Over the past few years, Jersey has become well known for its lucrative offshore banking and financial industry.There is however, another side to the island that has started drawing people with a wide variety of skills: the rising commercial industry.This once less-favoured sector has evolved over the past few years and now offers candidates parallel career prospects and development within the commercial sector. The industry has undergone constant and steady growth, and the interest from international companies has boosted its role in the island’s economy.
Jersey lies about 160 kilometres south of mainland Britain and only 22 kilometres from the coast of France. It provides the perfect location for international companies to house their outlets, and then there is the added advantage of no VAT.
Through the benefit of low-value consignment relief, the fulfilment industry has created the need for a flexible temporary and permanent workforce to fulfil their orders. Many candidates have come to rely on this work for a source of income. The fulfilment industry has a high level of demand and must meet its deadlines on delivery.This demand warrants staff at ground level, who physically pack and send off the products, and management positions, where the service levels are monitored and controlled.The service needs to be quick and accurate, and there is great demand for high numbers of staff to complete the fulfilment process on time.
The Internet continues to change the way we conduct business and, behind the scenes, most of the people who keep this industry up and running hail from the commercial sector. Many people enjoy the convenience of this technology, and online banking is the preferred option to joining the queue in a bank.These individuals have been trained and have developed skills that have revolutionised business intelligence. The IT sector in Jersey has developed, and experienced IT professionals from abroad are seeing a move to the island as positive career progression.
This growth in commercial career opportunities has opened up the job market for people who are looking for a change of career or to embark upon a new one, as well as already skilled individuals who welcome the prospect of being trained and grasp the opportunity to develop skills to keep up the ever-changing trends within companies. It is important for the local commercial organisations to encourage graduates to complete qualifications relevant to the commercial sector, thus keeping graduates with commercial skills in the island.
Another arm of the commercial sector is the telecommunications market. The Channels Islands have seen increased activity in this sector and await the developments of the new key players. This has led to more employment opportunities for the required technical skills as well as areas such as sales and marketing.
The commercial market is increasingly buoyant. Whereas it may have previously been regarded as the poor relation to the island’s finance industry, there is a growing realisation that the commercial sector supports the finance-based market.
AP Personnel identified this growth and development and set up a commercial division in 2002, taking the lead in becoming the first consultancy to set up a dedicated commercial agency, AP Commercial, in both Jersey and Guernsey.
Unlike most companies in the finance sector, many businesses in the commercial sector do not have their own human resources department. The full recruitment service that AP Commercial offers takes the stress out of the search and selection process and brings value to our clients by saving them precious time and resources.
This specialised service is backed up not only by our experience as the AP Group, but by our team of dedicated consultants with specialised knowledge and first-hand experience within the Jersey commercial industry. AP Commercial is the only commercial recruitment agency in Jersey, and is pioneered by the AP Group proving itself yet again as a front-runner in meeting the challenges of this ever-changing and demanding environment. As Jersey continues to attract more commercial business, it is important that these companies have access to skilled staff.Through AP Commercial they are able to find that.