Why do employers use recruitment agencies?

The most common reason, particular for lower-level jobs, is simply to save time and effort. Many organisations don’t have the staff to sift through all the applications that can be generated by an ad in a newspaper or on the internet, so they use an agency to bring the numbers down to a manageable level or even fill the post itself. Another reason is that the position is a very senior or highly specialised one, and the employer will appoint an agency that specialises in finding people for that particular profession or level of experience, with good contacts in that field. The third reason is confidentiality. The employer may be a high-profile organisation that wants to avoid the publicity involved in an advertisement or to avoid unsuitable applicants who are attracted by the name; or they may be seeking to replace someone who won’t know they’re being replaced until the security guards turn up with the black bin-liner.