Solution: Recruitment Process Outsourcing

How We Delivered a Specialized Hiring Project to Support a Mid-Sized Organization’s Growth

Posted on by akessler
How We Delivered a Specialized Hiring Project to Support a Mid-Sized Organization’s Growth

How We Delivered a Specialized Hiring Project to Support a Mid-Sized Organization’s Growth

PeopleScout’s specialized hiring project enabled a mid-sized automotive reconditioning provider to scale from 15 to 330+ hires per month within four months, transforming a three-month pilot into a two-year partnership supporting 1,000 annual hires.

2 week implementation
22 x increase in hiring volume in just four months
3 month hiring project expanded into a comprehensive RPO engagement

Situation

A provider of automotive reconditioning services exemplifies the talent acquisition challenges that mid-sized, specialized service companies face when competing for skilled workers in tight labor markets. The organization needed to dramatically improve their recruitment process and speed-to-hire for their skilled hourly workers, including highly specialized industrial painters—roles that require specific technical expertise and are in limited supply. Like many growing mid-market companies, the organization lacked the internal resources and specialized recruitment capabilities needed to effectively compete for this scarce talent.

The scope of their challenge became clear through their ambitious growth trajectory: they needed to scale from just 15 hires per month to over 330 hires within a four-month period. This increase in hiring volume that would be impossible to achieve through their existing recruitment approaches, so the organization engaged PeopleScout for a specialized hiring project.

Solution

Our approach centered transforming the client’s talent acquisition through strategic expansion and dedicated resources. We began with a focused pilot program utilizing a team of five recruiters, but the success of this initial phase enabled us to expand the account team to 16 within just two weeks, including one recruiting manager, 10 recruiters, five coordinators, plus marketing, analyst, and global support resources. This scalable model demonstrates the flexibility and responsiveness that specialized hiring projects can provide to mid-sized organizations.

In addition to recruitment, we provided comprehensive talent advisory services including deep-dive market analysis across the country, full persona development for all positions in scope, complete job description rewrites, and strategic guidance tailored to their industry. Our technology implementation included launching an updated Power BI Reporting & Analytics Suite while leveraging their existing Workday system with our expert recommendations for optimization. The project team deployed multifaceted sourcing strategies including automated sourcing software, marketing-optimized sourcing scripts, and regional and national career days specifically designed to attract skilled hourly workers and industrial painters.

Key Success Factors

  • Specialized Hiring Project Model: Dedicated, time-bound approach perfect for rapid scaling needs
  • Lightning-Fast Team Deployment: 16 person account team onboarded in 2 weeks
  • Scalable Resources: Team expansion from 5 to 16 within 30 days to meet demand
  • Industry Expertise: Deep understanding of automotive and skilled trades recruitment
  • Technology Integration: Seamless integration with existing Workday system plus enhanced analytics
  • Comprehensive Support: Full spectrum from talent advisory to marketing to global compliance

Results

The specialized hiring project delivered transformational results that exceeded all expectations, enabling the client to achieve their ambitious scaling goals of growing from 15 to 330+ hires within just four months. This remarkable 22x increase in hiring volume was accomplished while maintaining quality standards for their specialized skilled hourly and industrial painter positions—roles that are notoriously difficult to source and hire at scale.

The impact extended far beyond the immediate hiring surge, with the initial three-month project expanding into a comprehensive two-year engagement that now supports 1,000 annual hires across their organization. The combination of our scalable team model, technology integration, and comprehensive support services has positioned the client to continue their growth trajectory with confidence, proving that modular recruitment solutions are ideal for mid-sized companies facing rapid expansion challenges in competitive talent markets.

At a Glance

  • COMPANY
    Mid-sized automotive reconditioning provider
  • INDUSTRY
    Automotive
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Amplifiers
Let’s Connect

Accelerating Growth Through Strategic Talent Solutions and Industry Expertise

Posted on by akessler
Accelerating Growth Through Strategic Talent Solutions and Industry Expertise

Accelerating Growth Through Strategic Talent Solutions and Industry Expertise

PeopleScout’s project RPO solution enabled a mid-sized automotive service provider to achieve a 230% increase in top-of-funnel candidates, delivering critical revenue-generating talent across national markets within two weeks.

230 % increase in top-of-funnel candidates
9 % increase in click-through rates on applications

within just the first month

3 month Project RPO engagement

Situation

A mid-sized automotive service provider found themselves at a critical growth inflection point that their existing talent acquisition capabilities couldn’t support. The organization’s business model centers around placing highly knowledgeable Tire Service Advisors—professionals with deep expertise across a broad range of automotive tire products—directly inside auto dealerships where they provide customers with essential guidance and product information. These roles are absolutely critical to the organization’s revenue generation, making successful hiring not just an operational necessity but a direct driver of business success.

