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Number of complaints against recruitment agencies falls in 2008

Published on Sep 23, 2008 |

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The Recruitment and Employment Confederation's half yearly 2008 Complaints Report has revealed that the number of complaints against members has fallen nearly ten per cent.

Agency body, REC, has revealed that the number of complaints lodged against its members has fallen by nearly 10% in the first half of 2008.

However, there has also been an increase in the number of disciplinary cases against members which highlights the REC's get-tough approach against breaches in its Code of Professional Practice is starting to have an effect.

Permanent workers accounted for 21% of all complaints, while a total of 37% of all complaints received by REC came from agency and temporary workers. The main grievances were over payment, holiday entitlement and confusion surrounding assignment details.

Other causes of complaint included sub-standard customer service and lack of communication between agency and jobseeker. Examples included not keeping candidates or agency workers updated on progress with an application or corresponding with candidates in an unprofessional manner.

The largest proportion of complaints (38%) originated in the London area, with 12% related to recruiters in the North West. It should be noted that a quarter of REC members are located in London, so the apparently high percentage should take that into account.

The highest number of complaints and queries related to an industry sector were made against IT and Comms recruitment agencies, where issues included client fee disputes, unprofessional tactics and unsolicited mail.