Health and safety recruitment – 2015 in review

Steven Bryan, director, Bryan and Armstrong, gives a recruiters point of view of how health and safety fared in 2015. He explains the positive impacts of infrastructure projects, the demand for CDM specialists and a rise in the number of senior roles available.

Throughout 2015, the UK economy continued to grow with GDP exceeding pre-recession levels and unemployment falling to 5.2%, which has led to an increase in demand for health and safety professionals. Confidence in the job market has also improved, particularly in the construction, consultancy, engineering, manufacturing and property sectors, although the oil and gas industry and the public sector have suffered.

During the recession, many people remained in roles that did not meet their professional or career development aspirations because of the level of uncertainty in the market. Over the past year, there has been significant movement in the health and safety job market, driven in part by the increased number of new opportunities available, more attractive salaries and development opportunities.

Bryan and Armstrong are specialist health and safety recruiters, we speak with individuals and organisations in the industry on a daily basis, so I will now discuss general market trends around location, legislation, senior appointments, contracting and the changing recruitment process.

Location: a positive knock-on effect

Our busiest regions have always been London, the South East and the West Midlands but over the course of the past year we have dealt with a higher than usual number of people relocating to these areas. Much of this demand has been driven by major rail, highways, airport and power station infrastructure projects, which have had a positive knock-on effect in the supply chain of the construction, consultancy and engineering sectors. Our manufacturing, retail and corporate clients have also increased recruiting activity across the country as overall market confidence has improved.

Legislation – CDM specialists in demand

Changing health and safety legislation often has an impact on the job market, and perhaps the best example would be the introduction of CDM 2015. Many CDM co-ordinators and organisations providing CDM services were initially concerned about the replacement of the CDM-C with the newly created Principal Designer role.

Nine months on and I’m pleased to say that the market for CDM specialists is stronger than ever, as many designers lack the appetite, skills, knowledge and experience to undertake the role without the support and specialist skills of a CDM Consultant. This has led to a particularly buoyant job market, where uncertainty has translated into opportunity, resulting in increased competition for CDM skills, higher wages and better career prospects.

Senior appointments

We successfully filled more £80K+ health and safety vacancies last year than ever before. Demand was driven mainly by acquisitions, restructures, major projects and organic business growth, which resulted in a need for strategic health and safety leadership at a UK or international level. Increasingly, health and safety is viewed as a business improvement tool rather than as a compliance issue, so organisations are willing to invest in top talent.

Contract and interim – specialist knowledge

Throughout the year there was also increased demand for health and safety professionals to provide professional support on a contract or interim basis. This type of work is often confused with temporary work, which is often perceived to indicate a lack of market confidence, commitment or certainty, but this is simply not the case in the health and safety industry.

Our clients recruit health and safety professionals on a contract basis, bringing in specialist skills, knowledge and experience to their business. The interim staff we provide usually provide cover for high-level or specialist roles during the recruitment process, which can take months under current market conditions. Strong contract and interim markets for health and safety professionals demonstrates the value that the industry places on short-term flexibility and specialist skill-sets.

Recruitment process

In the recruitment world, the health and safety job market would be described as being candidate-led, meaning that there is a shortage of suitably skilled and qualified candidates across most industry sectors compared to the number of open vacancies. Employers and recruitment agencies are having to work hard to secure the right people, as a good quality candidate will often receive multiple job offers and is also likely to receive a counter-offer from their current employer.

Competition between employers is increasing and gradually driving up salaries and daily rates, which is great news for health and safety professionals who benefit from higher wages and better benefits. Whilst money is an important factor, candidates are also increasingly interested in understanding company culture, reputation, working environment, projects and development prospects when considering new opportunities.

Future challenges

It’s great to see the hard work and dedication of health and safety professionals being recognised by the wider industry, but it’s also clear that the lack of entry-level opportunities over recent years has created a serious shortage of skills and experience.

This is one of the main challenges facing the profession, so employers must begin to invest in training and development to develop new talent for the future.

The team at Bryan & Armstrong wish you a happy and prosperous 2016 – please do keep an eye out for our follow-up article on our projections and expectations for the coming year.

Steven Bryan is a Director at the specialist health and safety recruitment company Bryan & Armstrong. Contact him: [email protected]