to support the remote job search in the current environment. Recruitment has changed significantly in recent months and how jobseekers compete is now very different from what it was. Our career advisory service has helped jobseekers articulate competencies and achievements through a digital recruitment process for a lower touch economy.” “In addition, we are delighted to have supported over 200 frontline employers in a meaningful way and in turn help keep the national infrastructure up and running.” Commenting on the take up of upskilling, Mac Giolla Phádraig added; “We had 10,702 people take up free learning pathways through our partner Alison.com, in subjects such as Project Management, MS Excel, Web development, Data Science, GDPR, Accounting and many more. In addition to skills training, the learning content has been COVID curated for maximum impact across Business Skills, IT Skills, Mental Health, and Personal Development. Thanking partners of the initiative, Mac Giolla Phádraig commented; “When times were at their worst, our partners were at their best. It’s humbling to see how our combined efforts, can touch so many at a time of need and to see the effect of Team Ireland in action.” www.covidresponsejobs.com was created by Sigmar Recruitment, supported by Candidate Manager, Alison.com, The Irish Times, Communicorp and Virgin Media
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Sigmar Recruitment Appoints Former MD of Hays Ireland as it Scales Ahead of Anticipated Robust Recovery
Sigmar Recruitment Appoints Former MD of Hays Ireland as it Scales Ahead of Anticipated Robust Recovery
Sigmar Recruitment has today announced the appointment of Mike McDonagh as a Director of the company, as it gears operations towards supporting clients as markets recover. The appointment signals Sigmar’s ambition to build additional capacity as it continues to grow market share. Sigmar has fared better than most recruiters in the Irish market during the COVID crisis and has been at the forefront of industry response, launching https://www.covidresponsejobs.com/; an initiative to mobilise Ireland’s workforce and up-skill the restricted workforce for a more effective recovery. The appointment comes at a time when industry peers continue to retrench and signals Sigmar’s intention to continue to grow market share as green shoots appear. Mike is a highly respected industry leader with a significant pedigree in scaling successful recruitment businesses both in the UK and in Ireland. Most recently, Mike oversaw the growth of Hays Ireland as its Managing Director and previously served as Chairperson of Boardmatch, Ireland’s national corporate governance charity. Mike will join the leadership team to accelerate the growth of the core Irish business in delivering world class recruitment solutions and supporting international diversification. Welcoming Mike’s appointment, Adrian McGennis, CEO, Sigmar Recruitment said: “We are delighted with the appointment of Mike to the senior leadership team here at Sigmar. He has fitted in with the team and culture very smoothly. We knew Mike’s reputation, ambition and experience but our shared values make it an exciting appointment for everyone. It is consistent with our growth plans and whilst many are downsizing, we are delighted to continue to make key hires. Ten years ago, we saw the opportunity in a challenging/changing market to grow the business and because of our strong position and talented team, we see similar opportunities now.” Mike McDonagh commented; “I’m delighted to have joined such a successful organisation as Sigmar, a business I have admired for years for their excellent culture and values. Joining such a brilliant leadership team is a real honour and I’m very excited about helping the whole business realise the considerable opportunities in the market.”
