Employers trust recruiters the most to find the right worker, suggests a new survey, which makes private sector job finders vital to any reform of Jobcentre Plus.

As the government begins its reform of publicly funded job finding schemes, a survey of employers finds they most trust private recruiters to find the right workers.

Commissioned by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and conducted by Whitestone Insight in May 2025, the online survey asked 234 employers of different sizes across the UK which public and private job finding services they trust most to find the right candidate for a job.

The REC/Whitestone Insight survey found:

• Nearly half (42%) of employers said they most trust a private recruitment agency.
• A quarter (26%) of employers said they most trust in-house personnel.
• But just 8% of employers said they most trust Jobcentre Plus.
• And 5% of employers said they most trust local college or training provider. 

The survey results are published as the government plans to reform the outdated Jobcentre system and transform it into a new national jobs and careers service, focused on people’s skills and careers instead of just monitoring and managing benefit claims. For example, yesterday the government launched a Pathfinder at a Jobcentre in Wakefield West Yorkshire that will include a new Coaching Academy, careers events focused on local growth sectors and more personalised Jobcentre appointments.

REC hopes this is a first step towards the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) agreeing to pilot programmes to embed recruiters within the work-finding services that Jobcentre Plus delivers. Such pilots should focus on CV screening, application support, interview coaching, sector-specific guidance, and improved job-matching – activities that recruiters know and do best, says the REC.

REC Deputy Chief Executive Kate Shoesmith said:

“It is encouraging that the government accepts the one-size fits all approach by Jobcentres are outdated. It is now time to bring local leaders and recruiters in from the cold to get this new approach to work.

“Our survey shows that recruiters are a huge help for employers to attract and retain talent and stay ahead of broader and ever-changing trends, in a labour market beset with labour and skills shortages. The government must use recruiters’ insights and expertise in its reforms of Jobcentre Plus to build bridges between jobseekers and employers. We know how well Jobcentre Plus works when linked with private labour market experts. Just look at the success of our Restart Scheme with Maximus, which has achieved 3,000 job placements since 2022 through collaboration between employers, recruiters, and public agencies.

“Our annual conference RECLive25 next week will show how recruiters are advancing technologies such as AI to transform talent acquisition and management. This means recruiters could reflect on and advise Jobcentre Plus on touchpoints such as using AI to automate repetitive tasks, enhance candidate experience and predict hiring needs.”

The government said that under the overhaul of Jobcentre Plus, Mayors and councils will be empowered to join up local work, health and skills support in ways that meet the specific needs of their local areas.

A total of 197 of the same cohort of employers were asked by REC/Whitestone Insight how confident they are that local councils and Mayoral Combined Authorities will understand their organisation’s recruitment and workforce needs. They responded:

• Around 17.5% of employers said they are very confident they would understand their business's recruitment and workforce needs. This was as high as 34% for medium size businesses and 35% for large employers (250+workers).
• Around 28% of employers said they are fairly confident they would understand their business's recruitment and workforce needs.
• But 32% of employers said they are not confident they would understand their business's recruitment and workforce needs. This was as high as 37% for South of England (excl. London) employers, and 35.5% among small businesses (0-49 workers).

Kate Shoesmith said:

“Recruiters can ease the strain on local Jobcentres by bringing accurate and contemporary local labour market know-how to deliver a smarter, joined-up local employment system. We hope this leads to more sharing of responsibility to achieve local labour markets that drive local growth in town and cities across the UK rather than hold it back.”

Notes to editors

Jobcentre Plus was slightly more likely to be the most trusted by employers in the Midlands (13.7%) and medium-sized firms (50-249 workers) (13.2%) than the UK average. And the least likely to be most trusted by employers in London (2%) and large employers (250+ workers) (5.7%). In contrast, private recruitment companies were significantly more likely to be the most trusted by employers in the South of England including London (50.2%), and by medium-sized businesses (50-249 workers) (71.6%).

REC annual conference: RECLive25 will be held in London on 10 June 2025. Join hundreds of recruitment professionals for a day packed with future-focused insight, practical strategies, and expert analysis designed to help you lead your business through 2025 and beyond.