Manufacturing & Supply Chain

A new app that matches employers and job seekers has been launched that aims to cut out the need for the middleman: recruitment agencies.

HiUp, owned by serial entrepreneur Brendan Kavanagh, allows jobseekers to not only connect with potential employers directly, but also plug any skills gap they have with additional training arranged through the app.

Kavanagh says: “With HiUp, if a candidate doesn’t have the exact skills or qualifications for the jobs on offer, we tell them what training they need.  We empower people to get a job today and skill up for tomorrow. Goodbye job hunting, hello job matching, all in an app where you can learn more to earn more.”

For employers, the app aims to cut the need for outsourcing to agencies or painstakingly sifting through thousands of CVs. They can seek out jobseekers who match the specification and requirements.

Speaking at the launch, Kavanagh said that he wanted the app to bring about the death of the recruitment agency. He believes the €1.73 billion spent a year in Ireland in the recruitment sector would be better spent on investing in training and qualifications for employees and jobseekers.

The app, which lists vacancies in real time, currently has over a thousand jobs available in catering and hospitality, 700 in property and construction and 433 in retail. Now launched in Ireland, the company plans to expand the app to the UK, USA and Germany in the coming months.

Kavanagh adds: “I am calling on employers to stop wasting money on recruitment agencies and online job platforms; the technology they use is redundant. You’re paying the middleman but not getting visibility for your vacancies, so jobseekers are not seeing roles that match their skills.”