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08 March 2024 — AMS, the global talent solutions business responds to latest US Bureau of Labor Market statistics. In February, the US economy added 275,000 jobs, again exceeding expectations by a wide margin.

Commenting on the latest statistics Nicky Hancock, Managing Director, Americas Region at AMS said: “The year has started off with a major focus on strategy and optimizing hiring practices. Some industries are showing a bit of a slower start to their sourcing ramp up, while others are harnessing insights and implementing new solutions to gain new hires and improve retention.

With last year’s economic instability, organizations are looking to expand their Recruitment Outsourcing relationships to allow their partners to navigate changing tides caused by the economy. Varied talent solutions are becoming attractive to employers as they tackle adaptability and flexibility in hiring.

TA teams looking to access new quality candidate pools are finding that employer branding, investments in new-gen technologies and consulting/advisory services are helping companies become more attractive to talent.

A lot of retail, aviation and hospitality organizations are increasing cost cutting initiatives as consumers pull back the spending highs during and post pandemic. These organizations are relying on AMS to bring forward new ways of creating expense value through an increase of direct sourcing discussions to create value in total talent workforce.”

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14 February 2024, Toronto, Canada – AMS, the global talent solutions business, has appointed Janet Mertens to the position of Managing Director, Data, Insight and Analytics.

Janet, who joins AMS from The Josh Bersin Company, will lead a newly formed data and insight function. As a global leader in talent solutions across a broad range of sectors and locations, AMS has accumulated a wealth of actionable data on work, skills and candidate preferences.  The ability to harness this information and create meaningful insight will help to transform hiring for AMS clients.

Previously Global Leader of Talent Research at IBM’s Institute for Business Value, publishing landmark, data driven reports on the future of HR, the global skills gap and the application of AI in the workplace, Janet is well placed to expand AMS’s data driven approach to RPO.  Her research has been cited in global talent publications and media outlets, including the Harvard Business Review.  Janet holds degrees in psychology, computer science and education and is a frequent contributor and speaker at industry conferences.  She is based in Toronto, Canada with her family.

Commenting on her appointment Jim Sykes, Global Managing Director of Operations at AMS said: “AMS has always understood the importance of the data and insights we acquire across our operations. Janet will be instrumental in helping us to unlock this information and provide even more value and meaningful content to our clients.  Data-driven recruitment, enabled by new AI technology, will transform what is already a competitive market. We know that the future of work will be driven by the new skills organizations can attract, nurture and retain.  By understanding and sharing anonymised data insights, we can truly put our clients in the driving seat for growth.”

Janet Mertens, Managing Director, Data, Insight and Analytics at AMS added: “Having worked closely with the AMS team I know just how passionate they are about talent, skills and supporting their clients to win in a new world of work.  Their expertise means they are well positioned to build world class workforces in what is increasingly an uncertain talent climate, and I am particularly excited about the role my team will be able to play in enabling our clients make better, faster, fairer decisions about their people.  AMS already delivers the broadest suite of capabilities in the market to its clients, harnessing our data and insights will continue to set us apart and mean we can better support our partners to achieve their business objectives.”

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13 February, 2024 – AMS Verified, the AMS owned talent technology marketplace with a mission to simplify the rapidly changing technology market for talent leaders, has announced significant growth with the addition of several new enhancements – including a new AI Index feature. Created in partnership with Holistic AI, this scale provides a consistent and objective measure to convey the extent of a product’s use of machine learning.

The AI Index utilizes a questionnaire that aims to answer nine questions to determine how the rules-based and deep-learning mechanisms are used, their interconnections, and their impact on recommendations or decisions within the tool. The responses are then thoroughly reviewed by Holistic AI and AMS to ensure accuracy and objectivity.

The AI Index also lists third-party certifications that vendors have acquired, such as compliance with the New York City anti-bias law, for example.

The scale's five levels are minimal, simple, moderate, significant, and extensive AI.

The AMS Verified platform, which currently has 220 verified vendor technologies and a membership community in excess of 1,500, enjoyed a 52.8% uptick in activity across the platform in the last business quarter of 2023.   In addition, further insight has uncovered that 56% of members are from large enterprise-level businesses and 45% of members are from legal, professional services, financial and technology businesses.  Some other aspects that gained traction were ChatGPT: Coming to a Candidate Assessment Test Near You and technology categories focused on social sourcing and CRM.

Jonathan Kestenbaum, Managing Director, Technology Strategy and Partners commented: “We are thrilled to observe the significant influence AMS Verified has had on the talent technology market in less than a year since its launch.  Our core mission was always to demystify the complex and ever-evolving technology landscape for talent leaders.  Our goal is to ensure that they not only understand the best market offerings but also make well-informed, confident decisions tailored to the unique needs of their organizations.  As our community of members and vendors expands, we’re able to glean crucial insights, allowing us to deliver precisely the content our audience desire, as indicated by search trends and the popularity of existing content.  Looking ahead to 2024, our vision for AMS Verified remains ambitious:  to provide deeper insights, enhance member experiences, and foster more opportunities for peer-to-peer connections.”