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Base To Basecamp: Virtual Talent Summit Series
Base To Basecamp: Virtual Talent Summit Series
We’ve invited some of Talent Summit’s most popular keynote speakers and special guests back to base camp to share their insights, expertise and thought leadership, as the working world experiences decades of transformation each passing week. This six-part series explored how HR leaders can positively effect business continuity in the short term, grow market share in the medium term and enhance the working lives of our people in the long term. 1. Reconnecting the Workforce (April 30th): Now that the workforce has been dislocated, how do we plan to: (1) transition from a remote to a blended workforce (2) reconvene in the physical restricted workplace (3) re-connect, collaborate and compete for talent as markets recover? Guest Contributors: John Riordan, Director of Support, Shopify & Stephanie White, Global VP, People, eBay 2. Uncharted Leadership (May 19th): Navigating this Human Crisis. Guest Contributor: Margaret Heffernan, Entrepreneur, TED Speaker, Author & Former CEO 3. Organising Chaos for New Order (May 14th): Business norms have changed fundamentally and forever. How can we lead through the chaos to unlock a more robust agile organisation? Guest Contributors: David Barrett, CCO, AON Assessment Solutions and Ian McClean, Founder, Flow Group 4. The Evolving Role of the CHRO (May 21st): These recent weeks have asked big questions of HR leaders as the fundamentals of business and humanity collided. As the dust settles, how will the CHRO influence a faster more effective recovery? Guest Contributors: Jane Datta, CHRO NASA; Mira Magecha, CPO, Just Eat and Fiona Mullan, CPO, Ding.com. 5. Pride in Purpose (May 28th): The work-type and work-force we value has been turned upside down as its impact on society zooms sharply into focus. What lessons we can learn? Guest Contributor: Bob Gibbs, Associate Administrator, Mission Support, NASA; Rory Best, Former Irish Rugby Captain and Heath Slawner from Simon Sinek Inc. 6. Reworking Work (June 3rd): Rebuilding human centred organisations for enduring agility. Guest Contributor: Patty McCord, Author, TED Speaker, Former Chief Talent Officer, Netflix
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Sigmar Announces “COVID Ready” Learning Partnership with Alison to Upskill Newly Unemployed
Sigmar Announces “COVID Ready” Learning Partnership with Alison to Upskill Newly Unemployed
Sigmar Recruitment and Alison today announce a COVID ready learning partnership as part of the emergency jobs initiative www.covidresponsejobs.com. The initiative is an online platform set up by Sigmar Recruitment to help connect the displaced workforce with current frontline job opportunities, and to upskill the restricted workforce to enhance career prospects and enable a faster economic recovery. Alison, one of the largest learning websites worldwide, is now offering access to all of its courses free and unencumbered through www.covidresponsejobs.com. The learning content being offered through the platform has been hand curated to reflect in-demand, recession-proof skills across an array of business and IT disciplines, including; data science project management customer service accounting web development computer networking e-commerce The core learning has been paired with lifestyle courses covering mental health, stress management and practical content on parenting while working from home for example aimed to support those working remote throughout the crisis period and beyond. The learning pathways have also been designed with jobseekers in mind with content on public speaking, job hunting, personal development supported by jobseeker advice on how to compete in the current marketplace, including tips on video interviewing, digital collaboration, remote onboarding and much more. Commenting on the partnership, founder of the initiative and Sigmar CCO Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig says: “As one of the world’s largest free learning platforms, Alison presents an excellent opportunity for newly unemployed in Ireland to upskill. The learning content has been COVID curated for maximum impact encompassing business skills, IT skills, mental health and personal development. We also aim to support the restricted workforce by providing upskilling opportunities during the downtime, to better equip our workforce to rebound from the crisis in the medium term.” Speaking at the announcement, Alison Founder & CEO, Mike Feerick stated that the gesture is one Alison is happy to make. “While being a global learning business, most of our team live and work in Ireland and know personally people whose employment has been jeopardised by the coronavirus pandemic crisis. Alison has over 1,500 free certificate and diploma courses, in subjects from project management, languages, IT, to health & safety, elderly caregiving, MS Excel and free courses on GDPR. “If you have been laid off, it is an opportunity to build up and strengthen your workplace skills to enhance your chances for employment in the months and years ahead. We are delighted to partner with Sigmar on the COVID Jobs Initiative.” www.covidresponsejobs.com is a for purpose “Team Ireland” initiative created by Sigmar Recruitment, supported by Alison, Candidate Manager, The Irish Times and Communicorp, established to mobilise the Irish Workforce.
