Economic Modelling Specialist International (EMSI) is a great source of labour market information that helps recruiters identify best new business opportunities and differentiate from the competition to win bids. This is an example of their data in action.
Call centre jobs are returning to our island, and in a big way. According to EMSI currently there are over 91,000 jobs in call centres across Great Britain – 8,000 were added since 2011, a rise of 9.7%. This growth percentage is even more impressive when we compare it to the overall job growth in Great Britain during the same time period, which was 2.5%
Why is this important? Large call centres can employ upwards of hundreds of people, representing a highly valuable placement project. Below are some key labour market insights based on EMSI data that will help you be successful recruiting in this industry.
Where are the most jobs being added?
EMSI shows the growth in call centre jobs was strongest in Scotland, where over 4,000 jobs were added between 2011 and 2014, representing an impressive growth of 34.7%. This growth was mainly concentrated in Perth and Kinross (1,640 jobs added), Glasgow (1,290 jobs added) and Edinburgh (600 jobs added).
England, despite having four times as many jobs in call centres as Scotland, witnessed a lower growth of almost 3,000 jobs in the same period (4.6% increase). Even in Wales, where there are only 6,000 jobs in call centres, the growth in 2011-2014 was of 11.6%, which means the competition for the best talent has increased significantly in each of these local markets, making recruitment for local employers a greater challenge.
Who are the best candidates to fill these vacancies?
Call centres employ a variety of professionals, but on average, 77% of call centre’s workforce is the traditional call centre occupations (e.g., call and contact centre roles, customer service managers, and telephone salespersons). With the huge increase in demand for similar type of workers, where will the candidates come from?
When there is strong competition for the best talent, organisations can benefit from expanding their search criteria to include candidates who may not have worked in call centres before, but can be easily trained for the position. According to EMSI Occupational Compatibility Index, examples of jobs that require similar skills and knowledge to call centre positions are receptionists, secretaries, and stock control clerks and assistants. Often these individuals can perform the job proficiently after little training provided by the organisation and can, therefore, represent the most cost and time effective solution when there are high volumes of roles to hire.
Show me the money!
Salaries for call centre representatives can vary greatly based on location. The median salary in Great Britain is £8.66 per hour, but can range from £5.90 per hour (10th percentile) in the West Midlands up to £15.91 per hour in the North East (90th percentile), according to EMSI. Important to note is that with the growing demand for call centre workers and high competition between companies for these roles, it is likely to drives salaries to increase in the near future.
The opportunity does not stop there
The growth in call centre jobs will also have an impact on the growth of other industries in the area. According to EMSI, for each 1,000 jobs created in call centres in Great Britain, an additional 2,315 jobs will be created in other industries such as wholesale and retail, healthcare, manufacturing or education. This means that besides the immediate placement opportunities, call centres can create many more placement opportunities for recruitment companies.
To learn more about the offerings from EMSI check out their product information or get in touch by email to discuss how the EMSI data can help your business growth and source new opportunities.
Knowledge of the marketplace, and having unique data to find the best candidates, will surely be a true differentiator that helps the best recruitment consultancies win the most business.
