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A survey by a nationwide HR firm suggests that a massive 89% of leading companies have frozen recruitment for permanent staff, however past experiences have put them off using specialist contractor agencies.

Clients reveal poor experiences with agencies

The report, published by The Curve Group this week, is based on a poll of 50 leading companies across the UK. It reveals that 75% of respondents needed to hire specialist workers for short periods of time, resulting in the increasing use of contractor specialist recruitment companies.

Unfortunately, the clients surveyed were unimpressed on the whole with the service they have experienced - 78% said that the agency had failed to appreciate their business needs, half were sent poor quality, unsuitable CVs, and a quarter rated their experiences to date as 'dreadful'.

Contractors also unimpressed

Contractors surveyed by The Curve Group, also expressed their dissatisfaction with the agencies they had used - 50% reported having 'poor' experiences with agencies as a whole, and 10% said they were 'dreadful.

Common complaints from contractors included phone calls not being returned, a lack of communication by the agency once they had been placed in a role, a lack of feedback after interviews had taken place, and a lack of understanding about how contractors work, or the skills they possess.

Disconnect between agencies, clients and contractors

Co-owner of the report's authors, Lyndsey Simpson, commented on the irony of the report's findings:

"These comments and statistics reveal a serious disconnect between contractor agencies and their clients, yet with recruitment freezes in nearly every sector companies are increasingly having to rely upon contractors."