Hope O Baker, Global Head of Partnerships at AMS Verified vendor, Bryq and went on to add: “Joining the AMS Verified vendor community has been a fantastic experience for Bryq. Our visibility has increased, bolstered by dedicated co-marketing efforts and an exceptionally supportive team.  Collaborating with the AMS brand reporter has been a critical element, aiding us in creating content that not only demonstrates our knowledge about candidate assessments and soft skills but also significantly drives traffic to our product profile. The AI Index stands out as a unique feature, providing us with a powerful tool to engage clients and prospects in discussions about the integration of AI in our products.  We are looking forward to developing our relationship with AMS Verified over the course of this year and beyond.”

Commenting on her experience using AMS Verified, Amy Cropper, Global Talent Acquisition Leader said: “As a busy talent professional, AMS Verified has proven to be a valuable resource in gripping the talent technology market. It offers the unique advantage of understanding which solutions are most effective in addressing specific business challenges, supported by comprehensive data on peer usage. Insight such as this has proved transformative, enabling me to confidently recommend specific talent technologies in strategic discussions, backed by extensive data and AMS’s market expertise.  This tool empowers my decision-making process with both depth and breadth of knowledge.”

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13 February 2024, London, England – AMS, the global talent solutions business, responds to the latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) data on the UK labour market.

Sharon Bagshaw, Managing Director UK & Ireland at AMS said: “Today’s ONS statistics demonstrate the resilient labour market in which organisations are having to attract and select talent. Whilst the statistics only show a broad-brush picture, technology and advanced engineering capabilities remain in high demand and the competition for them is fierce. With the increasing prevalence of AI tools in the workplace, technology skills in particular, are no longer just the domain of sector specialists. To keep at the forefront of the talent pool all companies must think carefully about how they curate skills, manage talent and provide opportunities for their current workforce.

“Skills-based hiring remains the hot topic for talent professionals, as they seek to find the right people for the right roles. In an environment in which there may be waning attrition, it will be an increasingly important part of workforce planning. Organisations are adapting their operations and how they go-to-market at breakneck speed and often, they simply can’t wait for the apprentice or graduate talent to become experienced enough to manage that change. The answer lies in the people they currently have in their workforce, but adopting a skills first mindset requires bravery and robust support systems, saying goodbye to ‘you need more experience’ and hello to ‘you have the base skills we can develop and extend.’ Those organisations who get this formula right will reap the benefits and best prepare themselves to achieve their growth targets.”

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London, 07 February 2024 — AMS, the global talent solutions business, has been named as the single supplier on the new Workforce Solutions Framework. The Framework will continue to provide contingent (professional and admin & clerical), Statement of Work management, Recruit Train Deploy management and will now extend to resource augmentation, campaigns, operational workers and permanent recruitment solutions, to a wide range of public sector organisations. This follows the conclusion of a competitive tendering process that began in February 2022 and was run by Crown Commercial Service (CCS), the UK’s largest public procurement organisation and an Executive Agency of the Cabinet Office.

Supported by over 300 specialist recruitment agencies and over 180 service providers, AMS has run CCS’s previous Public Sector Resourcing Framework since 2018. In that time, the Framework has provided contingent workers to the UK Government and wider public sector, offering a direct route to specially curated talent pools, whilst promoting the attraction for administrative and highly skilled workers into the public sector.

Over the next 18 months, the Public Sector Resourcing Framework will be replaced by the new Workforce Solutions Framework with an increased scope and a series of feature enhancements for the benefit of the workers, the suppliers and users of the service. AMS will continue to build on the success of the Public Sector Resourcing Framework, which has been in operation for over five years.  The new Framework will run for up to seven and a half years. It will provide public sector organisations with a wider range of routes to talent and services to engage workers and services in specialist, operational and administrative functions.

CCS supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2022/23, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits equal to £3.8 billion - supporting public services that offer best value for taxpayers.

Matthew Rodger, AMS Chief Growth and Commercial Officer, said: “Following a competitive tendering process, we are very pleased to have been named as the single supplier on this new Framework agreement.  We look forward to continuing our work with the public sector to find the best talent and services, quickly and cost effectively, to meet their needs. Our specialist teams will continue to build on the success of the Public Sector Resourcing Framework as we extend our market-leading model, underpinned by leading technology platforms, to connect workers and service providers with public sector demand.”

