Association urges employers to seek out badge of quality when engaging recruiters.
Few industries have been left unscathed during 2020 and with unemployment across Australia climbing, it’s little wonder that recruitment agencies are hurting.
The recruitment profession accounts for approximately 350,000 Australians employed by around 9000 agencies, representing a significant contribution to our economy.
It is an industry, like many others in the professional services sector, that has often been scrutinised and yet boasts some of the best places to work, a plethora of innovation and influential leaders and a cohort of businesses that have built several decades of success.
The stamp of approval
The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) Australia is the industry body for white collar professional recruitment firms and provides an internationally recognised badge that signals quality, compliance and a best practice approach to recruitment.
When COVID-19 first took hold across Australia in early March, APSCo, like many other industry bodies, was the first place its members turned to for guidance on deciphering government legislation, understanding the stimulus packages, working from home, COVID-19 safety plans, mental health resources and crisis management.
The work APSCo undertakes on behalf of its members has a ripple effect on the broader society, impacting families, communities and businesses. Not only do APSCo agency members provide positive employment outcomes, they do so with a level of compliance and quality that gives job seekers and employers the assurance that they will be well looked after throughout the recruitment cycle.
Upheld by an international code of conduct, APSCo Members enter a rigorous background check and provide evidence of insurances, relevant licenses and commit to ongoing professional development through programs such as the APSCo Certification program.
“Employers engaging a recruitment firm to source talent can look for the APSCo badge and take it as assurance that they are working with a firm that is committed to best practice and holds the best interests of its clients and candidates in high regard,” says Lesley Horsburgh, managing director of APSCo Australia.
Recognising the best of the best
Part of APSCo’s ongoing commitment to driving best practice in the recruitment profession is highlighted in its annual Awards for Excellence, an independently-judged process that strives to highlight excellence and raise the bar in a fiercely competitive industry.
This year, specific categories have been created to acknowledge the exceptional circumstances of running a business during the pandemic, giving agencies an opportunity to share their COVID-19 journey and show how their businesses have risen in the face of adversity.
“It was important for us to make sure we continued with the awards [this year] in a way that’s relevant to the times we all find ourselves operating in. So, our categories have evolved to acknowledge the pandemic and look at the initiatives from recruitment agencies in response to it.
“I don’t think there has ever been a more important time to celebrate the calibre of our industry and share with employers, job seekers and the broader workforce how significant we are in driving the economy by keeping people employed.”
To find out more about APSCo and its members, visit our website.