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Simon Hobart, the managing director of recruitment consultancy Millennium Solutions, discusses the trends in the current human resources and recruitment market.

How are you involved in the construction business?

Millennium Solutions was conceived some eight years ago after I had worked in numerous countries and had found sourcing experienced staff a very difficult and time consuming task. There was a general feeling within the business that specialised recruitment companies were the best route to sourcing these staff, but what we found was that we were simply supplied dozens of CV's that were unsuitable and had not been vetted at all.

During my initial two years in Dubai I realised that colleagues with other large construction and engineering businesses were facing the same issues. I decided that there was scope for a new approach to recruitment in the region and started Millennium Solutions. We remain very proud of our key performance indicator based process and a major part of the deliverable of our staff is their ability to interview each and every candidate before they are put forward.

Since the onset of the downturn have you gone about your business in a different way?

Since November 2008 we have seen our clients' requirements drop considerably. This reduction lasted for a few months, until our clients realigned their businesses with what was happening in the region. Maintaining close ties with our clients at this time was very important, as the projects that they were working on required them to look at their present and future needs.

With a number of them we were able to assist in redeploying teams of qualified staff to other companies, and indeed other countries. We have also been able to work with them on manpower schedules for future projects, and have tried to utilise existing staff within these schedules.

There is a great expectation that projects will be ‘re-announced' overnight and major schemes will recommence. I believe that in reality we need to have a broader view and work towards staffing these projects with the right people at the right time.

How are you seeing companies approach HR and recruitment issues?

Most companies that have had a presence within the region for some time generally have a good knowledge of available staff in the market. They are also aware that they do not need to pay package values similar to those of mid 2008. They have concerns about visa issues, existing employee liabilities and schooling. All of these factors can result in a very time consuming task for company HR departments.

HR departments also seem to be the first to go when companies are looking to downsize. Present employees always know somebody that is looking for a job, and in this market it is a lot more obvious, therefore negating the need for a recruitment company to help find suitable staff for you.

I feel that this is a very sensible, economically correct process for companies, but there does come a time when candidate availability reduces, as many are returning to their home countries or are searching/accepting appointments in other countries. Our clients are very keen to work with us, tracking this trend and therefore enabling them to forecast the level of staff available in the market.

What are your goals over the next 12 months?

Our approach over the coming 12 months is one of pure enthusiasm. There has been no panic within Millennium Solutions since the downturn, we have viewed this situation as an opportunity to readjust and nurture relationships even more.

We remain true to our candidate base, as these are the backbone to our success. We have to make sure that candidates are keen to look at clients we are putting forward, instead of approaching clients directly.

We have two senior recruitment managers based in two different offices in the KSA, this lets us to view the exact market differently, because we are there and involved. The staff we are provide to these businesses are fully aware of the differences between living/working in KSA to other GCC countries.

This is where our organisation will prevail, with a solid, knowledgeable backdrop to our recruitment process. We see the next 12 months as one of the most exciting times in our history, as it gives us the opportunity to cement our excellent relationships with existing and new clients alike.

Simon Hobart began working in the construction industry in 1991. He founded Millennium Solutions in January 2003 after running high profile projects within the UAE for some of the largest construction companies and consultancies in the world. Since then the company has built itself up to being a market leader in the industry. It currently has 13 staff and operates within the GCC and the surrounding region.

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