At the beginning of this month, the definition of “employment” for legal compliance drastically expanded in the UK. HR is now responsible for conducting background checks and verifying “Right to Work” documentation for casual workers, agency staff, individual subcontractors, and gig workers as well as direct employees. The penalty for failing to carry out these checks carries a hefty fine of up to £60,000 per “illegal” worker.
These changes reflect a dramatic expansion of the right to work checks. Earlier last month, we hosted an event together with Collyer Bristow for our clients working in asset management and helped to guide them through these updates to the UK’s employment law.
As a recruitment agency for London’s finance industry, we can help our clients reduce the administrative burden in hiring talent from abroad. Here’s how you can make smart decisions about hiring while maintaining access to a global pool of candidates:
Why businesses should still think globally when planning their workforce
For us, recruiting candidates should always be part of the company’s bigger ambitions. Candidates aren’t just filling a short-term need; new hires are onboarded to help your business grow and stay competitive.
With international talent, you open the door to specialist skills, a variety of experiences, and different ways of thinking. Language skills and a knowledge of overseas markets can also bring real, immediate value to your business.
The new Right to Work requirements may scare off employers from recruiting internationally, but doing so could hold you back from making progress in the company and staying competitive. At Aldrich & Co, we can support you part of the way towards a clear strategy for accessing the critical skills you need.
How to know when to recruit internationally
When we help our clients find the right candidates, we focus on skills rather than job titles. Where does your company have skills gaps, and why? What is stopping you addressing those gaps?
Sometimes, companies don’t realise what they’re looking for, leaving vacancies open for lengths of time. Other times, companies are hiring for niche skillsets, where the best talent is picked off within a small pool of candidates.
International recruitment won’t always be the answer to filling every vacancy. But if you find yourself unable to fill a role, or you’re struggling to find the right fit, you may need to widen your search.
Consider how your international search adds value
Especially with these new changes in UK employment law, we recommend laying the groundwork before starting your search at all. Ask yourself: Are the skills you need readily available in the job market, and is your offer attractive to international candidates?
Beyond the salary and recruitment fee, prepare for some hidden costs. Visa-related expenses, relocation, travel, accommodation (such as for interviews), and onboarding should all be costed into your approach. Extra costs can make some companies limit their targeted candidates to within the UK, but these costs may turn out paltry when considered against an open job role, affecting productivity, delaying business plans, and putting more pressure on current employees.
You don’t have to work through every component of this process on your own. A recruitment consultant can help with letting you know the specific visa requirements and eligibility criteria that you will need to consider before moving ahead with international talent.
Make your business attractive to international candidates
It is so important to take the extra step to make your offer appealing to international talent. Candidates coming from abroad have to make several key decisions that a candidate from within the UK may not. They might need to leave behind family members and friends, not to mention moving to an unfamiliar environment.
Attractive job offers don’t always need to mean increased salary. Perhaps you foster real career progression in your company, or you offer great professional development programmes. International candidates may also need practical support like help with settling into the role, understanding the workplace culture, and building relationships with colleagues. Communicate these values and your offer in the job spec.
We also recommend being upfront, especially with international candidates, about the interview process. They will need to consider travel costs if you are conducting in-person interviews at any stage, as well as navigate time zones to commit to your approach.
Collyer Bristow advocates for the following to ease UK companies into this new approach to hiring international candidates:
- Consider recruiting internationally for hard-to-fill roles, which you can identify through the skills needed.
- Assess immigration feasibility early in the process, to minimise wasted opportunities. Flag potential visa routes early, and follow up with an immigration adviser to confirm a candidate’s eligibility.
- Budget for the full cost of an international hire. This could include visa and sponsorships, professional advice, internal administration, and onboarding.
- Make sure the job spec reflects the actual job, to ensure compliance with the UK’s occupation codes and salary.
- Keep compliance as part of the employment process even after hiring the candidate to ensure consistency and transparency.
How we can help you access global talent
International recruitment demands knowledge of different talent markets and how to manage a more complex process than domestic recruitment. We can help you to manage communication, coordinate interviews, and support candidates throughout the process and through one point of contact.
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If you are considering hiring candidates from abroad but don’t know where to start, get in touch! We are a recruitment consultancy based in London’s Westminster, and we have more than three decades’ experience in understanding the market and advising our clients on how and where to find the right people.