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Sigmar Launches Emergency Jobs Initiative to Connect Displaced Workers with Employers
Sigmar Launches Emergency Jobs Initiative to Connect Displaced Workers with Employers
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen hundreds of thousands of people lose their job, both temporarily and permanently, Sigmar Recruitment is today launching an online platform to connect jobseekers with employment opportunities as well as offer upskilling opportunities for the restricted workforce to ensure a smoother return to the workplace once the isolation restrictions have eased. The initiative is online for ease of use by those at home. Jobseekers are invited to register on the website, so that employers can make direct contact for current opportunities. Jobseekers sign up for a daily email, which will inform them of companies that have immediate vacancies on either a permanent or temporary basis. Jobseekers can then apply directly to employers. The site also offers highly relevant jobseeker advice on how to compete in the current marketplace, on a range of workforce topics, including tips on: video interviewing online engagement social branding digital collaboration remote working COVID restriction employee rights societal consciousness remote onboarding and much more Furthermore, the website also directs jobseekers to free online training to support upskilling during down time. Employers can post immediate or short-term staffing requirements for free so Sigmar can keep supply chains running and redeploy Ireland’s workforce that have been affected by COVID-19. Employers can also “shop direct” for talent on the website. Commenting on the initiative, founder of the initiative and Sigmar CCO Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig says: “www.covidresponsejobs.com was created by Sigmar Recruitment to support displaced workers and employers during the COVID-19 outbreak. Our aim is to connect people who have been impacted by short-term business closures with employers who have seen rising demand for frontline staff, those in healthcare and those needed to keeping Ireland’s supply chains operating. “The economy has temporarily stalled and the traditional recruitment process is on its head. However, the current pandemic has created new positions especially in retail, distribution, manufacturing and the health sector, to include many administrative, customer support and back office roles. In addition, we are actively supporting many other organisations balance business continuity with sustainable employee flexibility throughout the crisis.” Commenting on the restricted workforce, Mac Giolla Phádraig adds: “With the introduction of the COVID 19 Wage Subsidy Scheme this week, a significant cohort of the workforce is now likely to be retained, but with restricted workload. We aim to support the restricted workforce through upskilling during downtime, to better equip our workforce to rebound from the crisis in the medium term. “At this time of national crisis, we all have a responsibility to play our part. At Sigmar, we have adopted a frontline first approach and will deploy all resources available to us to support the national interest. “ www.covidresponsejobs.com is created by Sigmar Recruitment, supported by Candidate Manager, The Irish Times and Communicorp
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Sigmar Win at National Recruitment Federation Awards 2019
Sigmar Win at National Recruitment Federation Awards 2019
The 13th annual National Recruitment Federation Awards took place in the Shelbourne Hotel on Friday night, November 29th. Sigmar were delighted to attend and come away with three awards on the night. Best in Practice IT & Telecoms: Sigmar It’s been a big year for our IT Team. After successfully lauching our European IT Recruitment talent hub in Tralee last year, the team were delighted to win "Best in Practice IT & Telecoms" award for the second year in a row. Best Permanent Recruiter of the Year: Julie Valentine Julie Valentine from our Sales recruitment team, scooped up the prestigious 'Permanent Recruitment Consultant of the Year' title, beating off stiff competition in this category. Speaking on Julie’s win, Sigmar CEO, Adie McGennis said; “We are delighted that Julie has been rightly recognised as Top Permanent Recruiter in Ireland. Her talent, innovation and passion for quality service makes her very popular with clients, candidates and colleagues, so this is widely celebrated. Julie is always willing to share insights with other team members across the company, but also with clients, so her relationships across the sector are second to none. She embodies Sigmar’s people centric, client focussed values, and always with good humour and positive outlook. On a personal basis Julie is a pleasure to work with and we all learn from her." NRF Cert RP Graduate of the Year: Shane Mullen The NRF Cert RP Graduate of the Year Award recognises those who have achieved the highest results in the NRF Certificate in Recruitment Practice exams in 2019. Sigmar was thrilled for our Managed Services Public Sector Recruiter, Shane Mullen being recognised for achieving one the highest grades of the 2019 graduates. We were also delighted to have been shortlisted for 5 other awards on the night: - Best in Practice for a Specialism – Public Sector Recruitment - Best CSR - Best in Practice for Sales & Marketing - Contract Recruitment Consultant of the Year – Chris Stewart - Best Large Recruitment Agency Well done to all the nominees and winners and a big thanks to the NRF for a great night!
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