A recruitment agency in Brentwood has opened a new office to cope with its growth and demand for its services.
Berry Recruitment launched locally four years ago and has expanded to a team of six because of the jobs boom.
Initially it was a specialist agency for providing drivers, but as clients wanted extra services it has opened commercial and industrial divisions.
With such high demand for candidates, pay is rising rapidly and has gone up four times in the last 18 months for drivers.
The branch is part of Berry Recruitment Group (BRG) which operates from 37 locations across England and Wales.
Lee Gamble, managing director of Berry Recruitment, said: “We opened four years ago with a single employee and by April next year we aim to have a team of eight.
“At present we are sending out 120 drivers a day and many of our clients have asked us to help them find other staff so we are now also recruiting in the commercial and industrial sectors.
“Because there is such demand for drivers, pay is now £12 an hour for van drivers and much more for Class 1 and 2 drivers.
“We are fortunate being a large group because we have other branches in Ilford, Harlow, Sutton, Hendon and Croydon and the teams assist each other to fill vacancies for our clients.
“As well as driving, we have roles across the board in the area, from low level office positions and receptionists up to administrators, personal assistants, analysts and management posts.
“Forklift drivers, warehouse workers and yard operatives are also in high demand – there are far more jobs than candidates.
“Candidates are in a powerful position and it means we have to work hard to find them for our clients.
“We have to be far more proactive and work with speed to recruit them.
“We are utilising social media and a ‘recommend a friend’ scheme in order to find people and we want to let them know that they might well be able to increase their income.
“Businesses in more isolated and rural locations are offering more money so those with driving licences can increase their wages.
“We have a really dedicated team in Brentwood who have built a reputation that has led to really fast growth.”