The organization was experiencing an explosion in demand from dealers across the country, but their traditional hiring approaches were failing to meet the volume and speed requirements of this rapid expansion. Time was of the essence, as unfilled positions directly translated to missed revenue opportunities and strained relationships with dealer partners. Fortunately, the organization had a valuable connection through their sister company, which had successfully partnered with PeopleScout to solve similar talent acquisition challenges and provided a strong referral that opened the door for our partnership.

Solution

Our approach began with PeopleScout leadership and client delivery teams meeting directly with the client’s leadership to understand their unique challenges. We quickly developed a targeted sourcing, screening, and reporting model that would address both their immediate hiring needs and their national expansion requirements. The solution was powered by a dedicated project team specifically assembled to support their critical mid-sized organization recruiting needs across the United States over an intensive three-month engagement period.

The strategy blended advanced recruitment marketing techniques with streamlined recruitment process execution, creating a comprehensive approach that would dramatically increase their talent pipeline while maintaining the quality standards essential for their customer-facing roles. Our deep understanding of the automotive industry, combined with our proven project-based delivery model, enabled us to move quickly from strategy to implementation, ensuring that the client could capitalize on their growth opportunities without delay.

Key Success Factors

  • Industry Expertise: Deep knowledge of automotive sector and customer-facing service roles
  • Rapid Implementation: Quick transition from strategy development to full execution
  • Integrated Approach: Combined recruitment marketing and process optimization
  • Dedicated Resources: Project team fully focused on client’s critical hiring needs
  • Proven Partnership Model: Shown through our successful partnership with sister company
  • National Scalability: Solution designed to support hiring across multiple states

Results

The impact was both immediate and substantial, with our project team achieving a remarkable 230% increase in top-of-funnel candidates, directly addressing their pipeline challenges with qualified Tire Service Advisor candidates. This dramatic improvement in candidate volume translated into a more than 9% increase in the click-through rate on applications within just the first month, demonstrating that our recruitment marketing strategy was not only reaching more candidates but attracting genuinely interested and qualified professionals. The quality of our execution was proven by our ability to deliver the first successful hires within just two weeks of project go-live, ensuring that the organization could begin capitalizing on their growth opportunities immediately.

Our dedicated project approach proved that rapid scaling doesn’t require small to mid-sized organizations to sacrifice quality. As one client leader noted,

“PeopleScout’s energy, willingness to partner, and deep knowledge of our industry made this an incredibly successful partnership and has supported our business with the critical hires necessary for our growth and success.”

At a Glance

  • COMPANY
    Mid-sized automotive service provider
  • INDUSTRY
    Automotive
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Amplifiers
Let’s Connect

The UK’s Workforce Balancing Act: Ageing Populations and Emerging Roles

Posted on by lloftus

By James Chorley, Talent Solutions Director, RPO

I recently wrote about what our children will do in the future, but what about us?! We all know about the technological disruption that has exploded onto the scene. We’ve seen the data on the number of inactive people at working age, but I didn’t fully appreciate the unprecedented demographic change we are about to see.

While much attention has been given to the rise of automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and the creation of “jobs that don’t exist yet,” an equally pressing challenge looms in the background: the UK’s declining birthrate and ageing population.

Together, these forces are reshaping the labour market, creating an urgent need for new skills and a more agile approach to workforce development.

This article explores the critical skills shortages the UK faces today and anticipates the skills required for the future. It also examines how the intertwining challenges of an ageing workforce and emerging roles demand nothing less than a revolution in the way we think about education, training, and employment.

The Demographic Imperative: Fewer Hands, Greater Need

The demographic data is stark. The fertility rate in England and Wales dropped to a record low of 1.44 children per woman in 2023, far below the replacement level of 2.1. Meanwhile, people are living longer, leading to a rapidly ageing population. By 2032, the number of children in the UK is projected to decline by 6.4%, while the population of pensionable age will grow by nearly 14%. The number of people aged 85 and over will almost double by mid-2047.

This demographic shift has profound implications for the workforce. A smaller proportion of younger workers will be available to support an increasing number of retirees, creating economic and social strain. The old-age dependency ratio—the number of working-age people supporting each retiree—is set to climb significantly. While more older workers are staying in the labour market (with record employment levels for those aged 65 and over), this is not enough to offset the broader decline in workforce numbers.

