Human Resources services during COVID-19, and what’s here to stay

Human Resources Europe Spot On

With human resources around the world inevitably affected by COVID-19, the sector has had to confront unprecedented challenges head on and revise its strategies. The European HR market is no exception, and in our latest Human Resources Europe Spot On we look at what changes and M&A opportunities the pandemic has created in the industry. Tom Van de Meirssche, Oaklins’ Human Resources Europe specialist, explores market trends inspired by COVID-19 and focuses on those that seem set to remain going forward.

Over the past year, COVID-19 has disrupted the economy, forcing HR businesses and dealmakers to focus on the pandemic and revise their strategies. In the European HR market, we expect increasing M&A activity as the top performers are on the lookout for opportunities in areas that were hit hard by COVID-19, while generalist players are keen to expand their specialist services and digital capabilities through M&A. TOM VAN DE MEIRSSCHE, HUMAN RESOURCES EUROPE SPECIALIST, OAKLINS

We also talk to Peter de Laat, CFO of Brunel International N.V., a global leader in HR that provides flexible specialist workforce solutions across a range of markets. In our interview, we discover how Brunel has dealt with the impact of the pandemic, what lasting changes there could be in their industry, and the implications for M&A within HR.

In addition, we provide a round-up of recent M&A activity in the European HR sector, which has remained high despite the economic setback, including a selection of transactions across the continent along with valuation trends.