First Recruitment Group
First Recruitment Group is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency placing permanent, contract and interim candidates across Oil & Gas, Nuclear, Power, Water, Rail, Construction, Technology, Aerospace & Defence, Chemicals and Corporate sectors for enterprise clients worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersWarrington, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What First Recruitment Group does
First Recruitment Group, legally First Technical Recruitment Limited, is a UK-headquartered private recruitment agency founded in 1997 (alternatively cited 1999) and based in Warrington, England. It specializes in placing permanent, contract and interim candidates across ten regulated technical verticals, with Oil & Gas as its flagship vertical (20+ years of dedicated experience), alongside Nuclear, Power, Water, Rail, Construction, Technology, Aerospace & Defence, Chemicals and Corporate roles. The firm operates eight directly owned offices across the UK, Australia, Thailand, Ghana, Kenya, Albania and Singapore, plus a UAE presence through sister brand Talascend International, giving it in-country compliance capability for local content regulations such as Ghana's Petroleum Commission permitting regime.
The company's core product is specialist technical recruitment delivered by dedicated account managers, with revenue earned on a transaction-fee basis from permanent placement fees and contract/interim margins, supplemented by premium head-hunting services. It has extended into workforce management through two adjacent technology offerings: Operam Managed Solutions, a vendor management system providing real-time visibility into contractor workforces, and Primis+/MyPay+, an outsourced payroll and tax compliance service for contractors and clients. These managed services convert one-off placement fees into ongoing recurring revenue and lock in client relationships through the contractor lifecycle.
First Recruitment Group sells primarily B2B into enterprise Oil & Gas operators and EPCs (named customers include Tullow Oil, ENI, TechnipFMC, Total, Subsea 7, Kosmos Energy, Modec, WorleyParsons, Bureau Veritas, MWH Treatment and Veolia Nuclear Solutions) and holds preferred supplier status with several. The firm is accredited to ISO9001, is a member of APSCo, holds Investors in People accreditation, and is GDPR compliant. Headcount is reported at 51-100 employees, with no disclosed revenue, funding rounds, or institutional equity investors.
First Recruitment Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- First Recruitment Group
- Legal name
- First Technical Recruitment Limited
- Website
- https://firstrecruitmentgroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- First Recruitment Group is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency placing permanent, contract and interim candidates across Oil & Gas, Nuclear, Power, Water, Rail, Construction, Technology, Aerospace & Defence, Chemicals and Corporate sectors for enterprise clients worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
First Recruitment Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Temporary Help Services (561320), Executive Search Services (561312)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Remote & Global/Multilingual Direct Hire (BPACAFAO), General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)
Keywords
Where First Recruitment Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Warrington
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
First Recruitment Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Permanent Recruitment Placement Fees: Fees charged for placing candidates in permanent positions. The company handles the entire candidate search and selection process including advertising across multiple platforms, conducting employment checks, and ensuring high quality candidates.
- Contract/Interim Recruitment: Revenue from providing contract, temporary hire, or project-based resources. Flexible solutions include candidate search and selection through to complete project resource management.
- Head-hunting Services: Premium recruitment service going above and beyond to find right candidates even if not actively looking. Includes candidate mapping, identification, direct approach, and shortlist generation.
- Payroll Services (Operam/MyPay+): Sister company Operam Managed Solutions enables seamless contractor payroll management using vendor management systems for full compliance and smooth payroll operations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
First Recruitment Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
First Recruitment Group is a specialist recruitment agency that sources permanent, contract/interim, and head-hunting candidates for technically demanding sectors such as Oil & Gas, Nuclear, Power, Water, Rail, Construction, Technology, Aerospace & Defence, and Chemicals. The firm also provides managed workforce solutions and international payroll via its Operam platform and MyPay+ service, supporting clients with contractor lifecycle management across multiple geographies.
Product overview
First Recruitment Group operates as a recruitment services company offering specialized staffing solutions across multiple industry sectors. Their core offering is recruitment placement services (permanent, contract, and temporary staffing) supplemented by two complementary workforce management solutions: Operam (workforce management/vendor management) and Primis+ (payroll processing), which together enable end-to-end talent acquisition and contractor management. The company also offers MyPay+ as an outsourced payroll option for clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Primis+: Payroll solution for contractors managed by First Recruitment Group
- Operam
Products and services
- Permanent Recruitment Placement Sourcing and permanent placement of qualified engineers, technical professionals and corporate staff for clients across Oil & Gas, Nuclear, Power, Water, Rail, Construction, Technology, Aerospace & Defence, Chemicals and Corporate sectors.