For the UK, this isn’t just an economic inconvenience; it’s a national necessity to address skill shortages and reimagine workforce participation across all age groups.

The Current Crisis: Skills in Critical Shortage

Even without demographic pressures, the UK is already grappling with widespread skills gaps. Almost 70% of businesses reported recruitment difficulties, with chronic shortages in high-growth sectors like digital technology, advanced manufacturing, health and social care, education, and construction.

Specific Skills in Severe Shortage:

These shortages are not just a recruitment issue; they also reveal a deeper problem within the existing workforce. Over 1.7 million employees were reported as not being fully proficient in their roles.

The Horizon: Skills That Don’t Exist Yet

The rise of automation and emerging technologies isn’t just transforming jobs—it’s creating entirely new ones. From AI specialists to sustainability experts, future roles will demand a fusion of technical expertise and human-centric skills.

Emerging Roles:

  • AI and Machine Learning Specialists
  • Cybersecurity Analysts
  • Sustainability and Environmental Specialists
  • Data Analysts and Data Scientists
  • Robotics Engineers
  • Blockchain Developers

Transforming Traditional Roles:

  • Healthcare professionals must adapt to digital patient management.
  • Teachers will need to integrate technology into learning.
  • Manufacturing workers will oversee automated systems.

The common thread across these roles is the demand for adaptability, advanced technical knowledge, and the ability to learn continuously.

The Foundational Enablers: Essential Cross-Cutting Skills

As automation takes over routine tasks, uniquely human skills will become the labour market’s most valuable currency. The skills most in demand by 2035 include:

  • Digital Literacy: A baseline requirement for all workers.
  • Critical Thinking: Essential for solving complex, non-routine problems.
  • Adaptability and Lifelong Learning: Workers must expect 39% of their skills to become outdated by 2030.
  • Emotional Intelligence: Empathy, communication, and teamwork will distinguish human workers from machines.

Strategies for a Resilient Workforce

To address these challenges, Talent and TA leaders must adopt systemic solutions to future proof Talent within their sectors:

  • Agile Education and Training: From shorter, modular apprenticeships to investment in STEM education, training must evolve to keep pace with technological advancements.
  • Lifelong Learning: Employers must reverse the trend of declining investment in training, offering continuous upskilling opportunities.
  • Holistic Workforce Support: Flexible work environments and improved careers guidance can help attract underrepresented groups and retain older workers.
  • Strategic Sponsorship: Simplified worker visa regimes can fill immediate gaps while longer-term solutions take shape.

Conclusion: Thinking Differently About the Workforce

Solving the UK’s workforce challenges means rethinking who we hire, how we train, and what we value in the labour market. As skill shortages deepen and demographic pressures mount, we must start thinking differently about the jobs that will remain in severe shortage over the coming decades.

Embrace Older Generations

Older workers represent an untapped reservoir of experience and talent. By creating flexible work environments, addressing age discrimination, and investing in training for older generations, businesses can benefit from their expertise and keep them active in the workforce.

Accelerate Apprenticeships for All Ages

The traditional model of apprenticeships must evolve. Short, sharp apprenticeships designed for workers of all ages and experiences can rapidly fill skill gaps in critical areas like digital, green energy, and advanced manufacturing. These programs should be modular, flexible, and responsive to emerging technologies.

Foster Lifelong Learning

The future workforce must be equipped to adapt continuously. Employers, educators, and policymakers must work together to make lifelong learning accessible, affordable, and relevant. Programs like Skills Bootcamps offer a promising model for accelerated training in high-demand fields.

The UK’s ability to thrive in the face of demographic decline and technological disruption hinges on its willingness to embrace bold, creative solutions. By fostering a culture of inclusion, agility, and continuous learning, we can build a resilient workforce that bridges generations, adapts to new challenges, and excels in emerging roles.

The balancing act will not be easy, but the rewards—economic growth, social cohesion, and future prosperity—are well worth the effort. It’s time to act, rethink, and reimagine what the workforce can be.

What is a Staffing Agency? 7 Top Differences Between RPO and Staffing Agencies

Posted on by akessler

What is a staffing agency? Organizations are facing unprecedented hiring challenges that traditional staffing agencies simply weren’t designed to solve. Between remote work, skills shortages in critical roles, and the need to compete with enterprise employers for top talent, growing companies need strategic partners, not just résumé and CV providers.

