Contact us
Log in

How AI is (really)

changing talent acquisition

06 September 2022 — Global provider of talent outsourcing and advisory services AMS (formerly Alexander Mann Solutions) is continuing to cement its growth in China with the opening of new office premises in the Jing’an district of Shanghai.

The opening of larger facilities reflects the increasing demand for services across China and the wider Asia Pacific Region. AMS has been a fixture in the Chinese outsourcing and advisory market since it opened its first office in Shanghai in 2009. This latest move follows the opening of a new office location in Wuhan earlier this year which is already helping AMS to better serve a growing list of clients and rising talent demands across China.

In 2021, AMS grew its China team by 70% and they have enjoyed considerable success in recent years, consistently being recognised among the Best 100 HR Services Brands in China, receiving the 2022 NewFlag Awards for “Best HR Solution” and winning “Best Recruitment Process Outsourcing Provider” at the HRflag Awards in both 2021 and 2022.

The team will now build on these successes and new office locations to support AMS’ aim to double its headcount in China over the next three to five years.

Roop Kaistha, Regional Managing Director, APAC, commented: “We have seen a considerable growth in demand for recruitment outsourcing and talent advisory solutions across the APAC region in recent years, with an increasing number of our global and regional programs including China in their scope as a part of the growth. This is a highly knowledgeable market and it is very pleasing that we are able to bring our expertise and experience to support our clients with their talent needs.”

Kensy Sy, General Manager, AMS China, said: “I am very pleased to be expanding our office facilities in China which will allow us to continue to support our ever-growing list of clients in this region. We are committed to continuing this growth trajectory, building on our success, and helping our clients to navigate the very competitive talent market we are seeing currently seeing.”

Guangrong Wang, Director, Jing’an Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, said: “AMS has enjoyed great success since it opened its first office in Shanghai in 2009. They have supported the growth of many businesses in Shanghai and across China through their expertise in providing talent advice and solutions. They have been welcome contributor to the Jing’an district and we look forward to supporting their future growth over the coming years.”

Related links

18 August 2022 — Global total workforce solutions provider AMS has been recognised by HRflag, China's leading HR management think tank, as a winner in the “Best Recruitment Process Outsourcing Provider” category in the 2022 HRflag Awards.

The HRflag Awards recognises organisations that have demonstrated the best services in each segment of the HR services industry, and aims to drive the sustainable development of the HR industry. It assesses capabilities across a range of criteria and business situations to identify the overall best performing organisations.

In particular, the “Best Recruitment Process Outsourcing Provider” category takes into account the organisations’ success in delivering talent acquisition and management solutions – finding and engaging the talent their clients need to be successful in an age of constant change.

Kensy Sy, General Manager at AMS China, commented, “Being named as a winner in the “Best Recruitment Process Outsourcing Provider” category in the 2022 HRflag Awards is a testament to the cutting-edge RPO services that we deliver to our clients throughout China. With the addition of our Wuhan office opening in February this year and our Shanghai office moving to a larger premises recently, we are confident that we’ll remain a true partner to our growing list of clients while continuing to help them stay ahead in today’s tightening talent market.”

Roop Kaistha, Regional Managing Director at AMS APAC, said, “This prestigious award, along with the other highly valued recognitions that AMS China has achieved during recent years, reinforces the value of AMS’ efforts in delivering best-in-class talent outsourcing solutions to our vast array of clients. This award will also encourage us to remain focused while we continue to enable our clients to build, reshape, and optimise their workforces in today’s new normal of uncertainty.”

10 August 2022 — Hourly by AMS, the next generation technology that optimizes the engagement and hiring of hourly workers, has been named the winner of both a Gold and Bronze 2022 Stevie® Award in two categories.  Hourly by AMS won the Gold Talent Management Solution award and was also honored with the Bronze HR Technology Solution Provider of the Year award in the seventh annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers.  

Hourly by AMS harnesses the power of conversational AI, automation and live data to enable organizations to meet their high-volume hiring needs simply, quickly and intelligently.  The mobile first technology is specifically designed to ease the frustration felt by both the employer and job seeker when it comes to hiring high volumes of hourly workers efficiently. Hourly by AMS reduces the administrative burden on recruiters while at the same time dramatically accelerating the hiring process – candidates go from apply to scheduled interview in under 3 minutes.  The Stevie Awards judges acknowledged Hourly by AMS as an invaluable talent acquisition technology for organizations with an hourly recruiting requirement in a candidate short environment. 

