Why outsource? In-house vs outsourcing food manufacturing recruitment

The UK manufacturing sector employs over 2.6m people – of this, nearly 500,000 work in the food and drink subsector. It’s the largest manufacturing sector in the UK by turnover, so it’s important manufacturers hire skilled professionals to continue driving productivity and output.

Outsourcing recruitment to a specialist food manufacturing recruiter like Corvin Fox enables you to find talented candidates in your niche, who fit both your job requirements and company culture.

Key summary:

• Outsourcing in manufacturing is when firms hire a specialist agency to handle some or all of their recruitment
• Outsourcing can be cheaper than hiring and maintaining an in-house team and it also helps to save time, reduce admin and maintain compliance
• Corvin Fox handles recruitment for food manufacturers, offering a bespoke service, industry expertise and acting as an extension of their HR function

What we’ll cover

• What is outsourcing in recruitment?
• What’s in-house recruitment?
• Is outsourcing recruitment in manufacturing better?
• What are the benefits of outsourcing recruitment?
• Customer case study: Cardium Products
• Where to begin with outsourcing manufacturing recruitment

What is outsourcing in recruitment?

Outsourcing, also referred to as recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), is when manufacturers employ a recruitment agency to act as their HR function – the recruitment team handles all or some of the recruitment processes, such as sourcing, headhunting, job adverts, interviews and onboarding. It’s important to find a trusted partner who has experience in your processes, for example, can the recruiter carry out targeted advertising campaigns across Google and social media?

There are different types of recruitment agencies manufacturers can work with – some are general recruiters covering multiple industries, while others are specialists within a certain sector. For example, Corvin Fox helps food manufacturers find and onboard skilled permanent, interim and executive/c-suite professionals.

Manufacturers are increasingly turning towards specialist recruiters to support their in-house HR teams because they have the time and expertise in finding talented candidates, while reducing recruitment costs and time to hire. Corvin Fox has a network of over 5,000 food manufacturing professionals, so roles don’t stay vacant for long.

What is an example of outsourcing a job?

Manufacturers might outsource certain processes within their HR function like hiring interim professionals, where roles often need to be filled quickly, especially if they’re urgent. The recruiter will typically have a network of interim professionals for different role types and levels, so they can be onboarded within a couple of days with a full reference/vetting. This could include an interim consultant to support growth projects or to step in, in the event of a crisis.

What’s in-house recruitment?

In-house recruitment is when manufacturers have their own HR team who handles all of their recruitment needs internally. This can include HR managers, officers, talent acquisition specialists, administrators or assistants. This team is responsible for all processes including interviews, benefits package/pay and compliance.

Larger manufacturers typically have in-house HR teams because they have larger workforces and can afford to hire permanent full-time HR professionals. Smaller manufacturers don’t typically need an in-house HR function because it’s more cost effective to outsource recruitment.

Is outsourcing recruitment in manufacturing better?

Outsourcing recruitment in manufacturing can be better than in-house recruitment in some cases, especially because it frees up time for manufacturers to focus on core activities like production and process optimisations. However, it does depend on your recruitment needs and budget.

Here are a few reasons why outsourcing might be better:

Reduce costs: Hiring an in-house team is expensive because you will need to pay salaries, training and have higher overheads.

Compliance training: An in-house team will need regular compliance training, especially as new laws come into effect or existing ones change. On the other hand, an agency will be up-to-date on the latest legislations such as IR35 compliance, and can provide advice and guidance on it.

Specialisms: Some recruiters are specialists in different fields such as food manufacturing, so can support with finding niche talent. They also have vast recruitment experience and accreditations in tasks like personal profile analysis (PPA) and general intelligence assessment (GIA).

Administration: You’ll have less administration with outsourcing because it will all be handled by the recruitment agency. Putting together an in-house team results in a larger workforce and higher staff overheads, so administration will naturally increase.

Increased efficiency: By outsourcing, you can rest assured that recruitment is in safe hands and focus on tasks that help you to meet your business objectives.

What are the benefits of outsourcing recruitment?

Manufacturers are facing increasing workforce challenges such as skills and labour shortages, resource constraints and retention, which outsourcing recruitment can help to solve. Here are a few benefits:

• Lowers recruitment costs and the need to hire full-time employees
• Get advice and guidance from experts
• Reduced admin
• Improved time-to-hire
• Fully compliant recruitment processes
• Proven track record in hiring
• Bespoke advertising campaigns
• Personalised service
• Industry knowledge

Customer case study: Cardium Products

Corvin Fox led recruitment for Cardium Products, helping them to hire managers over a number of years. The agency has since built a long-term relationship with the firm, supporting with:

• Candidate profiling and culture assessments
• Market mapping and job adverts
• Headhunting
• Interviews and site visits
• Offer management and onboarding

“Corvin Fox has recruited half of our management team to date and is the best team I have brought in, in my 27-year career in FMCG. Our relationship is more of a partnership compared to a traditional client-to-service provider because they take the time to visit us, and check in on our progress and challenges, which enables them to connect with candidates as an extension of our HR function. They are really responsive when we’ve got urgent vacancies to fill and always deliver to the agreed timelines.”

• Tim Wild, managing director at Cardium Products

Where to begin with outsourcing manufacturing recruitment

If you’re planning to outsource some or all of your recruitment, you need to find a trusted recruitment agency that has experience in your sector. Corvin Fox has 15 years’ experience supporting leading food manufacturers in the UK, with 90% of permanent hires retained over a year. The specialists handle recruitment from start to finish, while providing guidance on compliance and any industry changes.

More so, the team gets to know the business inside-out, so they can truly become your personal HR function – and find talented candidates who fit the brief. They focus on building long-term partnerships with manufacturers to provide ongoing support when needed.

Find out how Corvin Fox can support you.