Why Farnborough, Fleet and Aldershot are the next big candidate pool
Local businesses need to think creatively about hiring if they are to fill their vacancies with the best people. In our experience, one of the biggest changes you can make is in the way you think about part-time and flexible workers. Why? Because if your business is local to areas that are serious about development, you’ll find a growing candidate pool of mid-career professionals that are looking for roles just like yours.
Progressive growth in Fleet and Rushmoor
These areas in north Hampshire are becoming desirable, with a significant number of people moving out of London and into Farnborough, Fleet and Aldershot during the pandemic. These people are often families, looking for better schooling, facilities and access to open areas.
Town and borough councils have development plans for all these areas, looking at adding housing stock, improving transport links, upgrading leisure facilities and investing in school provision. Farnborough, for example, has been identified as a ‘Growth Town’. Along with Basingstoke, Guildford and Woking, Farnborough is expected to deliver about one-third of the new jobs targeted in the Enterprise M3 area. Enterprise M3 is a business-led partnership that brings together private, public and not-for-profit organisations to design and drive economic activity in the area.
Who’s moving in?
The key question for employers – either those already in the area or those considering locating their businesses here – is what this development means for their recruitment.
Finding and retaining the best people for your business remains a challenge.
Ideally, you want local people who want to work close to home. You want experienced people who can get up and running quickly. You want reliable people who will stay with your organisation for the long term. You want people who can add measurable value to your business.
Plans across Farnborough, Aldershot and Fleet include:
- New housing developments for at least 7,500 mixed homes.
- Supporting new and existing businesses in the area.
- Transport improvements, including addressing congestion and providing sustainable public transport.
- New leisure and park offerings, including upgraded retail opportunities.
The emphasis on making the towns attractive to families in particular means that there will be an increase in the talent pool for:
- Mid-career professionals of all types.
- Experienced candidates looking for local work.
- Engaged and motivated candidates seeking part-time roles.
Attracting new talent
“The Ten2Two team quickly shortlisted four excellent, high-calibre candidates, all of whom could do the job. Before that, they helped us design the split role and create the person specification to ensure continuity between the job-share partners. We were able to gain different but complementary skills, giving us two brains for the price of one!” Richard Palmer, Head of Resourcing, Premier Foods.
With an increase in professionals looking for part-time, local work that values their experiences and talents, how can you encourage them to choose to work with you? Our clients across Hampshire are thinking about their recruitment far more creatively, allowing them to tap into this talented candidate pool – often at a reduced recruitment and salary cost and with great results.
One of the best approaches is to consider either flexible or part-time roles. This widens your talent pool considerably, gives you access to experienced candidates who are motivated to be productive, and keeps your costs down.
Read about how other local business have embraced part-time professional employees as part of their business model – or get in touch with the Ten2Two team today to have a chat about how we can help your organisation grow.
