‘This could overtake our sales division’ - Robertson Sumner launches technical contracting division with MD hire

Mark Gale joins the recruitment firm to help respond to growing demand for flexible resourcing

Channel recruitment firm Robertson Sumner has launched a dedicated technical contracting division in response to soaring demand for flexible technical talent across the channel.

The first employee is Mark Gale, who starts this week as managing director of the department, with co-founder Marc Sumner teasing three more hires in the near future.

Gale’s background includes recruitment roles at recruitment firm identify Global Resources, Retech Talent and solutions provider Thebes Group.

Speaking to CRN, Sumner says the move reflects a growing appetite among IT channel firms for short-term technical contractors, driven by rising hiring costs and the need for greater flexibility.

"We’ve always been a sales and marketing recruitment agency, but our clients are constantly asking us for contractors," Sumner says.

"With National Insurance contributions going up and the overall cost of hiring permanent staff increasing, we’re seeing a real shift towards flexible resourcing.

“Technical talent in particular is in high demand, and we’re seeing lots of permanent staff moving into the contract market themselves, because they want flexibility too."

He adds that end users are increasingly looking for "shorter-term gigs" — ranging from two to six months, rather than committing to 12-month or permanent hires.

"End users are saying, 'We need someone for a few months,' and that’s filtering through to the channel. Combine that with rising costs and the desire for flexibility, and contracting becomes a natural solution," Sumner says.

The new division marks a significant strategic shift for Robertson Sumner, which has traditionally focused on sales and marketing recruitment.

While the firm has placed technical contractors in the past, Sumner said this is the first time they’re going "all in" on the space.

"This is something we believe could actually overtake our sales division in two to three years," Sumner predicts.

"We’ve been doing sales recruitment for 25 years, but the demand for technical contractors is only going to grow. We want to be ready for that."

Gale, who brings over 30 years of technical recruitment experience, has been on Robertson Sumner’s radar for some time, Sumner says.

"We’ve been talking to Mark for about six to eight months because we knew this demand was only going to increase," he says.

"It’s really exciting to finally bring him on board and start letting all our clients know about this."