Recruitment activity steady in quarter two — Robert Walters

Most hires were on a contract basis, but there was a general increase in demand for permanent financial analysts and finance business partners at the two to four PQE level.

There was a strong demand for supply chain and procurement professionals with specialist multinational project management and systems expertise, particularly in the life sciences sector, as well as in larger food and beverages organisations.

The update shows that sales and marketing recruitment activity remained buoyant throughout quarter two, both in the financial services and industry sectors.

“We experienced particular demand for generalist marketing and communications professionals as well as internet service provider/online specialists,” it says.

“There was also notable demand for marketing professionals with European marketing expertise and languages.”

The engineering sector remained relatively static during quarter two, although there was continued demand for expert electronic and mechanical engineers in specialist manufacturing sectors such as medical devices.

Large IT and transformation projects were implemented in many multinationals in recent months, which led to a gradual rise in activity following four years of stagnation in this sector, according to Robert Walters.