So, what is the difference between a staffing agency and an RPO solutions provider? In this, article we’ll cover the major differences between RPO and staffing agencies and how to know what’s best for your talent acquisition program.

RPO vs Staffing Agencies: What is a Staffing Agency and Which Recruitment Model is Right for You?

What is a Staffing Agency

Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is a type of business process outsourcing in which an employer transfers delivery of some or all portions of the recruitment process to an external service provider. RPO is a long-term partnership or project-based solution that helps you evolve your talent acquisition strategy to attract and retain high-quality talent to meet your business goals. Outsourcing through an RPO lets you scale up or down during high and low volume periods. RPO recruitment companies can cover everything from high-volume hiring to niche roles and can be regional or cover your global hiring requirements. 

Staffing Agencies operate on a transactional model, focusing on filling individual job requisitions. They maintain their own brand, work with multiple clients simultaneously on similar roles, and typically hand off candidates once initial screening is complete. 

For companies, particularly small to mid-sized organizations, this distinction matters more than ever. Here’s why. 

7 Critical Differences Between RPO vs Staffing Agency

1. Strategic Partnership

RPO Approach: Your RPO team acts as an extension of your in-house team and is your strategic partner in creating a talent acquisition program. RPO recruiters may sit on-site, work remotely, work offshore or a combination, and they’ll usually take on your company name and email domain in their communications. An RPO partner will come to understand your business deeply, which means they are best suited to help you evolve your talent acquisition program to meet your needs now and scale into the future, maintaining institutional knowledge and process consistency. 

Staffing Agency Approach: Agency recruiters typically act as a finder—sourcing, pre-screening and introducing candidates to the client (often the hiring manager) who takes it from there. Agency recruiters keep their own company email and brand when interacting with candidates.  

This works for one-off hires but breaks down when you’re scaling rapidly. Growing companies need partners who understand your long-term evolution and can anticipate your needs.

2. Process Improvements

RPO Approach: RPO partners conduct comprehensive process audits, identify inefficiencies, and implement scalable improvements. Not only does this reduce time-to-fill, but it also improves the candidate experience. A process evaluation will also include your talent technology. Your RPO partner will assess any gaps, make recommendations for new solutions and support the implementation process. 

Staffing Agency Approach: For a staffing agency, the hire-by-hire nature of their work means they’re likely not looking for ways to improve your overall hiring processes. They maintain their own workflows, which can create disconnects and inconsistencies as you grow, impacting the candidate experience and your employer brand.

3. Talent Pooling

RPO Approach: One huge advantage of the long-term relationship you build with an RPO partner is taking advantage of their ability to create talent pools. Having a pool of active and passive candidates speeds up time-to-hire, because when new roles open, you’re not starting from zero. 

Staffing Agency Approach: Agencies focus on finding candidates for a specific vacancy. It tends to be a reactive model, in which they work from requisition to requisition. Agency recruiters maintain a pool of candidates for their multiple clients, so these candidates are not necessarily found with your company in mind. 

4. Quality + Cultural Fit

RPO Approach: Leading RPO providers offer comprehensive talent assessment solutions, using behavioral interviews, skills evaluations and cultural fit assessments. This is particularly important for small to mid-sized companies as the consequences of a bad hire are far more significant and visible than at large enterprises. 

Staffing Agency Approach: Agencies focus primarily on skills and experience matching. Cultural fit assessment, when it happens, is typically limited to basic screening questions. They generally won’t be responsible for administering assessment solutions or advise on how to improve them. 

5. Talent Advisory

RPO Approach: RPO partners bring added value through their expertise in talent advisory, including employer branding, recruitment marketing, candidate communications, assessment services, labor market insights, workforce planning and talent acquisition strategy. These capabilities are vital for positioning your organization to efficiently attract, recruit and retain top talent in today’s competitive hiring landscape. 

Staffing Agency Approach: Agencies typically post jobs on their preferred job boards and tap their existing networks. Employer branding and recruitment marketing remain your responsibility—assuming you have the expertise internally. 

6. Technology Consulting

RPO Approach: RPO providers offer technology consulting, and help you understand how you can leverage AI-powered sourcing, advanced analytics, and tech integration to improve your recruitment outcomes. Some RPO providers offer some kind of recruitment technology component, whether it’s a propriety system, like PeopleScout’s Affinix® total talent suite, or expertise in a variety of talent technology systems. They’ll be comfortable working with your existing systems and can recommend solutions that scale with your growth. 

Staffing Agency Approach: Agencies use their own technology stack, which may not integrate with your systems. Limited technology means you miss out on advanced sourcing tools and market intelligence platforms. 

