gap personnel group has acquired a 60 per cent stake in Cheshire-based recruiter Absolute Solutions Group in a partnership that will accelerate both firms’ growth strategies.

The deal – sealed on Tuesday 3^rd January 2023 for an undisclosed sum – will see the two firms team up to utilise each other’s technologies, experience and infrastructure to better serve customers and expand their reach within the UK recruitment market.

With a Group turnover of £200-millio­n and over 300 internal employees, gap personnel group is one of the UK’s largest industrial recruitment providers and part of OpenUp Group Inc which is listed on the Japanese stock exchange.

Absolute Solutions Group – which includes Absolute Recruitment, Absolute Commercial, Absolute Health and Care and Winsford-based Bralin Recruitment – has a large blue chip customer base across Cheshire and Staffordshire along with a long-standing and highly experienced team who operate from branches in Crewe and Winsford.

Dan Marshall, joint CEO of Absolute Solutions Group said: “The cultural fit between Absolute and gap personnel is perfectly aligned, enabling us to build on our ambitious five-year growth plan and expand nationwide. Our people-focused recruitment model combined with the geographic and operational infrastructure of gap personnel places us in an ideal position to bid for new client contracts, and introduce new cutting-edge technologies to streamline and strengthen our service. The timing of the deal is spot on too as it coincides with Absolute’s 20th anniversary – what a way to celebrate such a huge milestone.”

Mark Roberts, Managing Director at gap personnel group said: “We’ve witnessed Absolute Solutions Group’s growth since its early days, so when the opportunity to welcome them into the gap personnel group presented itself, we were keen to move quickly. Together we’ve agreed strategic objectives to achieve future growth, and we are confident this partnership will strengthen our network and provide an even higher quality service to both our clients and candidates.”

There are various phrases surrounding modern slavery, but they're often confused and conflated. While they're all closely related, they are very different issues. 

Here's a brief round-up of each term:

Human trafficking - The unlawful act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labour or sexual exploitation. Not a crime against the state, but rather a crime against the person.

People smuggling - The action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country to another. A crime against the state for bringing people into a country illegally.

Modern slavery - Modern slavery is the illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain. It covers a wide range of abuse and exploitation including sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced labour, criminal exploitation and organ harvesting.

Labour exploitation - Within the field of human trafficking and modern slavery prevention, labour exploitation refers to situations where people are coerced to work for little or no remuneration, often under threat of punishment.

If you believe you, or somebody you know, have fallen victim to modern slavery please click here to file a report through the Modern Slavery Helpline, or call the modern slavery helpline direct on 08000 121 700.

You can also call the police on 101, or for emergencies always call 999.

Your information could save lives.

We are hosting a series of three, free webinars on the Evolution of Modern Slavery in the workplace.

We have teamed up with Claire Johnson, ex-investigations officer at the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and Mark Heath, ex-director at the GLAA to discuss the impact of modern slavery and how to prevent it in the workplace.

The Evolution of Modern Slavery
Wednesday 5th October, 12pm
Register

Modern Slavery and the Changing Face of Recruitment
Thursday 13th October, 12pm
Register

How to Prevent Exploitation within your Organisation and Supply Chain
Tuesday 25th October, 12pm
Register

We'll also be recording each session so if you can't make it on the day, we'll send you the recording afterwards so you can catch up at a time that suits you.

Any questions, please email hello@gap-personnel.com.

See you there!

We are giving away FIVE £75 Tesco gift cards every week from Monday 26th September until Monday 19th December 2022.

You'll be automatically entered into the weekly raffle as long as you are a temporary employee within a gap personnel group division*, and you complete all your weekly hours with 0 unauthorised absences.

If your name is drawn we'll be in touch with your £75 gift voucher!

So if you don't currently work within gap personnel group but would like to join and start working with us, get in touch to register today!

*Terms and conditions
#gapgiveaway is open to temporary workers across all divisions of gap personnel group including gap personnel, quattro recruitment t/a gap personnel, quattro healthcare t/a gap healthcare, hawk 3 talent solutions and gap technical. Each entrant must complete all weekly shifts with 0 unauthorised absences to be automatically entered. Unauthorised absence includes not showing up to a pre-confirmed shift where the correct sickness and absence reporting procedure has not been followed.