Jacob Thomas Associates Ltd

15/05/2026

We have immediate positions based in Magna Park (LE17) for a distribution site.

We are looking for VNA drivers on both days and nights:
06:00 am - 18:00 pm, and
18:00 pm - 06:00 am.

Pay rate £14.00 per hour and plenty of additional hours available.

Call us now on 0116 277 9854 to secure work for next week. Or if you know anybody with this license in the LE17 area, or able to commute to it, please share this with them!

** Valid VNA licence is required **

Call now to connect with business.

14/05/2026

We are recruiting in Doncaster, DN2!
Shifts: Weekly rotating shifts 6:00 am- 14:00 pm AND 14:00 pm-22:00 pm Monday to Friday (Must be able to do both shifts)
Pay Rate: £13.25/hour - £13.60/hour, depending on department and experience
Working within a manufacturing, hands-on, fast-paced environment.
We are looking for:
Packers,
Paint shop (loading/unloading),
CNC operatives, and
Press operatives.
Site Induction scheduled for Wednesday, the 20th of May. Get in touch now to get your spot—immediate starts following induction. Please share this.
Comment or get in touch directly if you are interested.
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Rekrutujemy w Doncaster, DN2!
Zmiany: Cotygodniowe zmiany rotacyjne w godzinach 6:00-14:00 ORAZ 14:00-22:00 od poniedziałku do piątku (wymagana dyspozycyjność na obie zmiany).
Stawka godzinowa: 13,25-13,60 GBP/godz., w zależności od działu i doświadczenia.
Praca w dynamicznym, praktycznym środowisku produkcyjnym.
Poszukujemy:
Pracowników pakowaczy,
Pracowników lakierni (załadunek/rozładunek),
Pracowników CNC oraz
Pracowników pras.
Wdrożenie planowane jest na środę, 20 maja. Skontaktuj się z nami już teraz, aby zarezerwować sobie miejsce — natychmiastowy start po wdrożeniu. Prosimy o udostępnienie.
Komentarz lub bezpośredni kontakt w przypadku zainteresowania.
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Recrutăm în Doncaster, DN2!
Ture: Ture rotative săptămânale 6:00 - 14:00 ȘI 14:00 - 22:00, de luni până vineri (Trebuie să puteți lucra în ambele ture).
Salariu: 13,25 GBP/oră - 13,60 GBP/oră, în funcție de departament și experiență.
Lucrul într-un mediu de producție, practic și dinamic.
Căutăm
Ambalatori,
Atelier de vopsire (încărcare/descărcare),
Operatori CNC și
Operatori prese.
Instruirea la șantier este programată pentru miercuri, 20 mai. Contactați-ne acum pentru a vă asigura locul - începere imediată după instruire. Vă rugăm să distribuiți acest mesaj.
Comentați sau contactați-ne direct dacă sunteți interesat.

Send a message to learn more

13/03/2026

Thank you.

Two words that don't feel like nearly enough after 19 years — but they're the truest ones we have.

Jacob Thomas Associates turns 19 tomorrow, and when we look back at what's been built, we don't see a company. We see people.

Clients across the country who gave us a chance and then gave us their trust. Those who have loyalties since the very beginning and those afresh. Businesses that treated us like partners, not just suppliers — and who we've been proud to grow alongside.

Workers and candidates who let us play a part in their next step, their fresh start, their next chapter. That responsibility is one we've never taken lightly.

To our team — past and present — who have shown up with care, with commitment, and with the kind of dedication that builds everything.

JTA exists because of you.

19 years. Thousands of placements. One consistent belief: that getting recruitment right starts with genuinely caring about the people involved.

19 years. Still here. Still grateful. And we don't take any of it for granted.

Thank you for continuing to work toward a brighter future, together, since 2007.

26/02/2026

There's a window open right now that most manufacturers aren't seeing.

Candidate availability is rising. But at the SOFTEST rate in 12 months. Meaning: the flood of available talent is already slowing down.

At the same time:

→ Starting salaries are growing at their fastest pace in 18 months
→ Temp wages are at the joint-highest since May 2024
→ Competition for specialist skills—CNC, welding, engineering—remains intense

Translation: there's a brief window where good candidates are available AND affordable. But it's closing.

