Hindsight is 2020 - Looking back on a year of campaigns at the REC

Well, what a year that was. With the combined efforts of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic conspiring to bring the country to a standstill, 2020 has proven to be one of the tougher years for the recruitment industry and the REC. However, we need not be all doom and gloom and to finish off the year here's an overview of what the REC achieved for you, and a look forward to the success we will aim for in 2021.

We ensured the recruitment industry was a key player in the government's COVID recovery plan

Whilst the pandemic did have an undeniable impact on the sector, the REC fought hard on behalf of our members to ensure the recruitment industry wasn't left behind as a result. The REC campaigned to ensure the government’s furlough scheme worked for employment businesses who needed to furlough their temporary workers and not just their direct staff. As well as this, we were able to lobby government to extend the repayment time for wrong payments of CJRS from the proposed 30 days to 90 days. It was crucial that the government's COVID business guidance considered temporary workers, something that we pushed for constantly. The outcome was much needed clarity for our members on issues such as holiday pay and redundancy.

As well as this, the REC successfully campaigned for the introduction of digital right to work checks for the industry, to make it quicker and easier to find candidates work during the crisis. We also made it easier and simpler for members to complete DBS checks online during COVID. Keeping these checks digital remains a priority for the REC and we will continue to campaign for this in 2021.

As part of the drive to help people get back into work the REC was also appointed a Kickstart 'gateway organisation' by the Department for Work and Pensions. This gave our smaller members who were previously unable to take part in the scheme the chance to provide opportunities to unemployed young people.

We advocated for the recruitment industry in the Brexit Trade and immigration discussions

The REC was a key player in government discussions on Brexit, trade and immigration. As the voice of the recruitment industry, we were part of the Home Office's Employer Consultative Group, the Brexit Business Taskforce hosted by Michael Gove, and both the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy's Trade Technical Group and their Professional and Business Services Sector Council. This gave us a range of forums to bring the concerns of our members to the attention of decision makers.

We have consistently used our position to ask the government for a trade deal with the EU which minimises market access restrictions, including those on establishment rules. Our trade recommendations were supported and endorsed by the House of Lords in their report on Trade. The REC’s written submissions were mentioned throughout the report, highlighting the influence we had in this area.

We challenged regulatory changes to ensure a level playing field for our members to thrive

2020 was particularly challenging for the Health and Social Care sector but we stood up for members in procurement negotiations with framework providers. We successfully challenged framework operators on their terms meaning we were able to grant our members advance notice of upcoming tender opportunities.

We continued our lobbying efforts to government on the upcoming IR35 reforms in the private sector. Our efforts resulted in the implementation of IR35 being pushed back to 2021, giving our members time instead to focus on the economic impact of COVID. As well as this we were able to get key changes to the final legislation; most importantly a legal requirement for end clients to declare to agencies that they are exempt from the reforms.

This has also been a challenging time for the Health and Social Care sector but we have stood up for recruiters in this sector in procurement negotiations with framework providers. We successfully challenged NHS Improvement to introduce a “break glass” clause in non-clinical agency staff restrictions. We also robustly challenged HealthTrust Europe on audit costs and transfer fees. We were also able to grant our members advance notice of upcoming tender opportunities and the opportunity to feed into pre-market discussions.

In the education sector, we pushed the Department for Education to include new provisions in the Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance. This will allow fairer treatment for agencies and their supply teachers. As well as this, we challenged the teaching union's new campaign to end the use of agencies in the education sector. We wrote to both unions involved, sent a rebuttal letter to the Education Minister and developed resources for our members to use if they challenged any resistance from local authorities or clients.

Good recruitment, diversity, and inclusion change

With diversity & inclusion higher on the agenda than ever, the REC has highlighted the role great recruiters play in driving D&I on government taskforces such as the Fuller Working Lives Taskforce, and the Flexible Working Taskforce. The REC has led by example on this, and signed the Race at Work Charter. This is in addition to championing many diversity schemes, including RiDi (Recruitment industry Disability Initiatives), Flex work and Ban the Box, which we have continued to participate in and advocate for this year. The REC also supported the Centre for Data, Innovation and Ethics’ investigation into algorithm bias in the recruitment industry. Our recommendations to government were included and endorsed by the CDIE's report.

As well as our own actions, we also collaborated with APSCO on the first ever recruitment industry diversity audit. The results of the audit will help members to improve their ability to both attract more diverse candidates and offer a more inclusive recruitment service to end clients.

Looking Ahead

Of course, the hard work doesn't stop here, and 2021 presents more challenges and opportunities for the sector and the REC. We will continue to push for positive changes on right to work and immigration, including the permanent change to digital checks. Reform to the apprenticeship levy continues to be a priority, and reform and regulation of umbrella companies will also continue be a priority for us next year.

Your support and input on these will be crucial to making sure meaningful change can take place for the recruitment industry. Until then, however, have a great festive period and a happy new year. We will see you all in 2021!