Recruitment in Essex
The recruitment market in Essex is very lively and was traditionally broken down into three key areas – that in the north around Saffron Walden, which interacts with the buoyant job market created by Cambridge and its universities, science parks and hospital; Chelmsford, Braintree and Colchester, and then Basildon and Brentwood which along with former Essex towns such as Romford that now are effectively part of Greater London.
The business of recruiting in Essex has always been complicated by the proximity to London, with higher salaries in the capital tempting skilled candidates away from towns within Essex – this is a phenomenon that has become more common in the past year, and one which does not exist in reverse; the extremely high price of property in London makes the concept of a ‘reverse commute’ impractical for most people.
Essex
The county of Essex is located in the East of England and borders Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Kent and of course London. Essex has a mix of quaint villages, market towns, and even its own county city, Chelmsford. With fantastic shopping facilities such as Lakeside Shopping Centre and many transport links to London, it is easy to see why Essex is a popular housing area for commuters.
With years of recruiting for roles across all sectors in Essex, Cambridge Talent Partnership have a great overview of the jobs market in the county, as well as the all-important supply of relevant candidates to any particular candidate pool. With the Covid pandemic and the ensuing views on working from home shaking up both employers’ and individuals’ mindsets with regards to location and commuting, there is currently – and will continue to be for the next few years – a lot of upheaval and evolution in the way Essex’s job market functions. At Cambridge Talent Partnership, both in-house and thanks to our network of partners and employers, we are able to pinpoint exactly why any particular role may be proving tricky to recruit for, and employ the necessary strategy to ensure that you successfully recruit the role you are recruiting for.
Transport
Essex enjoys fantastic transport links by road, rail and air, and constitutes a key part of the commuter belt, with a traditional lean towards businesses based in, or supporting the City of London. It is well suited to those wishing to commute from London, Cambridgeshire, Kent and beyond. As well as the M25, Essex is served by the M11, A12, the A127 and the A120.
Essex has two airports – London Stansted and the smaller Southend airport. London Stansted airport is located near Stansted Mountfitchet and operates many flights around the UK, Europe and further afield.
Essex has four ports which means many companies have established distribution hubs in the county – coupled with goods incoming from the ferries as well as the non-too distant Channel Tunnel, the great transport link make it a key node in UK/European trade and traffic.
Companies based in Essex
Essex offers easy access to the technology and business hubs of Cambridge and London, and many employment opportunities for candidates. Many leading technology businesses are based in Essex, not to mention large corporations such as Amazon, Ford, Emirates, Costa Coffee and Galliard Homes.
Along with the proximity to London, the wide array of companies operating across Essex provides a deep pool of outstanding talent – although as mentioned above, with the county’s easy transport links and the advent of flexible working, it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure the best people.