If you are a staffing agency and interested in the Framework, please contact: [email protected]

If you are a service provider and interested in the Framework, please contact: [email protected]

If you are a professional interim, contractor or temporary worker and interested in assignments with the with the UK Government via the Framework please visit: Public Sector Resourcing

05 February 2024 — AMS, the global talent solutions business, has announced it will relocate its AMS Poland headquarters to The Park Kraków in June 2024.  Having first established its foothold in Kraków 18 years ago, this strategic relocation will see AMS Poland occupying over 3000 sqm encompassing the entire 4th floor and over 900 sqm on the 5th floor of Building B2 which will also house several other prominent global brands in the coming months.  The project was jointly developed by Cain International and White Star Real Estate.  The advisory firm, JLL, represented AMS Poland throughout negotiations.

Beata Pawlowska, Head of European Centres at AMS Poland commented: “AMS is a global talent solutions business, and we acquire skilled employees for specific positions for an array of diverse clients.  As the job market continues to evolve at pace, the comfort and productivity of our employees is paramount and we aim to provide them with modern infrastructure, appealing amenities and working conditions that meet their expectations. Choosing The Park Kraków as our new business location was not accidental. It was a strategic choice facilitating our business growth and expansion”.

Bartosz Prytuła, Managing Partner at White Star Real Estate, went on to add: “We are proud that AMS Poland is joining our prominent community at The Park Kraków, further deepening the recognition of our complex as an ideal place for work and business development. AMS Poland’s commitment to innovative solutions and high-quality services aligns perfectly with The Park Kraków's philosophy as a leading business center on a global scale”.

“In today's evolving job market, employers encounter many challenges of establishing optimal conditions where efficiency harmonizes with employees’ comfort. During the design and development process of The Park Kraków, we have leveraged our extensive experience from other projects, and we consistently monitor the market and observe the changing needs of tenants. The outcome of our research not only results in providing modern office space but also includes offering green outdoor areas abundant in native plant species and natural materials. The numerous amenities continually being implemented at The Park Kraków will create a self-sufficient office campus. We are delighted that an increasing number of companies appreciate these efforts”, added Katarzyna Zebura, Senior Leasing Manager at White Star Real Estate.

Throughout the transaction, AMS Poland was represented by the consulting firm JLL, providing AMS with transactional and technical support. Agata Suder, Senior Consultant at JLL, noted: “This transaction is a significant step for both parties. The Park Kraków, as a new office complex in Kraków, is dynamically growing, evident from the intensive commercialization process and the interest of potential tenants. AMS Poland, as a modern employer, was seeking a space that would provide employees with a range of amenities. We are pleased that the tenant has entrusted us, and with our knowledge and experience, we could support them in their development plans”.

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February 2, 2024, Cleveland, OH —AMS, the global talent solutions business responds to latest US Bureau of Labor Market statistics. In January, hiring showed steady momentum as payroll employment rose by 353,000 and unemployment remained unchanged at 3.7%.

Commenting on the latest statistics Nicky Hancock, Managing Director, Americas Region at AMS said: 

“As the year ramps up, we look forward to an interesting next 6 months in talent. We are excited about how companies will digitally evolve to maximize on their opportunity to hire great talent across a range of sectors and skills.

In Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences hiring activity continues, with an upturn expected in H2 of 2024. Financial Services is mixed with some starting the year with an increase in hiring activity and investing in talent initiatives around DEI and technology optimization, while others have started more cautiously building talent pipelines to support hiring volumes returning at the mid-year point. In High Volume hiring, volumes remain, with a trend towards contingent work continuing.

We are also seeing an increase in union wage rates, resulting in organizations with large hourly union workforces, evaluating their employment costs and having to identify cost control opportunities to offset these increases.

As technology continues to transform hiring – there will be an emphasis on skills-based hiring, internal mobility and tech skilling in the months ahead. There will be more discussions around behavioral skills vs technical or functional skills across all industries.

Generative AI is a topic that continues to be a focus as it impacts the nature of roles.  However, advancements in AI are not about replacing roles, it’s about enabling human expertise with tools to drive improved productivity and better outcomes.

Technology will continue to drive innovation in the talent space as organizations build out test cases that demonstrate improvements in experience, efficiency and speed.

Organizations are talking less about large scale TA transformations in the traditional sense and are moving towards focusing on a more regenerative and incremental evolution that is ongoing.”

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January 2024 — AMS, the global talent solutions business, has announced that it has achieved the ‘Great Place to Work Certification in Canada for 2023’ with an 80% trust index score, excelling in areas such as: credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie.

AMS has established itself as a leading provider of RPO, talent acquisition and TA Technology advisory services throughout North America. Following the acquisition of HirePower in 2022, AMS now has exceptional on the ground capability in the region and a platform to create a digital and technology sourcing and hiring center of excellence in Canada, supporting North American and global clients.

