Murray and the recruitment market in 2024

It’s been a busy year, not just for Murray but for the hiring industry as a whole. But what have been our highlights from the past 12 months and what do we see on the horizon for the recruitment market in 2024?

A time for growth

Here at Murray, we have experienced highly successful growth and have expanded substantially over the past 12 months. Our internal headcount has risen by 40% and we have welcomed new starters within our water, engineering, technical talent and policy divisions. You can find out more about our expert consultants by visiting our ‘Team Murray’ pages.

We’ve also expanded our US offerings, tapping into the technical and engineering landscape from the East to West Coast. Our Technical Talent by Murray brand has placed dozens of specialised firmware and embedded engineers within high-growth American-based firms.

Across the business, our consultants work with some of the leading specialists and in a rapidly evolving market it is highly likely these roles will only grow in demand in the coming years. We will continue to provide clear dedicated resources for all of the businesses we work with, the talent we place and the highly specialised fields that they operate within.

Looking ahead to 2024 we are excited about additional growth, expanding and investing in our team further as we continue growth across our key specialisms.

New brands

Back in April, we rebranded and launched our new website which included our services being split into four newly defined practices. Underpinning the split into four expert verticals, was our cutting-edge tech stack. As a business, we continue to invest in ground-breaking technology that helps us deliver the best possible recruitment journey for candidates and hiring managers. Recruitment is all about the people, but we know that the right tools can elevate the staffing solutions we provide. Later in the year, our website went net zero, as we compensated for the CO2 emissions that it generates, supporting our intentions for a net zero recruitment process. You can view the impact of our tree-planting evolution here.

Recruitment market in 2024

Looking at the hiring sector on a broader level it is clear that it has been a tough year in almost every field, with skills shortages, layoffs and wider economic pressures all playing a part. However, there are green shoots appearing and light on the horizon. Many major economies appear to be lifting themselves from the worst of the financial challenges and the rate of inflationary growth appears to be declining, which will benefit professionals and businesses alike. We are looking to a more stable hiring market which will enable businesses to invest more heavily in learning and development and hopefully encourage stronger pipelines of talent to enter our key industries. We anticipate growing demand for skills across some of our key sectors as companies look to rebound after a challenging few years. This growing economic confidence could put their skills in significant demand, particularly in light of ongoing skills shortages.

Within our specialised sectors, we have noted a range of trends over the past 12 months, however, all of our markets are set for major benchmarks in the coming year or two which could have a significant impact on hiring.

Water in 2024

Within the water sector in the UK, next year represents the run-up to the launch of Asset Management Period 8 (AMP8) which will mean firms are gearing up to procure contractors and consultants for billions of pounds of work. Several major contracts have already been appointed, but market analysis suggests that there is still a significant amount of work to allocate.

Technological revolution

Our engineering and technical brands continue to place some of the best and brightest from across their specialist sectors both here and in the US. Demand for STEM expertise is only going to strengthen in the coming months as firms contend with ongoing skills shortages, particularly in some of the more niche fields that we operate within. We recently highlighted some of the drivers behind the demand for mechanical engineering skills in the UK, and projects like the Thames Tideway Tunnel and the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station will mean professionals will remain highly sought after for some time now.

The political landscape

Upcoming election and democratic cycles in the UK are also likely to hold further legislative shifts for policy specialists to get their teeth into. It would probably be fair to suggest that the UK political arena is in a state of flux at the moment, and professionals with the resilience and adaptability to cope with this evolving market are the ones who will be in the best position to secure top roles.

Net zero recruitment

As we approach 2024, we are also delighted to support community tree planting in the UK, national forest recovery in the USA and wildfire recovery in California. As of early December 2023, we have offset 25.97 tonnes of CO2 emissions and planted 204 trees. We remain committed to delivering a sustainable future and initiatives like this enable Murray to support the businesses and individuals that we work with as well as the wider world. You can read more about our efforts and the launch of the Murray Forest by clicking here.

We wish everyone a peaceful and relaxing holiday break and look forward to speaking to you again in 2024!

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