“Challenge us with a niche vacancy. We gladly accept the challenge of filling niche vacancies—it keeps us sharp. We will return with a carefully selected shortlist of suitable candidates from our network. Consider us an additional recruiter rather than a competitor to an organisation’s in-house recruitment team. You can handle the bulk yourself, but when it comes to those hard-to-fill niche roles, that’s where we excel.”
20 years of CLS Services
René Kemps co-founded CLS Services with Jan Paul Favier, and the company now celebrates its 20th anniversary! With a background in chemical technology, René transitioned 25 years ago into recruiting professionals in the Chemistry and Life Sciences sector. Over time, the sector has expanded through the smart use of expertise and networks. The existing network of both companies and candidates is vast and continues to grow.
Not a standard recruitment agency
René: “Some of our clients have been with us for 20 years. These are major companies in the Netherlands, which speaks volumes. Perhaps we do not highlight this enough. We are sometimes told that we are too modest. Well, we are scientists; we deliver solid results and can back them up with data. We consider what we do to be completely normal, even though our clients tell us it is far from standard in our industry. I prefer to be direct and transparent in all our discussions. We prioritise people and treat them fairly. That should be the norm, shouldn’t it?”
R&D investments under threat
For some time now, media reports have indicated that the R&D sector in the Netherlands is struggling. René: “That is true; it is currently a tough time for our industry. Recently, De Volkskrant reported recently that secondment has declined by 10% and there are fewer vacancies in our field. Many companies are in or just emerging from reorganisations. This is a market-wide issue affecting our competitors as well. As the economy weakens, R&D investments are decreasing, and the pressure to become more sustainable is growing. We are witnessing an increasing number of reorganisations and project terminations across all fields, including chemistry, pharma, food, and biotech. This has a direct impact on our sector.”
Equal treatment creates satisfied employees
René continues: “Trade unions advocate for equality by implementing the Inlenersbeloning Act, which mandates that the employment conditions of seconded employees match those of permanent staff at the hiring company. However, this regulation allows secondment agencies some flexibility in implementation, sometimes to the disadvantage of seconded employees. At CLS, we try to avoid that as much as possible. We truly believe that a satisfied employee is a motivated and loyal employee.
And yes, there is still a long way to go before equal treatment in this regard becomes the norm in organisations. After all, there is a cost factor involved. But it is absurd that a seconded employee might be denied access to a conference or receive fewer holiday days than their permanent colleagues simply because it benefits the recruitment agency in the short term. This leads to an unhappy employee.
Long-term collaboration
Our goal is to ensure people enjoy their work by making the perfect match between candidate and company. When we achieve this, we are satisfied. Our track record shows that many (former) employees remain with their employers for extended periods. We also see candidates returning to us years later for a new role. Interestingly, some of our former employees are now our clients. We believe that our human and honest approach contributes to these long-term relationships. That is ‘how we roll’. Feel free to test it yourself by getting in touch with us.”
