shaping the world of work

Merger creates powerful new force in construction recruitment

The merger of two leading construction recruitment consultancies has created a powerful new force with the ability to place anyone from a site labourer to a managing director anywhere in the UK.

Southampton based technical construction recruiter Hill McGlynn Recruitment Solutions and Team Up Workforce, the Leeds based construction trades and labour recruiter, have joined forces to create a rapidly expanding "one-stop shop" consultancy with 12 offices thoughout the UK.

With further expansion of both the trades and technical business planned in Newcastle, Liverpool, Southampton, Bristol and London for 2004, the company expects to create another 50 jobs next year and to increase combined turnover to £80m.

By capitalising on the established market strength of both companies the new organisation will increase its reach and the range of recruitment services offered. It will be marketed as Hill McGlynn Technical for all temporary and permanent engineering, managerial and commercial positions and Hill McGlynn Trades for all skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled construction site labour requirements.

With the increasing trend in construction organisations to preferred supplier agreements, Mark Bull, UK Operations Director, feels that the merger can only strengthen the companys market position.

"Thanks to the merger clients can now come to us for any level or type of construction personnel," he said. "There is a huge amount of synergy between the technical and trades elements of construction recruitment as there are many shared clients. It is often the technical personnel placed on site or in offices who will become the decision makers when it comes to hiring the site trades and labour."

As part of the merger the company is creating a new regional head office in Leeds, which will house technical, trades and key support functions and provide a major operational base for the organisation.

"The merger has gone extremely well," said Mark Bull. "Everyone is very positive and the interaction of the technical and trades recruitment consultants across the country has been first rate. The performance of the trades business since the merger has certainly exceeded all of my expectations and we look forward to a very busy, challenging and rewarding 2004."

In addition to its UK expansion Hill McGlynn continues to extend its Australian operation with the planned opening of the Sydney office before Christmas, which will compliment the existing Melbourne office established 18 months ago.