Demand for farm labour keeps West-Midlands based REAL Success growing

Demand for farm labour in the UK continues to grow, according to West Midlands- based recruitment firm REAL Success, which is itself expanding and has recently appointed a non-executive advisory board.

The company, which is mainly focused on agriculture, was founded in 2009 by Paul Harris, who says the past few years had seen a "huge increase" in demand for recruitment support.

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"Finding and keeping staff is consistently the biggest challenge that farmers discuss when they are together, and REAL Success provides a one-stop solution for all their HR, employment and staff needs," he said.

"Whether you’re an arable, poultry, pork or horticulture farmer, people are the centre of your business. We’re here to reduce the stress and take some of the strain of finding and retaining those staff who are so important for your future."

REAL Success has now grown to a team of 20 working across the country and has now established a non-executive advisory board headed by ex-Compass Group UK & Ireland board director Andy Harris to see the business through its next growth stage.

Also joining the board are farmer Tim Lock, chairman of the Red Tractor dairy board, award-winning creative director Craig Thatcher, and Oli Templar-Coates, finance director at Morgan Sindall.

The company's consultancy team has also been strengthened with two well-known independent dairy consultants Andy Gubb and Paul Fox.

"Our consultants build a close relationship with employers, which allows us to support their ongoing needs and relieve them of future recruitment concerns," said Paul Harris.

"We have also just launched a new website which offers a wide range of free information and resources, as well as vacancies and a job application portal."

The firm said strong demand for staff, particularly in the dairy sector, has led to a fivefold increase in recruitment work in the first half of the financial year, while staff development and consultancy work has grown by 24% year-on-year.

"Many farmers that call us are desperate for staff, and finding good quality people is a tough challenge," added James Harris, who was recently appointed to the board as recruitment director. 

"But we’re delighted that we’re filling over 85% of the positions we take on, and clients are returning to us as we build close relationships with them."

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