There has been a shift with more focus being on placed on direct hiring initially; though we are still finding ourselves being called upon to support the more technical reward hires, for example those requiring carried interest experience or with a regulatory focus – clients are aware that these roles are difficult to hire at the best of times so remain a priority. The Financial Services market has remained relatively steady with Analyst and AVP level hires across compensation and reward still moving ahead albeit at a somewhat slower pace. Reward remains a key area and businesses are still pressing ahead with replacement hires and maternity covers which is positive, though Commerce has been much quieter, depending on industry sector – tech and pharma seem to be less affected, unsurprisingly.
Demand for HR information systems and HR data/insights talent remains relatively buoyant with businesses still needing to invest in specialists to take them through crucial Systems implementation milestones and projects. We expect that this may slow as new project kick-offs are delayed.
Samantha Clark – Senior Manager, Reward