A focus on Business Support...

There's a strong resurgence in demand for commercial roles

Commercial Planning

+%

Percentage Change for Vacancies YTD

Project Planner

+%

Commercial Managers

+%

Business Support vacancy numbers

November, December, January, July 2023 by percentage difference January - July

Business Support vacancies	Nov 2022	Dec 2022	Jan 2023	Jul 2023	% Change January - July 2023
Project Manager	164	172	162	171	6%
Project Planner	78	86	119	351	195%
SSOW Planner	8	13	25	98	292%
Commercial Manager	601	629	776	1133	46%
Quantity Surveyor	75	81	86	97	13%

The Data Shows:

Recruitment in professional services is currently at its peak, with all roles experiencing growth in the past six months
Our intel, supported by the data suggests that several major contractors are taking action in anticipation of CP7
Similarly, there's a noticeable upswing in project planning, which we believe is linked to the upcoming activities associated with NWR CP7

Amid the ongoing global pandemic recovery, the UK rail sector faces a heightened struggle for talent, attributed to a nearly two-year void affecting new engineers, quantity surveyors, project managers, and other professionals entering the field.

This gap led to rising salaries, decreased OUTSIDE IR35 options, and reduced candidate mobility due to the allure of competitive salaries in alternate industries.

Despite these challenges, there is optimism for the future!

The Matchtech Rail Professional Services Team boasts over 50 years of collective recruitment experience, cultivating vast networks through collaborations with prominent clients and major national projects including Crossrail, Great Western Electrification Project, Transpennine Route Upgrade, EGIP, NWEP, HS1, HS2, Metronet Alliance, CP4, and CP5, among others.

Leveraging a matured 40-year database from which 82% of placements arise, and utilising diverse social media platforms, we effectively connect with talent across all levels, ensuring the selection of the most suitable candidates for our clients.

Did you know...

As a company we work very closely with our clients to explore new ways of attracting candidates to their companies whether that be looking at conversion schemes with ex offenders, Armed Forces Covenant or supporting the training of staff coming in from different industries. In fact we spent £100,000 on training to upskill our current workforce last year!

We also support a lot of clients with offering a holistic view of their candidate attraction processes advising them on the best ways to make their candidate attraction process as enjoyable and attractive as possible.

Given the specialised nature of Commercial and Planning roles, Matchtech has maintained a dedicated team exclusively focused on this sector, enabling us to access candidates beyond conventional recruitment channels.

Specialist Skills