7. Reporting and Analytics

RPO Approach: RPO providers take ownership of recruitment outcomes. They’ll work with you to define metrics, KPIs and SLAs, and report on them on a regular basis. RPO dashboards provide visibility into time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, source-of-hire, candidate or hiring manager satisfaction and retention levels. In addition, leading RPO partners bring labor market insights to help you understand the available talent pool in the locations in which you’re hiring and recommendations on how to adjust your strategy. 

Staffing Agency Approach: Agency accountability typically ends when they present candidates. Limited reporting means you can’t optimize your overall hiring strategy or demonstrate ROI to leadership. 

rpo staffing

The Mid-Market Reality: Why Staffing Agencies Fall Short 

The challenges facing small to mid-sized companies go far beyond what traditional staffing agencies were designed to handle: 

  • Remote/Hybrid Talent Competition: You’re no longer competing just with local companies—you’re competing globally for remote talent. This requires sophisticated sourcing strategies and employer branding. 
  • Skills Shortage Crisis: Critical roles in technology, healthcare, and engineering have candidate shortages of around 40%. Finding qualified candidates requires proactive pipeline development, not reactive posting. 
  • Candidate Experience Expectations: Top talent expects streamlined, technology-enabled hiring processes. Clunky, agency-mediated experiences drive candidates to your competitors. 
  • Rapid Scaling Requirements: Whether you’re preparing for Series B funding or geographic expansion, you need recruitment partners who can scale quickly without compromising quality. 

The Bottom Line 

The talent market rewards strategic thinking over transactional hiring. Organizations, particularly mid-sized companies, that treat recruitment as a competitive advantage—through RPO partnerships, technology integration, and process optimization—will outpace those still relying on traditional staffing approaches. 

The question isn’t whether you need recruitment support—it’s whether you need a vendor or a strategic partner. That distinction often determines who wins the best candidates and scales most successfully. 

Early Careers Recruitment Strategy: Enhancing Candidate Experience & Skills Assessment

Posted on by akessler

Early Careers Recruitment Strategy: Enhancing Candidate Experience & Skills Assessment

How to attract, assess and retain Gen Z talent effectively

Generation Z candidates demand authentic employer brands, meaningful work experiences, and transparent values that align with their social consciousness. But this generational shift is also creating unprecedented opportunity for organizations: strategic early careers recruitment, compelling employer value propositions, and transformative assessment experiences that turn talent competition into sustainable advantage.

This ebook, Early Careers Recruitment Strategy: Enhancing Candidate Experience & Skills Assessment, is your roadmap to building a magnetic Gen Z talent attraction strategy now and into the future.

In this ebook, you’ll discover:

  • What’s driving the shift from qualification-based to skills-based early careers recruitment
  • Why your current candidate experience is capturing only a fraction of available Gen Z talent
  • Emerging strategies for building authentic employer brands that resonate with digital natives
  • Techniques to balance AI-powered efficiency with meaningful human connection in assessment
  • Data-driven approaches to creating inclusive, bias-free selection processes
  • Proven frameworks for transforming candidate dropout into strategic self-selection

Download your copy today and position your organization at the forefront of early careers recruitment innovation for years to come.

The Great Skills Hunt: How RPO Boosted European Recruitment for Global Manufacturer

Posted on by akessler
The Great Skills Hunt: How RPO Boosted European Recruitment for Global Manufacturer

Multi-Country RPO

The Great Skills Hunt: How RPO Boosted European Recruitment for Global Manufacturer

Discover how RPO in Europe transformed global manufacturing recruitment: 590+ specialized hires across 16 countries, 43% faster time-to-hire, and 4.5 years of strategic partnership growth.

43 % reduction in time-to-hire
18 % increase in offer acceptance rate (up from 74% to 92%)
4.5 + year partnership

Situation

A leading global manufacturer initially engaged with PeopleScout for a multi-country RPO solution to make 150 hires for over 30 of their sites across 16 countries, including Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

The talent they sought develops and builds equipment for businesses across food processing, chemicals, air and water treatment, mining, pharmaceuticals, marine, construction and other critical industrial applications. These aren’t just engineers—they’re the highly specialized, creative minds who solve complex industrial design challenges that keep the world running.

Solution

Upon surpassing the initial goal of 150 hires by filling 245 hires across 30 sites in the first 12 months, the client continued to engage PeopleScout as their RPO partner in Europe. We have filled over 590 requisitions across business functions in over four years—and still counting.

