Black Country recruitment firm gets job done with 50% rise in appointments
A Black Country recruitment firm landed nearly 50% more people into jobs this year than in 2024, it was revealed today.
Multi-sector agency Starting Point Recruitment (SPR), based in Wasall and Birmingham, secured jobs for 1,091 people across 2025, up 49.45% from 730 in 2024.
This makes 2025 the most successful year in SPR’s 23-year history.
It comes amid a bleak economic backdrop across the UK, with more people competing for fewer jobs.
SPR helps long-term unemployed, including graduates and military veterans.
The firm said its success this year is down to its new strategy, which it began implementing in May, that identifies the needs of job applicants earlier and more precisely.
Professor Paul Cadman, CEO of SPR, said: “We look at the person, not just their CV, when we assess candidates for roles.
“That, in essence, is the new strategy we have implemented this year. By formalising this people-centred approach across our operation, we have seen a significant increase in the number of jobseekers successfully landed into work.
“Each one of these people is an individual story of hope and, in many cases, newfound purpose and self-confidence as young men and women who were out of work get back into employment, graduates begin their first jobs and military veterans transition from active service to work outside the armed forces.”
The three months to the end of November were especially pleasing for SPR, resulting in a total of 401 people being placed in jobs across multiple sectors - compared to 239 in the same three months of 2024.
Prof Cadman added: “We plan to build on the success of 2025 in 2026. Things are undeniably challenging in the British economy right now, not least in the jobs market, but our numbers for this year are proof that there are still lots of great jobs for great people who are willing to work hard, particularly in the exciting growth sectors in our region, such as life sciences and tech.”
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the West Midlands region’s unemployment rate is 6%, notably higher than the UK average of 5%.
The number of unemployed people per vacancy was 2.5 from July to September 2025, up from 2.3 in the previous quarter (April to June 2025), and up from 1.8 in the same period a year ago.
Analysts have said the ongoing drop in payrolled employees is being driven by increased employment costs, notably minimum wage levels and National Insurance contributions.
