Two more recruitment agencies have entered the increasingly crowded UK
market. Arc Vision and Dangerfield Executive Search join eight other
agencies in the UK alone that offer CSR executive searches and
recruitment services. At least four more operate in the US.
Dangerfield, set up two years ago, specializes in the environment
sector but expanded its reach last month to CSR. Arc Vision is entirely
new.
The number of jobs in corporate responsibility has risen rapidly over
the past three years as more large companies create dedicated teams.
There are few figures on the sector’s size, but a recent US study found
more than 600 vacancies advertised in 2005 on two online CSR
recruitment sites, a 48 per cent rise on the previous year (EP8, issue 6).
David Dangerfield, founder of Dangerfield Executive Search, said the
market was growing rapidly and ‘many of our existing clients are saying
they want to move into the area’. The agency specializes in placing
senior executives in large companies.
Gerry Roberts, head of Arc Vision, said that his agency will
concentrate on finding consultants to work with businesses for fixed
periods.
‘We believe there’s a niche here,’ he said. ‘Our research suggests that
many FTSE 350 companies don’t want to employ full-time CSR managers but
struggle to find good consultants to help them to design and write
their programme.’
Claire Skinner, managing director of Ruston Wheb, which has been in the
field for seven years, said the interest in climate change had
reinvigorated the market. ‘Climate change is driving an increasing
demand for senior consultants and the creation of new posts,’ she said.
‘There continues to be a shortage of really good people at a senior
level.’
She questioned whether all the specialist recruiters would survive.
‘Some have already come and gone and there will be some consolidation
in the future.’
Tom Leathes, director of London-based Acre Resources, one of the market
leaders, said: ‘Clearly this is a growing field, and over the last few
years there have been a number of other recruitment firms with backgrounds in
other sectors – from IT through to finance – that have dipped their
toes in the water. We see that as a positive sign of a sector that’s
maturing. Competition is healthy, and it will drive the industry
forward.’
Leathes added that all agencies, including his own, will have to ‘keep evolving their offering’ to stay competitive.