Our diverse, multilingual delivery teams across the UK and Poland source, screen and evaluate candidates in nine languages: English, Swedish, German, French, Italian, Polish, Hungarian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Strategic partnership beyond recruitment

Beyond our end-to-end RPO solution, we became true strategic partners:

  • Market Intelligence: Delivered comprehensive market mapping and insights that informed their expansion strategy
  • Leadership Excellence: Deployed our Apex professional hiring solution for senior leadership recruitment
  • Local Expertise: Supported new manufacturing site development, including hiring experts for specialised manufacturing lines in Poland
  • Scalable Growth: Hired over 100 customer support professionals across EMEA to strengthen their brand promise
  • Internal Capability Building: Developed regional recruitment newsletter tools and processes to enhance their internal recruiters’ effectiveness
  • Inclusive Excellence: Delivered DE&I recruitment training for their EMEA HR team, embedding inclusion throughout their recruitment process
  • Record-Breaking Performance: Achieved a milestone 70 hires in Polish facilities in just one year

Results

What began as a tactical hiring challenge evolved into a comprehensive talent advantage. We became an extension of their talent strategy, enabling rapid expansion while maintaining the quality standards that define their market leadership.

The numbers at a glance:

  • 590+ placements delivered over 4.5 years across 30+ sites
  • 245 hires in the first 12 months alone – 63% above the original target
  • 43% reduction in time-to-hire (cutting nearly 60 days from intake to offer acceptance)
  • Quality transformation: Shortlist-to-interview ratio improved from 3.6:1 to 1.2:1
  • Candidate fit excellence: Offer acceptance rate increased by 18% (from 74% to 92%)
  • Data-driven strategy: Labor market insights informed hiring strategy for nine key roles in global commercial management expansion

Four and a half years later, our partnership continues to evolve. Our scalable, agile solutions adapt to their changing needs, whether that’s supporting new market entry, scaling manufacturing capabilities, or attracting the next generation of engineering excellence.

At a Glance

  • COMPANY
    Global Manufacturer
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Recruitment Process Outsourcing
  • LOCATIONS
    16 countries, including Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom
Contact Sales

Scaling Smart: How Project RPO Transformed European Recruitment

Posted on by akessler
Scaling Smart: How Project RPO Transformed European Recruitment

Project RPO

Scaling Smart: How Project RPO Transformed European Recruitment

A sustainability consulting firm turned to PeopleScout for multi-country project RPO in Europe and beyond.

10 countries
55 day time-to-offer
2.5:1 presentation-to-interview ratio

Situation

A sustainability consultancy operating across Europe needed end-to-end recruitment support. They were hunting for hard-to-fill positions that required serious sourcing expertise and multilingual capabilities.

As a consultancy, their business volumes fluctuated dramatically. They needed a solution that could scale up when projects boomed and scale down when things quieted—all while maintaining consistent service quality. Because when you’re a consultancy, your people are your product, and agility isn’t just nice to have, it’s business critical.

The organization turned to PeopleScout looking for a provider who could work seamlessly alongside their existing talent acquisition team throughout Europe. They wanted a partner who could bring sourcing experience for those tricky roles, language skills and talent advisory services that would give them a competitive edge.

Solution

We landed on something that would transform their entire recruitment approach: a team of Recruiters on Demand (RODs) who would partner with the client’s existing team, work directly with their systems, and support in a sourcing and screening capacity that could flex with their business needs.

They needed to amplify their capabilities with specialists who brought different skillsets and a different mindset to hard-to-fill roles.

Building the Partnership Framework

To make sure we were making the right hires the first time and every time, we partnered with the client to create a comprehensive playbook, a living, breathing guide that ensured every new ROD could hit the ground running.

We implemented buddy systems that got people up to speed fast. The approach was so effective that as our RODs demonstrated success, some started to own requisitions end to end.

The EMEA Expansion

Our creative solution grew to six RODs at the height of the European recruitment operation, including crucial German-speaking capability. The team delivered remotely from Poland, supporting recruitment across Romania, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland, and the UK—a truly pan-European effort that created competitive advantage across multiple markets.

Ultimately, the team filled over 150 positions spanning Finance and HR through to Environmental Consultants and Specialists. Each role required industry-first thinking and specialised sourcing techniques that our ROD team brought to the table.

Alongside the ROD specialists, we provided a dedicated account team consisting of an Account Director and Relationship Manager who conducted quarterly and annual business reviews, creating an environment for continuous improvement, genuine partnership, and thought leadership in action.