- Contract / Interim Recruitment
- Head-hunting Services
- Operam Managed Solutions
- MyPay+ International Payroll
Quantifiable outcome
- 174% increase in employment in Ghana's Oil & Gas sector (2013-2018) - First Recruitment Group positioned to support this growth
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use First Recruitment Group
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
First Recruitment Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
First Recruitment Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Talascend InternationalcoreTalascend International is a specialist recruitment agency that is part of the wider First Recruitment Group. Based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, they provide employment services across the region with over 30 years of experience supplying specialized talent to Oil & Gas, Rail, Infrastructure, Power, and Nuclear sectors.
- Operam Managed SolutionscoreSister company providing workforce management solutions. Uses state-of-the-art vendor management systems to ensure full compliance and smooth payroll management with real-time visibility into workforce operations. Enables seamless contractor payroll management for First Recruitment Group clients.
- Strategic Partners Network (Europe, MEA, APAC)minorTrusted strategic partners throughout Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific ensure in-country compliance and extend recruitment reach beyond direct office locations.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights5 records
First Recruitment Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fircroft: Fircroft is a UK-headquartered technical recruitment specialist serving oil & gas, mining, nuclear, power, rail and construction — a near-identical sector footprint to First Recruitment Group. Both target the same EPC and operator client base.
- Airswift: Airswift is a global workforce solutions provider focused on the energy, process, infrastructure and IT sectors — the same technical verticals First serves. It places both contract and permanent technical staff internationally and competes head-to-head for Oil & Gas and energy-transition mandates.
- NES Global Talent (now NES Fircroft): NES Fircroft is a specialist technical recruitment firm focused on oil & gas, power, renewables, infrastructure, and aerospace — directly mirroring First's sector mix. It serves multinational operators with contract and permanent placement at global scale.
- Brunel International: Brunel is a Dutch-headquartered global specialist in engineering, energy, oil & gas and renewable energy recruitment and project staffing. It is comparable as a similarly sized specialist competing for the same multinational technical mandates.
- Spencer Ogden: Spencer Ogden is a global energy, engineering and infrastructure recruitment specialist with offices worldwide. Its sector and geographic mix (energy, renewables, infrastructure) overlaps heavily with First Recruitment Group's verticals.
- Petroplan: Petroplan is a specialist energy recruitment firm focused on upstream oil & gas, LNG, refining and petrochemicals. It competes with First for the same technical contractor and permanent placements with major operators globally.
Broad incumbents
- Hays (Hays UK): Hays is a global publicly-listed staffing firm with a substantial Oil & Gas, Energy, Construction and Rail vertical that directly competes with First. It is much larger and broader in scope, but is a credible incumbent for the same enterprise procurement panels.
- ManpowerGroup UK: ManpowerGroup is a global staffing and workforce solutions firm offering contract, permanent and managed services across technical and engineering verticals. It overlaps with First's recruitment and payroll/MSP offerings at greater scale but with less vertical specialization.
- Robert Half International: Robert Half is a global staffing firm with technical, engineering and energy project placement capabilities. It is a broad incumbent serving enterprise clients but is significantly larger and less sector-specialized than First.
- Michael Page (PageGroup): PageGroup operates a global permanent and contract recruitment business including technical, engineering and energy desks. It is a broad incumbent offering wider geographic reach but less vertical depth than First's specialist model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
First Recruitment Group social profiles
Digital presenceFirst Recruitment Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
First Recruitment Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
First Recruitment Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
First Recruitment Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
First Recruitment Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
First Recruitment Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about First Recruitment Group
What does First Recruitment Group do?
First Recruitment Group is a specialist recruitment agency that sources permanent, contract/interim, and head-hunting candidates for technically demanding sectors such as Oil & Gas, Nuclear, Power, Water, Rail, Construction, Technology, Aerospace & Defence, and Chemicals. The firm also provides managed workforce solutions and international payroll via its Operam platform and MyPay+ service, supporting clients with contractor lifecycle management across multiple geographies.
Is First Recruitment Group a public or private company?
First Recruitment Group is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was First Recruitment Group founded?
First Recruitment Group was founded in 1999. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is First Recruitment Group based?
First Recruitment Group is headquartered in Warrington, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does First Recruitment Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Permanent Recruitment Placement Fees are the primary driver. The others are contract/Interim Recruitment, head-hunting Services and payroll Services (Operam/MyPay+).
Who are First Recruitment Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fircroft, Airswift, NES Global Talent (now NES Fircroft), Brunel International, Spencer Ogden and Petroplan. Broad incumbents are Hays (Hays UK), ManpowerGroup UK, Robert Half International and Michael Page (PageGroup).
Does First Recruitment Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for First Recruitment Group.
What industry is First Recruitment Group in?
First Recruitment Group's product category is Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAC, Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare), with a secondary code of BPACAFAO, Remote & Global/Multilingual Direct Hire. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.