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize the world’s best employers and the human resources professionals, teams, achievements and HR-related products and suppliers who help to create and drive great places to work. 

More than 950 nominations from organizations of all sizes in 26 nations were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of HR-related categories, including, Employer of the Year, Chief Human Resources Officer of the Year, Human Resources Team of the Year, HR Technology Solution Provider of the Year, Talent Management Solution, among others. Hourly by AMS’s two nominations “Conversational hiring experience to drastically simplify recruiting hourly workers” won in two categories. 

Jeanette Leeds, Managing Director, Hourly by AMS commented on the news: “We are thrilled and honored to be recognized for our achievements in technology innovation and we have our fantastic customers and passionate Hourly team to thank. This award reinforces the value of Hourly by AMS’s efforts which have focused on designing technology specifically for both the hourly candidate and hourly hiring managers unique recruiting persona and process. It’s inspiring seeing the combination of automation, conversational AI and real-time analytics enable our customers to hire hourly talent in 1.8 days, convert, 200% more candidates while saving 80% recruiting marketing spend – all during a time of unprecedented upheaval.”  

More than 100 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners.   The judging panels in Hourly by AMS’s two categories included professionals from KPMG, Google, IBM, Unilever, AWS, Morgan Stanley, and more. 

One of the judges commented: “Hourly by AMS is a great example of a solution businesses need right now!” Another judge noted “Very impressed with the impact and efficiency Hourly has brought to the recruiting process. Processing of 40% more candidates with 50% fewer recruiting resources; Candidates going from beginning their application to a scheduled interview in less than 3 minutes; Hires in 1.8 days vs weeks - this is very impressive.”  Hourly by AMS’s focus on the candidate experience was also called out by a judge: “In this age of flexibility, lack of workforce, and employment choices...the Hourly by AMS solution targets the present and the always connected generation with their phones.” 

“We congratulate all of the winners in the seventh edition of the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and we look forward to celebrating them in Las Vegas on September 17, our first awards banquet since 2019,” said Stevies president Maggie Miller. 

Winners of the awards, named the Stevies from the Greek word meaning “crowned,” will be recognized during a gala awards dinner on Saturday, September 17 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.   

Details about the Stevie Awards for Great Employers and the list of 2022 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/HR.     

Related links

20 July 2022 — AMS (formerly Alexander Mann Solutions), a global provider of talent outsourcing and advisory services, launched its High-Volume Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solution to deliver large-scale hiring to clients nationwide. Research shows that 65% of companies have high-volume recruitment needs and this percentage is only expected to increase due to ongoing employee turnover. Other contributing factors include the need for many industries to continue ramping up following the pandemic, a lack of access to effective digital workforce tools, and a shortage of experienced recruiters. AMS’s combination of intelligent automation technology, with its high touch delivery teams and advisory services, delivers a unique solution to the market.

Through the new solution, AMS clients have seen tangible improvements in the recruitment experience, especially in expediting the pace of bringing on new employees. One blue chip retailer reduced time-to-hire from 66 to 26 days and eliminated 6,000 back office hours. Another reported that offers were being accepted in less than two days and text-to-apply technology increased response rates by 21% with 1,000 accepted offers in just four weeks.

Chip Holmes, Managing Director/EVP - Client Services, AMS, said:

“Many industries, including retail, airlines, and hospitality, continue to struggle to find hourly employees. At AMS, we know the key to attracting talent is providing a superior, brand-led candidate experience. For job seekers, that includes both state-of-the art technology and meaningful human interactions with qualified recruiting experts. We also know that today’s companies are faced with a rapidly changing economy and uncertain workforce needs. As part of the AMS High-Volume RPO solution, our advisory experts will help clients analyze their current hourly hiring needs and plan a successful path forward.”

AMS’s High-Volume RPO delivers a three-pronged approach:

  • Proprietary technology through Hourly by AMS, a mobile-first conversational recruiting solution that automates the application process for 24/7 recruitment, moving candidates from application to scheduling an interview in under three minutes
  • A dedicated team of trained recruiting resources providing the human touch needed to reach today’s workers
  • Engagement with AMS advisory experts who can help develop an effective high-volume hiring strategy for healthy, long-term workforce planning

As a mobile-first solution, AMS’s High-Volume RPO makes applying for a position easy and accessible for candidates, even when they are “on the go,” and allows recruiters to see the status of open positions and respond to candidates in real time.