Here's the uncomfortable maths:

A skilled production operative at £28k today could cost £30-31k by Q3 if wage pressure continues accelerating. That's £2-3k extra PER HIRE.

Multiply that across 5 hires, and you've just added £10-15k to your annual wage bill by waiting 6 months.

The manufacturers who moved in January and February? They locked in today's rates. They used agency structures to test candidates before committing. They kept their Employment Allowance intact.

Team JTA has pre-screened manufacturing candidates ready NOW. Operators. Technicians. Supervisors. People who understand production floors, shift patterns and machinery.

No 12-week job ad cycle. No sifting through unqualified CVs.

The window is open. How long it stays open is anyone's guess.

25/02/2026

January headlines: "UK economy stalling." "Businesses brace for impact." "Manufacturing in crisis."

January data:

→ UK Manufacturing PMI: 51.8 (17-month high)
→ New orders: Fastest growth in almost 4 YEARS
→ Export orders growing for the first time since 2022
→ Business optimism: Highest since before the 2024 Autumn Budget
→ 58% of manufacturers expect output to INCREASE this year
→ Worker shortages at the LOWEST level since records began in 2021

And here's what's happening beneath the headline:

→ Consumer goods: New orders at quickest pace in over 4 years
→ Investment goods: JOBS GROWTH registered for first time in a year
→ Midlands: Only English region with permanent placement GROWTH two months running

PwC and Make UK surveyed manufacturers directly. 65% believe opportunities will outweigh risks in 2026.
Not 65% think it'll be easy. 65% think there's MORE upside than downside.

The doom merchants sell clicks. The data tells a different story.

The businesses reading the data—not the headlines—are the ones hiring now, locking in talent, and positioning for what comes next.

Which story are you following?

24/02/2026

The Employment Rights Bill didn't just pass. It became the Employment Rights Act 2025. Royal Assent. December 18th.
This isn't a proposal anymore. It's law.

And the first wave of changes hits in 40 days.
From 6th April 2026:

→ SSP payable from day ONE of sickness (no more 3-day waiting period)
→ Lower Earnings Limit REMOVED (every employee now qualifies)
→ Paternity leave becomes a day-one right
→ Unpaid parental leave becomes a day-one right
→ Fair Work Agency launches on 7th April to enforce compliance

Yet most manufacturers we speak to are still planning around the OLD rules.

Here's what this means in numbers:

A workforce of 50 with an average of 2-3 short-term absences each per year means 100-150 additional day-one SSP payments you weren't originally budgeting for. That's roughly £2,645.00-£3,697.50 in extra annual isolated SSP costs.

Unless someone else covers it.

When your workers are on our payroll, Team JTA covers SSP and SMP. Not you. Your cash flow stays clean. Your Employment Allowance stays protected. Your compliance risk stays at zero.

40 days. Are you ready?

23/02/2026

Something is shifting.

Four weeks ago, we wrote that the data said UK manufacturing was turning a corner. New orders at a 4-year high. Exports are growing for the first time since 2022. Optimism is at its highest in 17 months.

Some people pushed back. "It doesn't feel like that on the ground."

Fair enough. Data and feeling don't always match.

But here's what's happened since:

Our phones are busier than ever.

Businesses that told us "we're on hold" in November are calling back asking "what have you got?"

The conversations have changed. It's no longer "we can't afford to hire." It's "we can't afford NOT to."

And we're not the only ones noticing.

The REC's Chief Executive said it best: the "wait-and-see" period seems to be ending. Recruiters across the country are reporting a change in tone since the start of the year.

This doesn't mean hiring is booming. It means the FREEZE is thawing.

The manufacturers moving now aren't reckless. They're strategic. They're locking in talent while candidates are still available at today's rates.

They're using agency structures to protect their Employment Allowance. They're shifting SSP and SMP liabilities off their books entirely.

The question isn't whether the shift is happening. It's whether you'll be positioned when it accelerates.

Team JTA specialises in manufacturing, industrial and production recruitment. We've been preparing for this moment.

Ready to have the conversation?

20/02/2026

UK manufacturing employment fell for the 15th consecutive month in January.

But here's what matters: it fell at the SLOWEST rate in that entire sequence.

The job losses are easing.

