Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 03:20 am
An online recruitment referral platform is enabling employers to access an otherwise untapped resource by matching the best candidates in employees’ networks to jobs, making referral recommendations and creating genuine incentives for employees. The announcement comes a year after a report highlighted half of UK employers fear the skills gap will worsen after Brexit and as companies are now preparing for a no deal Brexit.
A software tool for companies that provides employee generated referrals will bridge the post-Brexit skills gap by tapping into the social and professional network connections of existing employees. The platform is launching a year after it was reported more than half of UK employers feared that the ‘skills gap’ could worsen following Britain’s exit from the European Union* and we are now facing a very real risk of a no deal Brexit.
The Real Links platform allows UK business owners and HR teams to access a potential talent pool of hundreds of thousands of candidates. To find out more about how the system works, or for a demo, click here.
The report, written for Total Jobs and Jobsite in February 2018, surveyed more than 5,000 UK employers, of which two thirds expected to struggle to fill vacancies in 2018. With little progress made in the negotiations between the UK and EU since, and a hard Brexit becoming an increasingly worrying prospect, Real Links is providing some reassurance to employers that accessing great candidates, despite a shrinking talent pool, is still possible by tapping into existing employees’ professional connections.
In the past, UK employers have been able to consider candidates from across the European Union for suitable roles. However, after the UK leaves the EU, this pool of talent will be greatly reduced, and at present, the UK Government’s plans will only allow the free movement of skilled workers who will be earning more than £30,000, almost 10% higher than the UK average salary in 2017**.
Real Links is a transformative employee referral platform that matches the best candidates in employees’ extended social and professional networks to jobs and makes referral recommendations. By anonymising candidate profiles for hiring managers, the platform removes unconscious bias from the recruitment process.
Sam Davies, CEO and co-founder of Real Links, said,
“Brexit has been the UK’s biggest talking point since we voted to leave in mid-2016, yet precious little progress has been made to reassure UK businesses about recruiting talent from the EU following changes to the Freedom of Movement.
“With our platform, HR professionals will be able to access an otherwise untapped talent pool within the UK, reaching more candidates who are perfectly matched to the requirements of a role, at a cost that is considerably lower than those associated with traditional recruitment agencies.”