Holmes added:

“In an age of diminished talent acquisition resources, there’s no doubt that technology is paramount in executing a successful hiring strategy, but it cannot be the only part of the equation. AMS believes high-volume recruitment should go beyond tactical. By including our existing recruiting and advisory experts, we’ve created a holistic talent strategy that drives better ROI and outcomes for clients and candidates.”

Related links

20 July 2022 — Octavio Fast, VP of Sales and Operations at AMS, (formerly Alexander Mann Solution), has been named as one of Staffing Industry Analyst’s (SIA) '40 Under 40'.

The list recognises the most influential leaders in the under-40 age group who are important to the evolution of recruitment across the world. Octavio has been recognised for his achievements, ambition and leadership in advancing the staffing industry to the next level.

In his role, Octavio supports client services and operational delivery as they rapidly build and expand those teams in Latin America. He also plays a key role in supporting new client acquisition where he brings his expertise of the LATAM region into client discussions and solution design.

In the last two years, Octavio has led the significant expansion of the AMS team in Mexico, growing the headcount from 35 to over 200 team members. In the last 12 months, the operations in Mexico have grown by over 300% under Octavio’s leadership, supporting a variety of roles and functions across the Americas region, including client services, sourcing, administrative support, business intelligence, implementation and transformation, and technology advisory, among others.

Octavio Fast, VP of Sales and Operations at AMS commented: “When I was given the opportunity to join AMS, I was very excited at the prospect of joining one of the global leaders in Workforce solutions, alongside the opportunity to establish an operations center in Mexico and expand AMS’s Latin America footprint. I would describe my role as a facilitator, a bridge builder, as someone people can count on to help achieve their business goals. It is in my core to help and serve others and I am delighted that my work has been recognized.”

Nicola Hancock, Regional Managing Director, Americas, commented: “This is an incredible achievement for Octavio and he is immensely deserving of this recognition. For AMS, Mexico is a critical location to access highly skilled talent across the industry sectors, and Octavio’s work has really supported our significant client growth in the Americas region.

“Being recognised in SIA’s '40 Under 40' list as such an influential leader clearly demonstrates the amazing work that Octavio delivers every day for our clients. We thrive on innovation and the solutions we deliver are focused on best-in-class experiences for employers and talent pools globally. Huge congratulations to Octavio.”

Related links

18 July 2022 – The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that the UK’s unemployment and economic inactivity rates have decreased from March to May 2022, exacerbating the already critical talent shortages. In response, AMS (formerly Alexander Mann Solutions) has urged businesses to place more emphasis on internal hiring strategies.

The ONS also revealed that, when adjusted for inflation, total pay fell by 0.9% and regular pay fell by 2.8% in the three months to May, which is certainly cause for concern given that CPI inflation hit a 40-year record of 9.1% in May and is expected to reach as high as 11% later this year.

Steve Leach, Managing Director, UK & Ireland, at AMS commented: “With unemployment and economic inactivity rates on the decline, it’s inevitable that the skills gap will continue to widen. Rather concerningly, the ONS statistics also reveal that wages are dropping when adjusted for inflation. With firms seemingly no longer using financial incentives to attract and retain talent, greater reliance on other skills strategies will be needed.

“In my opinion, a lot of firms are overlooking a significantly valuable source of skills: their current talent. Identifying where internal mobility opportunities lie provides an opportunity for individuals to progress their career and move into higher salary brackets, which will not only help with filling the skills gap but also aid staff retention rates, particularly during the cost-of-living crisis.

“As many talent acquisition leaders know all too well, there is no quick fix for the UK’s skills shortage, but opening positions up internally as well as implementing upskilling or reskilling programmes for current staff will really benefit businesses as well as the economy as a whole. A lack of career opportunity is regularly cited as the reason that people leave their current employer so ensuring companies are looking at their internal employee population will have a swift impact on skills deficits.

“What is clear, though, is that employers aren’t doing all they can to maximise internal hiring opportunities and a new approach to internal hiring is required. With uncertain times still ahead, we need to change our corporate cultures so that managers are not only encouraged to seek out external talent but also when they develop and progress their existing staff.”

Related links

18 July 2022 – It was announced today that AMS is a finalist in the Organisation of the Year category in the sixth annual UK Social Mobility Awards (SOMOs).