For 15 months, manufacturers have been cutting headcount. Redundancies. Non-replacement of leavers. Cost protection.

But January 2026 marked a shift:

→ Rate of decline hit lowest point since cuts began
→ Investment goods producers actually ADDED staff
→ Large manufacturers saw slight employment INCREASE
→ Backlogs of work declining at slowest pace in 18 months

This is what stabilisation looks like. The labour market is finding its floor.

What comes after stabilisation? Expansion.

And the businesses that will win in the expansion phase are the ones preparing NOW:

✓ Building talent pipelines before demand spikes
✓ Partnering with recruiters who understand manufacturing
✓ Structuring hiring to preserve Employment Allowance benefits
✓ Working with agencies that cover SSP/SMP costs

Team JTA has been preparing for this turning point.

We have pre-screened candidates. We understand shift patterns and production requirements. We handle statutory costs so your budgets stay clean.

The labour market is stabilising. Growth is coming.

Are you ready for what comes next?

19/02/2026

£10,500 — that's the Employment Allowance available to UK businesses in 2025/26.

Most businesses know about it. But most aren't maximising it.

Here's how it works (and where recruitment strategy matters):

The Basics: Reduces your employer's NI bill by up to £10,500/year

Claim it through PAYE in real-time

The Strategic Part:

Every pound of employer NI you pay DIRECTLY reduces your Employment Allowance benefit.
Which means how you structure your hiring MATTERS.

Example:

Hire 5 permanent staff at £35k each
Employer NI at 13.8% = £24,150 annual NI bill
Employment Allowance saves you £10,500
Net NI cost: £13,650

BUT...

Use agency workers through Team JTA
WE pay the employer NI (they're on our payroll)
YOUR NI bill stays lower
MORE of your £10,500 Employment Allowance protects your permanent core team

This is smart workforce planning.

Team JTA handles:
→ Employer NI contributions
→ SSP/SMP statutory payments
→ PAYE compliance and liability
→ Holiday pay and entitlements

You get:
→ Preserved Employment Allowance benefit
→ Flexible workforce scaling
→ Predictable costs
→ Zero compliance risk

Your accountant will love this conversation. Want to have it?

18/02/2026

58% of UK manufacturers expect their output to INCREASE over the next 12 months.

That's not hope. That's conviction.

January 2026 business optimism in manufacturing hit a 17-month high. The highest level since before the 2024 Autumn Budget.

What's driving this confidence?
📈 Recovery in market confidence
📈 Reduction in geopolitical uncertainty
📈 New product launches
📈 Planned investment spending
📈 Expected improvement in export sales

Yes, there are still concerns -- but for the first time in over a year, optimism is outweighing caution.

Here's what that means for hiring:

When 58% of your sector expects to grow, you either prepare for that growth or you get left behind.

Growth requires people, and it requires them FAST because your competitors are preparing too.

Team JTA specialises in manufacturing recruitment. We understand production environments.

We have pre-screened candidates in this industry ready now.

We also handle the SSP/SMP costs that come with growth. So adding headcount doesn't mean adding budget surprises.

58% are betting on growth. Which side are you on?

17/02/2026

"Day-one rights means I can't fire anyone anymore."

No. It doesn't.

Let's clear this up once and for all:

THE MYTH: Employees get full unfair dismissal protection from day one, starting April 2026.

THE REALITY:
▪︎ Unfair dismissal protection still requires 6 MONTHS continuous employment (not day one)
▪︎ This was confirmed when "day-one" unfair dismissal was scrapped from the final Employment Rights Act
▪︎ Implementation delayed until January 2027 anyway

What DOES start from day one (from April 2026):
✓ Statutory Sick Pay eligibility
✓ Paternity leave rights (unpaid)
✓ Unpaid parental leave entitlement

What you can still do in the first 6 months:
✓ Performance management
✓ Dismissal with notice for capability or conduct issues
✓ Use probationary periods properly
✓ End employment if someone's not right (with notice)

The 6-month window still exists. Use it properly.

At Team JTA, our pre-screening process means the candidates we send are already tested for:

✓ Technical capability
✓ Cultural fit
✓ Reliability and attendance history
✓ Right to work compliance

So you're not spending 6 months figuring out if they're right. You know from week one.

Stop believing the scare stories. Start hiring with confidence.