Scottish video recruitment specialist Odro has welcomed the resurgence of the wider talent search industry after sealing a major multi-year partnership with Hays.

The multi-million-pound deal will see Odro’s technology rolled out to more than 1,800 Hays recruitment professionals across the UK and Ireland. It follows a three-month trial during which the platform was tested out by more than 250 Hays consultants.

Odro itself is hiring developers and commercial support staff at its headquarters in Glasgow, as well as at offices in Manchester and soon-to-open sites in the US and Australia.

The move comes as the recruitment industry bounces back from one of its most difficult periods on record, with the easing of lockdown restrictions triggering a deluge in hiring demand. This in turn has fuelled a surge in new jobs being created across the human resources and recruitment sectors, according to new research by advertising specialists N.Rich.

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“The recruitment market right now is experiencing a massive candidate shortage, so recruiters are having to provide the best candidate experience possible,” Odro chief executive Ryan McCabe said. “With six of the UK’s top 10 recruitment agencies by revenue now using our platform, it’s clear that advanced video software is now a must-have, rather than ‘nice to have’.

“We are very grateful for the support the industry has shown us as we work to lead in this vertical.”

According to the analysis of job advertisement data from the ONS and Adzuna by N.Rich, the HR and recruitment industry has seen the greatest increase in job opportunities during the past year. The annual increase of 544 per cent was more than three times the average of 171% across all UK industries.

Transport, logistics and warehousing saw the second-highest increase in job opportunities at 437%, followed closely by a 425% rise in ads for catering and hospitality staff.

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Other industries in the top 10 for annual increases in job adverts were: manufacturing (420%); marketing, advertising and public relations (359%); management, executive and consulting (357%); construction and trades (352%); administration, clerical and secretarial (329%); sales (292%); and wholesale/retail (290%).

Hays has seen a big increase in demand to fill permanent roles in the UK, which generate higher revenues than temporary positions. In July the company increased its full-year operating profit forecast to £95 million, down from £120m previously but ahead of the consensus forecast of £91m.

Roddy Adair, a director at Hays, said feedback from the Odro trial was “incredibly positive” with significant efficiency benefits and a positive response from clients.

Set up with two full-time employees in 2015, Odro currently employs 45 people providing agencies with interviewing, sales messaging and video content creation tools. With approximately 10,000 users across the UK, the US, Australia and New Zealand, the platform also features analytics tools, in-built GDPR compliance and online training programmes.

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“Our customers already benefit from the specialist sector knowledge of our consultants and our extensive office network, and we’re pleased to extend this by offering the best in video recruitment technology too,” Mr Adair said.

Mr McCabe said the agreement to roll the platform out across Hays’ entire consultancy base in the UK and Ireland was a “tremendous endorsement” not just for Odro, but also for the increasingly important role of video software in the hiring process.

“It’s been a turbulent 18 months for the industry, but we have continued to innovate, investing money, time and a huge amount of resource across development, sales and success to ensure that we’re offering our clients the best tech available, tailored to their specific business needs and workflows,” he added.

“We’ve been really encouraged at signs that the industry is bouncing back and it’s great that video has firmly cemented its place as a must-have in the modern-day recruiter’s toolkit.”

In May Odro closed a £5.2m funding round as growth capital investor BGF took an undisclosed stake in the business to help finance plans for international expansion. Mr McCabe and co-founder Mark Beeby remain majority owners of Odro.