NPAworldwide Adds Seven New Member Firms

March 31, 2021 – Seven new independent recruitment firms have recently joined member-owned recruitment network NPAworldwide in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Africa. These search outfits seek to increase revenue through NPAworldwide’s cooperative placement model. NPA now has 550 member offices across six continents. “Congratulations to each of our new members,” said Dave Nerz, president of NPAworldwide. “By joining the network, these recruitment firms have the ability to increase their capacity for serving both clients and candidates. Membership in NPAworldwide allows independent recruitment agencies to boost revenue and grow their firms by partnering with other members on a split-fee basis.”

New Member Firms

• Grupo Suessa, headquartered in Buenos Aires, is an executive search firm whose niche markets include accounting/financial services, agribusiness, apparel/textile/retail, banking, biomedical/pharmaceutical/medical device, chemical process, cross-industry functions, cybersecurity, engineering/operations/manufacturing, fintech, healthcare, legal, renewable energy and technology.
• Richardson Executive Search, based in Alberta, is a recruiting firm whose specialties include accounting/financial services, agribusiness, apparel/textile/retail, banking, chemical process, cybersecurity, engineering/operations/manufacturing, healthcare, legal and technology.
• FlexForce Industrial, located in Houston, has a focus on serving the marine, petrochemical and OEM industries, both direct-hire and staffing.
• Shepherd Search Group Inc., based in Miami, is a recruiting firm whose niche markets include accounting/financial services, apparel/textile/retail, banking, biomedical/pharmaceutical/medical device, chemical process, cross-industry functions, cybersecurity, engineering/operations/manufacturing, fintech, healthcare, renewable energy and technology.
• Agile Recruitment, headquartered in Amsterdam, is an executive search firm with a track record in finance and IT recruitment.
• emPowerment Financial Search & Selection, located in Dublin, is a niche recruitment firm helping the career development of finance and legal professionals.
• Unicorn Wranglers, based in Las Vegas, has experience recruiting for all industries including technology, manufacturing, legal, healthcare, consulting, retail, and oil and gas.

Current Business Conditions

NPAworldwide recently conducted a survey with its member firms and their owners. Members were asked to document business results and predict future results that are representative of the independent recruitment industry.

“Business conditions over the last 180 days have been difficult for most,” said Mr. Nerz. “About 50 percent of those responding said results were worse than a similar period in 2019-20. The bounce is just ahead based on nearly 88 percent of members forecasting similar or improved market conditions in the next 180 days. This is the first large, positive trend since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The survey found that 67 percent reported business as the same or worse over the prior 180 days than a year ago at the same time. At the time of the survey, 88 percent of the respondents had a positive outlook for results over the next six months. In addition, 13 percent of those taking the survey have seen fees increase in the last six months.

“NPAworldwide members view the manufacturing/supply chain sector and the technology sector as the strongest vertical market segments for recruitment,” Mr. Nerz said. “Our independent member firms working these segments are expecting continued positive results in the coming months.”

“Recruitment has been very challenging over the last 12 months,” he said. “The move to work-from-home and limited availability of in-person interviewing has added to the complexity of a recovery. Client assignments offered to independent recruiters continue to be the most difficult positions employers are working to fill. Many employers have returned to the task of finding and hiring great talent, but the speed of hiring is being extended by complex interview procedures and a more deliberate selection process.”

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media