Dated recruitment hobbles UK IT growth

IT consultancy firm Elgin Scott commissioned research across 200 of the UK's fastest growing IT companies. It found IT firms not planning recruitment adequately, spending unnecessary amounts on finding staff and employing unsuitable candidates.

62 percent of IT firms surveyed do not incorporate recruitment into their business plans, 55 percent have no idea how much it costs to recruit someone and just under a quarter admit to appointing poor candidates. Kay McGregor managing director of Elgin Scott, accused the IT industry of "languishing in the dark ages", relying on myriad employment agencies rather than outsourcing to a single partner.

"This has been going on for 30 years and it is time IT firms planned and managed recruitment in the same way as other parts of the business, forming a relationship with one partner rather than working with lots of different agencies," she said.

Gary Cooper, an analyst with IT research firm The Butler Group warned outdated recruitment practices could have dire results for the industry. "Getting recruitment right is a serious issue for the IT industry and ad hoc recruitment trends amongst some of the fastest growing companies in the UK has the potential to have a negative impact on the industry as a whole," he said.

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