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Creative industries – REC roundtable to flag latest trends and opportunities for recruiters

What are the trends in sectors such as marketing, PR, public affairs, advertising and the media and what do these mean for specialist recruiters?    

This is the central themes of next week’s roundtable session (Thursday 12^th July 10am to 12am in central London) which will involve employers, recruiters and leading organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, National Apprenticeship Services, the Public Relations Consultants Association and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. The meeting will drive a new phase of activity for the REC’s Marketing, Media and Creative Industries (MMC) sector group and build our links with key players in these sectors.  

Our recent discussions with the Employment Minister Chris Grayling confirmed that the creative industries are viewed as a key growth sector by government. We have a huge opportunity to use this as a way of driving recognition and awareness of the recruitment industry's voice and contribution in the sector.

Other developments of note for the MMC sector group include the positive endorsement from the REC membership at our recent AGM for our proposed new compliance measures. Standards and compliance have been a major priority for members in the sector and were at the heart of the group initially being established. The new compliance regime will drive our awareness raising campaign with employers as part of the REC's ongoing client agenda.

Some of the major debating points we will be covering include:

1.     What is the current state of play of the creative industries jobs market? What does the latest data tell us, how does this work with the feedback on the ground from employers and specialist recruiters?

2.     How are the required skills and competencies in these sectors changing? What is the latest employer feedback? Are we doing enough to build a strong 'talent pipeline'?

3.      How can we enhance different ways of entering the PR, public affairs, advertising and media industries – for example, through apprenticeships, internships, the Youth Contract and other government initiatives?

4.      Are we doing enough to enhance diversity and inclusion within the sector? How is this being driven and monitored? What is the role of recruiters in this area?

5.      How are recruitment methods and criteria changing in the sector? How is social media being harnessed? What are employers looking for in the intermediaries they use?

6.      What are the latest flexible working trends in the sector? How much of a factor are these playing in the recruitment and retention of high-potential candidates?  

7.      Update on the REC’s new compliance and professional standards regime (as agreed at last month’s AGM) and ongoing client-facing agenda. How can members use this to build relationships with existing and potential clients?

We will build on the feedback from the roundtable by developing a series of practical recommendations to government as well as a best practice agenda around recruitment in the sector.

REC members wishing to take part in the event can register online. There are limited spaces available due to the interactive format but we will circulate a summary of the discussions and use this feedback to take forward the work of the MMC group.