Conquering North America

The success in Europe was so compelling that the solution was extended, deploying two additional RODs to cover North America. Our team continued to work remotely from Poland, adjusting to U.S. hours to accommodate the work—proving that great talent solutions know no boundaries.

This expansion demonstrated the scalability of our creative approach and how the right people with the right mindset can deliver results regardless of geography or time zones.

Results

The numbers tell the story of a partnership that delivered exactly what the client needed:

  • End-to-end excellence: Requisitions worked from start to finish with an impressive 55-day time-to-offer
  • Quality that counts: 2.5:1 presentation-to-interview ratio, proving the exceptional quality of candidates being sourced, screened, and the team’s deep understanding of the business
  • Seamless integration: PeopleScout’s ROD team worked so effectively with the client’s talent acquisition team that they became an extension of the client’s capabilities
  • Scalable success: Solution flexed from 2 to 6 heads in Europe and successfully expanded to North America
  • Multilingual mastery: German-speaking capability opened doors across key European markets

At a Glance

  • COMPANY
    Sustainability Consultancy
  • INDUSTRY
    Business Services
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Recruitment Process Outsourcing
  • LOCATIONS
    Romania, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland, the UK and the U.S.
Contact Sales

Healthcare Recruitment Challenges Require New Strategies: The Modular RPO Advantage 

Posted on by akessler

Traditional hiring approaches are struggling to address today’s healthcare recruitment challenges effectively. From specialized clinical certifications to huge talent shortages and unpredictable seasonal surges, healthcare HR leaders need flexible, scalable solutions that can adapt to their unique operational demands. 

This article explores how modular recruitment models are modernizing healthcare talent acquisition, revealing current industry benchmarks that expose the true cost of traditional recruitment methods, and demonstrating how innovative modular and rapid-deployment recruiting solutions can transform your hiring outcomes. 

The State of Healthcare Recruitment 

Healthcare recruitment today exists within a “perfect storm” of converging challenges that have fundamentally altered the talent acquisition landscape. The post-pandemic environment has created a complex web of hiring obstacles that require sophisticated, flexible solutions. 

The Aging Workforce Challenge 

An aging population drives increased demand for healthcare services while simultaneously creating workforce shortages as experienced professionals approach retirement. This demographic shift compounds recruitment challenges across all healthcare roles, from entry-level support staff to highly specialized physicians. 

Talent Shortages 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the healthcare sector will need over 2.6 million additional workers by 2030, with nursing, specialized therapy roles, and rural healthcare positions among those facing the most significant shortages. According to a study by The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, more than 138,000 nurses left the workforce since 2022, and 40% of nurses intend to leave the workforce or retire within the next five years, creating a costly cycle of recruitment and replacement. 

Technology and Specialization Demands 

Modern healthcare requires increasingly specialized skills and certifications. The rapid pace of medical technology advancement means candidates must possess not only traditional clinical skills but also comfort with sophisticated digital systems and emerging treatment protocols. 

Market Pressures Impact Staffing Costs 

Due to the ongoing scarcity of permanent nursing staff, travel nursing continues to experience increased demand. The market saw a 15% rise in 2024, with travel nurses experiencing a 10% increase in average pay rates as facilities compete for top talent. While travel nurses and per diem healthcare professionals offer flexibility for employers to manage unpredictable patient volumes and unexpected staffing gaps, it can also increase staffing costs.  

Cost Impact: The True Price of Healthcare Recruitment Challenges 

Traditional healthcare recruitment methods carry hidden costs that extend far beyond direct hiring expenses. Understanding these benchmark costs reveals the urgent need for more efficient approaches. 

Long Vacancy Periods 

Healthcare roles stay open an average of 49 days—twice the national average. Specialized medical roles need even more time. Primary care positions take over 125 days, and cardiology and psychiatry roles can take over 180 days to fill. During these extended vacancy periods, organizations face overtime costs for existing staff, increased use of expensive agency workers, and potential impacts on patient care quality. 

Cost-Per-Hire 

Healthcare cost-per-hire averages significantly higher than other industries due to specialized sourcing requirements, extended credentialing processes, and the need for clinical assessment capabilities. These costs multiply when positions remain unfilled for extended periods. 

Turnover Cost Cascade 

Beyond direct replacement costs, healthcare turnover impacts team dynamics, patient satisfaction scores, and can create liability concerns that affect organizational reputation and financial performance. 