Nicky Hancock, President, The America’s, AMS commented: “AMS is honored to be recognized for this significant accomplishment.  At AMS we work hard in fostering a positive and healthy workplace which, I believe, is at the heart of our business success.   Congratulations to all those who appear on this prestigious list – AMS is proud to share this important recognition with organizations who are collectively building more resilient, successful and sustainable businesses throughout Canada.”

The Great Place To Work Trust Index measures the level of trust in organization and the consistency of the employee experience. It also recognizes employers who create an outstanding employee experience. Because employee feedback and independent analysis determine the scores, Certification helps identify which companies genuinely offer a great company culture.

Certified Companies | Great Place To Work® Canada

January 5, 2024, Cleveland, OH —AMS, the global talent solutions business responds to latest US Bureau of Labor Market statistics. In December, the US economy added 216,000 new jobs, with the unemployment rate remaining consistent at 3.7 percent, indicating workforce stability entering the new year.

Commenting on the latest statistics Nicky Hancock, Managing Director, Americas Region at AMS said: “As we embark on 2024, AI remains a top priority for most companies. Talent teams are seeking a balanced approach to AI that avoids taking risks that endanger the company legally or reputationally, while ensuring they don’t fall behind their competitors with an approach that is too conservative. Adopting AI with a people-first and skills approach to improve TA efficiencies and improve the overall hiring experience is a trend we are seeing. Organizations are starting to explore how to enable skills such as generative AI prompt engineering into teams beyond IT.

Competing priorities and demands on budget caused a swaying focus on DE&I in 2023.  With companies expecting to re-prioritize DE&I in 2024, HR strategies need to be designed to compete in the current diverse workforce landscape.

Across various sectors, there have been specific trends and activities pointing to how talent will transform in the new year: In Retail, hiring remains strong with a focus on a tech-driven approach to finding candidates, and to harness robust Insights for both employees and customers.

In Life Sciences we are seeing some uptick from prior projections, but a slower increase in hiring than they had experienced in the recent past.

Many banks conducted major restructuring in 2022 as a result of a significant slow-down in revenue generating activity. We will continue to see a careful approach to hiring in at least H1 of 2024 in response to ongoing uncertainty in market conditions.  These changes have led to a more selective approach to Talent Acquisition. Recruitment has evolved from a volume-based approach to a strategic operation, hiring only the best diverse talent from the external market. Investment banks are continuing to drive a return to office. We will see banks vying for the best talent within the same geographical areas, particularly in front office roles. The digitalization of wealth products, including analytics, mobile payments and online trading, caters to a digitally savvy generation of affluent individuals. Online trading apps and virtual financial advisors are now commonplace, reducing the need for physical branches and personal interactions.

Both talent tech enablement and AI integration are of key interest across industries. We are looking forward to help navigate and support companies around these themes in talent technology as the new year accelerates.”

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December 2023 — AMS, the global talent solutions business, has been recognised for its workplace safety by KelpHR, a provider of HR solutions, by entering the prestigious Top 25 Safest Workplaces to Work in India list.

Now in its 4th edition, this accolade comes after KelpHR conducted a thorough evaluation of multiple organisations across various sectors and found that AMS in India had an exceptional dedication to fostering safe and inclusive work environments across its teams, which included showcasing excellence in implementing and promoting Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) policies.

Roop Kaistha, Regional Managing Director for APAC, AMS commented: “At AMS, fostering a culture of respect and equality is a part of our values. We believe in an open work environment where everyone feels safe while at work. Congratulations to all those who appear on the list – AMS is proud to share this important recognition with organisations who collectively regard safety and inclusion in the workplace as a central part of their people and business strategy. ”

In addition, AMS’s Managing Director for India, Vinod Subramanian, also noted: “This is a wonderful achievement for the AMS team here in India and testament to the hard work in making sure safety at work is the norm for all our colleagues. We continue to stay committed, listen to our people, and introduce more initiatives to continually improve and evolve our policies in creating a diverse and inclusive environment with safety at its core for all.”

Smita Shetty Kapoor, CEO & Co-founder of KelpHR went on to say: “AMS’ recent achievement of being included as one of the Top 25 Safest Workplaces in India at the KelpHR PoSH Awards 2023 is a testament to their dedication of fostering a positive workplace environment and emphasizes their efforts in promoting safety and well-being. As we commend AMS for this accomplishment, we extend our appreciation to all the organisations contributing to a positive cultural shift in workplaces nationwide. Alongside the other organisations in the Top 25 Safest Workplaces in India, they play a significant role in inspiring a collective commitment to building safe and respectful workplaces across the industry.”

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