A RISE in workers applying for jobs with the region's manufacturers has led to a county recruitment firm expanding its own team.

Sector experts at jobs firm Workforce Staffing, which has branches in Worcester as well as Kidderminster and Redditch, have seen a successful year helping to match people with permanent roles within the region’s manufacturing industry.

During 2017, the specialist division processed over 4,600 candidates – a 73 per cent increase from 2016. It adds to the 50,000 applications Workforce now handle annually.

The manufacturing industry accounts for more than 2.7 million jobs in the UK, around eight per cent. The industry provides £177 billion of economic output.

As a result of the success, the specialist team at Workforce has grown to eight consultants in the past 12 months after taking on and training six more people to meet demand for manufacturing, engineering and supply chain professionals.

Dan Waite, manufacturing sector champion for Workforce Staffing, said: “We’ve had a surge in successful applicants for West Midlands manufacturing jobs in the past year.

"That’s mainly down to the growth of our recruitment centres, our training, and understanding the type of talent businesses need.

“To add our own six new jobs over the past 12 months is brilliant – especially given the majority of our new recruits have had no previous recruitment experience.

"New members of our team are trained on recruiting for specific types of manufacturing jobs. "The training and development we’ve been able to offer them has been a key contributor.

"We’ve invested in technology which makes it faster and easier for applicants to find the jobs that are relevant to them, and for us to then quickly see who has the right mix of skills and experience.

“The manufacturing sector here in the West Midlands is craving good, talented people. For us to be one of the first agencies people turn to is fantastic and we look forward to further growth.”