Companies favour permanent procurement positions over consultants

When it comes to procurement recruitment, companies are focusing on internal upskilling of employees and are looking to downscale teams in an effort to reduce operational costs. However, there is a silver lining on the horizon for procurement professionals.

Permanent recruitment on the rise

The procurement recruitment market is buoyant, and trends show that companies are looking to hire mid-level procurement professionals as permanent employees. In fact, the good news is that companies are keen to hire permanently rather than opting for external procurement consultants.

At the same time, companies are also downscaling procurement teams, but the remaining staff are being upskilled to enhance their knowledge and expertise. This is an attempt to optimise efficiency within the department. Industries like fast-moving customer goods (FMCG) are witnessing the most procurement redundancies.

Procurement roles in demand

In the UK, there are a few procurement roles that are more in demand than others. The following three roles are the ones that companies are looking to fill as quickly as possible.

1. IT Category Manager: Thanks to advances in technology, procurement transformation has become a reality. This has created a niche for category managers with IT skills. They are highly in demand as organisations are realising that such professionals offer the best value for money.
2. Strategic Procurement: If you are looking for a senior level role then strategic procurement could be the right one for you. Companies are seeking qualified and experienced sourcing professionals who have the wherewithal to seamlessly implement new strategies and projects – like e-tendering tools and software for spend analysis – to improve efficiency and boost savings.
3. Procurement Officers: External consultants and third-party professional services have become the norm in many organisations. This has created a need for procurement officers who can manage and optimise spend in such organisations.

Other procurement recruitment trends

While there is no demand for specific qualifications, companies are looking to hire permanent sourcing professionals who have thorough knowledge of GDPR. In fact, this has become a priority for many organisations, with the 25 May 2018 deadline looming large.

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