How Modular RPO Addresses Healthcare Recruitment Challenges 

Modular RPO provides healthcare organizations with targeted solutions that address their most pressing recruitment challenges without requiring complete outsourcing of their hiring function. This approach allows organizations to maintain control over candidate selection while accessing specialized expertise for specific aspects of the recruitment process.  

Flexibility Without Long-Term Commitment 

Modular recruitment solutions provide the expertise and efficiency of RPO services without requiring comprehensive outsourcing of hiring functions. Organizations can access specialized capabilities when needed while maintaining control over their overall recruitment strategy. 

Surge Staffing Response 

Modular solutions can be activated quickly to address unexpected staffing shortages, whether due to seasonal illness outbreaks, unexpected resignations, or new services and facilities. Predictable seasonal needs can be addressed through pre-planned modular implementations that scale up during high-demand periods and scale back during quieter times. Healthcare-focused RPO providers maintain extensive networks of healthcare professionals across various specialties, including passive candidates who may not be actively looking but could be interested in the right opportunity. They can do everything from filling the top of your funnel to creating a talent pool for future vacancies to providing an extra recruiter (or two) to support your in-house team.  

Talent Mapping  

Understanding compensation trends, competitor hiring patterns, and talent availability in specific geographic markets provides strategic advantages. With healthcare roles projected to skyrocket, organizations need sophisticated market intelligence to compete effectively. A talent partner can uncover this market intelligence to support your workforce planning decisions. 

Technology-Enhanced Recruitment 

Modern healthcare RPO providers leverage advanced technology and AI-powered sourcing tools to streamline recruitment processes. Predictive analytics help anticipate staffing needs, while automated systems can support screening and credentialing verification. Some providers can even perform technology diagnostics to help you navigate today’s HR tech landscape and maximize your investment. 

Employer Brand & Culture 

With facilities competing aggressively for limited talent, a strong employer value proposition (EVP) becomes a critical differentiator. Organizations that can articulate compelling reasons for candidates to join their team gain significant advantages in recruitment outcomes. Finding a talent partner who offers EVP and culture consulting can help you find professionals whose values align with your organization’s desire to provide exceptional patient care. 

Blended Direct Hire/Contingent Model 

Modern healthcare staffing requires both permanent and temporary staff, so choosing a talent partner that can support blended models that optimize staffing mix based on actual need is crucial. Through a workforce diagnostic, they can help you identify optimal permanent staffing levels and recruit high-quality direct hires for core positions that require long-term commitment and deep organizational integration. Contingent workers are then used strategically to manage seasonal fluctuations, cover leave periods and provide specialized expertise for specific projects or peak periods. This approach balances the higher per-hour costs of contingent workers against the total cost of carrying permanent staff during low-demand periods, optimizing overall staffing economics while maintaining operational flexibility. 

Healthcare Recruitment: Adapting to an Evolving Landscape 

As healthcare recruitment challenges continue to evolve, modular solutions provide the agility needed to maintain adequate staffing levels in an environment where demand continues to outpace supply. The flexibility of modular approaches makes them particularly well-suited to address changing needs, whether responding to sudden staffing shortages, expanding into new service lines or adapting to regulatory changes. 

Healthcare organizations that embrace modular recruitment solutions position themselves to better compete for talent while maintaining the quality and compliance standards essential to their mission. By addressing specific recruitment challenges with targeted solutions, these organizations can focus their internal resources on strategic initiatives while ensuring their staffing needs are met effectively and efficiently. 

Modular vs. Enterprise RPO: Which Recruitment Solution Fits Your Business? [Infographic]

Posted on by akessler

When it comes to Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), one size definitely doesn’t fit all. The decision between modular RPO and enterprise RPO can significantly impact your hiring success, budget and overall talent acquisition strategy.

Whether you’re looking to solve specific recruitment challenges or completely transform your hiring process, the right RPO model can streamline your operations, improve candidate quality and deliver measurable results. Let’s explore how these two distinct approaches stack up against each other.

Download this infographic. 

Making the Right Choice for Your Organization

Choosing between modular and enterprise RPO ultimately depends on your organization’s current recruitment maturity, available resources and long-term talent acquisition goals. Modular RPO offers the flexibility to start small and scale gradually, making it ideal for companies wanting to test the waters or address specific pain points without a major commitment. Enterprise RPO, on the other hand, provides comprehensive transformation for organizations ready to fully embrace outsourced recruitment as a strategic advantage.

Many successful companies begin with modular RPO services to prove value and build confidence before expanding to a full enterprise solution. By carefully assessing your needs, budget and organizational readiness, you can select the RPO approach that will drive the best results for your business today while positioning you for future growth.