As the UK’s economic recovery continues to pick up pace, the staffing sector has seen three years of successful momentum thanks to leading firms in fast-growth industries such as technology and financial services. The most agile recruitment and staffing firms now have a powerful opportunity for growth as the top international blue chip brands look to expand their workforce.
One of the leading examples in the sector is Gibbs S3, which is celebrating record growth in its 10th year of business with revenue growing 29 per cent to reach £32.24m, and is on track to hit £46m this year, demonstrating impressive growth of 42 per cent. The company has established an experienced senior team to meet the needs of international clients, and has seen global revenue grow to £180m. Its US operations were recently ranked as the 17th largest staffing firm in the country by industry analysts SIA.
The innovative company’s growth far outstrips the industry average, with research from Deloitte and the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCO) reporting weighted average growth of 12 per cent in the UK[1], and SIA finding US growth to average between six and nine per cent.
Gibbs S3’s rapid global growth stems from a pioneering hybrid workforce solution, which sees the firm specialise in providing both high quality technology staffing solutions and project consultancy to some of the biggest companies in the world. The unique approach was created to provide a single service that meets all of the increasing workforce demands facing global firms in sectors including financial services, pharmaceutical, FMCG, and oil and gas.
Mike Everest, who joined Gibbs S3 as Financial Controller two years ago, has helped oversee the company’s rapid international expansion through purely organic growth and the company is now targeting strategic acquisitions to maintain momentum. An industry veteran, Mike previously managed the finance functions at Sopra UK through a major period of growth, and was highly involved in merger and acquisition activities. He was instrumental in Sopra’s successful acquisition of IT consultancy firm Newell & Budge, where he had previously served as Financial Controller for 10 years.
He comments: “It’s an exciting time for staffing specialists as the economy picks up and companies of all sizes look to expand with new staff and projects. We have seen unprecedented demand for technical specialists as technology becomes an essential driver for growth in all business sectors. Tech sector firms themselves are also growing three times faster than the UK GDP. Our focus is firmly on mitigating any risk a client may face when hiring a new employee, and ensuring that they reap the rewards of finding the best candidate for each role.
“Gibbs S3 specialises in providing leading companies with access to the best tech talent in the industry based on a real understanding of their business challenges, which puts us in an ideal position to secure rapid growth alongside them.”
Farida Gibbs, Founder and CEO of Gibbs S3, adds: “There is a huge demand in the market for skilled workers, but staffing providers now need to go the extra mile to secure opportunities ahead of the competition. Gibbs S3’s unique hybrid model has enabled us to meet both long-term resourcing and short-term project consultancy needs in a single quality solution, enabling our customers to focus on their growth. Our bespoke, tailored approach also removes the risk inherent in the hiring process by ensuring candidates always fit the needs of the business.”