The UK Social Mobility Awards recognise and celebrate UK organisations in their efforts to improve social mobility, both within their workforce and beyond it. Organised by societal change charity, Making The Leap, the SOMOs were the first national awards dedicated to social mobility, which aims to raise awareness of social mobility by sharing the innovative work of forward-thinking organisations working to improve it.

This year’s shortlist comprises of organisations and individuals from a variety of industries who have demonstrated their commitment to advancing social mobility and the efficacy of the initiatives they have created.

The winners of this year’s event will be determined by our independent judging panel, made up of leading figures from business, charity, and the public sector. The judging panel is chaired by the HM Lord Lieutenant of London, Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE. Winners will be announced at an in-person awards gala at on Thursday 13th October 2022.

Tunde Banjoko OBE, the Chief Executive of Making The Leap, said: ‘I am delighted with the response to the 2022 UK Social Mobility Awards. The breadth and quality of entries we have received this year is an indication of the ever-growing importance of social mobility to UK business. These awards were established to encourage those UK organisations, for whom social mobility is not their core business, to play their part in addressing this important issue, and the record number of entries is an indication that they wish to do so.’

Matthew Rodger, Chief Growth & Commercial Officer, AMS, said: ‘I am thrilled that AMS has succeeded in reaching the final short list in the category of ‘Organisation of the Year’ in this year’s Social Mobility Awards.  Social mobility is a key strategic enabler for AMS. Our business is all about talent and having a fair and level playing field which is open to all, including those of us who may be from lower socio-economic backgrounds.  As AMS continues to grow at scale, this isn’t just the right thing to do morally, it’s critical for our future success as a global business.  During the last 12 months, AMS has made a number of transformational changes to how we work by placing social mobility at the heart of what we do both internally but also externally with the work we do in partnership with our clients.  We are delighted to have reached the finals and on behalf of AMS, I would like to congratulate all of the organisations who have reached the finals of this prestigious award’.

Amazon are the Gold Partners of the UK Social Mobility Awards 2022.

 

Join the discussion:

Somo.uk

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/showcase/the-uk-social-mobility-awards/

Twitter: @SOMOAwards - #SOMO2022

Related links

Mumbai, 12 July 2022 – AMS (formerly Alexander Mann Solutions), the leading global provider of talent outsourcing and advisory services, today announced the acquisition of FlexAbility, its longstanding Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) partner in India, from the shareholders of  firm ABC Consultants, the pioneer of recruitment services in the country.

FlexAbility, renamed FlexAbility by AMS, will operate within the AMS global platform. FlexAbility CEO Vinod Subramanian will continue to lead its management team and the company’s next phase of growth.

Founded in 2009, FlexAbility is headquartered in Mumbai and has more than 1,000 employees across seven cities in India. For more than a decade, AMS has been working with FlexAbility to provide Indian talent to global clients across a wide range of sectors. The acquisition formally combines AMS’s global platform with FlexAbility’s local expertise in India, an increasingly important recruitment and workforce services market for AMS global clients.

David Leigh, AMS CEO said: “I am delighted that we are taking our long and highly successful partnership with FlexAbility to the next level. The demand from global clients for Indian talent continues to grow apace and this acquisition will strengthen our leadership position in the exciting and talent-rich Indian market.”

FlexAbility CEO Vinod Subramanian said: “The world has changed radically since the global pandemic and the demand for Indian talent is insatiable. Becoming an integral part of the AMS family gives FlexAbility an even stronger platform for growth. Our employees will have great opportunities for professional development and AMS clients from across the world will have greater access to Indian talent.”

Shiv Agrawal, MD, ABC Consultants said: “I am very proud of how FlexAbility has evolved and grown over the past 12 years to become a leader in the RPO market in India. Partnering with AMS to deliver world class service out of India has been fantastic and I wish AMS, Vinod & the entire team at FlexAbility nothing but the very best for the future”

The acquisition reinforces India’s position as a global leader in RPO. India is witnessing unprecedented growth in demand for talent, recruitment and workforce advisory support for multinational corporations (MNCs) as economies revive and respond to a new culture of remote working. Competitive talent-rich markets such as India have stepped up to provide central services for global companies at a time of deepening skills shortages in some developed markets.

Against this backdrop this acquisition’ will provide AMS with a strong foundation for further growth worldwide as it serves MNCs that are rapidly adopting RPO services.

