About Big Issue Recruit

For over 30 years, Big Issue Group has worked to dismantle poverty by creating opportunity. In the wake of the cost-of-living crisis and record levels of poverty and inequality, there are now close to 15 million people in the UK trapped in poverty. 

But while unemployment has fallen to its lowest level in 30 years, with 1.26m unemployed people actively seeking work, for the first time there are now more job vacancies to fill than people seeking employment. 

There is an urgent need for an upskilled workforce. Big Issue Recruit, which aims to bring people from a more diverse range of backgrounds into the job market, is a new solution to this crisis. 

Big Issue Recruit, the latest innovative venture from Big Issue Group, is a specialist recruitment service, dedicated to supporting people who face barriers to joining the workforce into sustainable employment. It is a person-centred service and free to candidates, supporting individuals pre, during and post-employment. 

On signing up candidates are partnered with a personal Job Coach, to understand their needs and goals, build confidence, skills and resilience and coach them through the selection process, to secure their desired roles. Job Coaches will continue to work with candidates post placement to establish a great relationship with their new employer and support them to thrive in their new role. 

Big Issue Recruit offers employers a reliable, ethical, end-to-end method of recruitment which reduces the risk (and cost) of candidate churn. We are seeking partner organisations who want to create employment pathways and work with us to fill their employment vacancies, diversify their workforce and create significant social value. 

Big Issue Recruit creates social value through the provision of training, employability, health and wellbeing support, financial and digital inclusion and ultimately sustainable careers. 

We offer employers: 

• tailored support to hiring managers to prepare them to work with people with complex needs and best sustain their placements. 
• Capacity building post hire to support candidates in their placements, whilst they settle into their new roles 
• Management and promotion of employer vacancies through jobs.bigissue.com 
• The ability to demonstrate the social value of your investment with an annual impact report, based on SROI methodology, which evidence’s ESG commitments