Today’s announcement follows a period of strong global growth at AMS, especially in the United States where its headcount has grown four-fold in the last 18 months and is now close to 2,000 strong. AMS has also expanded significantly in Europe and Asia, with multiple new office openings to meet demand from many of the world’s leading organisations for talent acquisition and management to gain a competitive advantage. India and FlexAbility by AMS are set to play a key role in AMS’s global growth strategy.

OMERS, one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension funds with C$121 billion in net assets, is the principal investor in AMS and the agreement also extends its connection and commitment to India. OMERS investments in India include renewable energy producer Azure Power and toll road operator IndInfravit.

The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

06 July 2022 — In response to increasing demand across Asia Pacific, global provider of talent outsourcing and advisory services, AMS (formerly Alexander Mann Solutions), continues its expansion across the region with the opening of a new office in Cebu, Philippines today.

This latest increase in footprint comes only a few months after AMS opened a new office in Wuhan, China to help meet rising talent demands. The Cebu office serves to highlight its continued expansion in APAC in order to better serve the growing list of clients and keep pace with the continued uptick in hiring volumes.

Roop Kaistha, Regional Managing Director APAC at AMS, commented on the news: “Any expansion in business, is not just about scaling, it’s about strategy. In the last 12-18 months, we have witnessed a significant up-tick in demand for talent solutions across APAC. The region continues to have the right technological foundation for success, along with talented people on the ground who have the right skills as well as local perspective. Our new office in Cebu is well placed to help us keep ahead of the curve as we continue to partner with our amazing clients in region. This further enables us to be close to the markets in which we operate, allowing us to further expand our remit with new brands whilst continuing to enhance and drive forward AMS’ recruitment outsourcing expertise across APAC.”

Chet Calupitan, Head of Centre, Philippines at AMS noted: “I am truly excited by our latest expansion in APAC. Not only is Cebu a fabulous place to live and work, its strategic geographic location caters to the needs of our growing number of clients. Cebu has one of the most established economies outside of Metro Manila and is home to a number of industries as well as being a hub for digital and technology companies. We look forward to working alongside great talents and propelling AMS as a leading recruitment process outsourcing firm in Cebu.”

With this move, AMS Philippines targets to grow to more than 1,300 employees by the end of 2022. We will be welcoming additional resources in our new Cebu office, with plans to grow significantly throughout the year and beyond.

Related links

 28 June, 2022 – AMS (formerly Alexander Mann Solutions), a global provider of talent outsourcing and advisory services, has been recognized as one of Northeast Ohio’s Top Workplaces in 2022, based on a survey of employees who rate their workplace culture. The company was one of 58 mid-sized organizations recognized for a high level of employee satisfaction in the study. AMS had top scores for its inclusive culture, ability to get things done efficiently and well, and an open-mindedness to differing points of view. Northeast Ohio Top Workplaces is a collaboration of The Plain Dealer, cleveland.com, and Energage, the technology company behind Top Workplaces recognition programs nationwide.

Nicola Hancock, Regional Managing Director Americas Region at AMS, commented: “As a provider of workforce solutions, AMS is committed to fostering positive connections among our employees, candidates, and clients, in order to build meaningful places of work. To be recognized by our talented employees for creating a positive culture that values their contributions to this goal is incredibly rewarding. We’re extremely grateful to all of our employees, who bring their best selves to AMS every day and embrace our values of being passionate, bold and authentic. They’re the reason we’ve been able to grow in the great city of Cleveland and around the country.”

Since opening its U.S. headquarters in Cleveland in 2012, AMS has been building its workforce in the area. The company recently announced it added 150 new jobs, which was supported by the Ohio Department of Development’s tax credit assistance program. Many of the new positions are in AMS’ recruiter skilling initiative, an innovative training program that prepares recruiters to work for blue-chip companies across the region. AMS also moved into its new headquarters, where the company provides a hybrid and flexible work model and offers continuous learning and development opportunities for employees.

The employee engagement survey began in December 2021 and included questions related to workplace culture such as leadership, values, direction, communication, meaningfulness, and benefits. Employers that score high enough are recognized as Top Workplaces and are ranked within similar-sized company groups to accurately compare results.

Related links

Solutions

Industries

Resources

Regions

About us

Connect with us

For expert insights, news and more

© 2025 Alexander Mann Solutions (AMS)