A businesswoman in the West Midlands has launched a new recruitment agency aimed at people looking for part-time or flexible work.

Sarah Moore, whose company is called Flexible Minds, says finding a new role with part-time hours or an element of flexibility can be challenging and frustrating, often available only for lower-level positions.

But she added: "My vision is a future where quality part-time or flexible jobs are commonplace and accessible at all levels of the career ladder.

"If you need to work part-time this doesn't mean you are any less talented or committed to your job but the recruitment market hasn't traditionally catered for professionals seeking part-time work”.

"Offering part time or flexible hours offers great opportunity for employers; enabling them to tap into a significantly underutilised pool of talent in a cost effective way"

Her business, based in Bromsgrove, specialises in finding part-time work and flexible opportunities in Worcestershire and the West Midlands.

And she said the "good news" was that things were changing, with the Office of National Statistics reporting that the part-time recruitment market in the West Midlands experienced a three per cent growth during 2014-15, compared to just over one per cent in full-time work.

That led to 20,000 more part-time workers in the West Midlands.

Since launching the business in January, Sarah has been overwhelmed by the number of talented and experienced individuals looking for more flexibility at work. “The assumption is that flexible working is only for working mums but I am representing candidates, male and female, who are motivated to work flexibly for a wide range of reasons such as transitioning into retirement, managing multiple careers, studying, caring for elderly relatives and many who simple desire a better work life balance. These are individuals who typically have multiple years’ valuable work experience, often in senior roles working for prestigious companies. It costs the same to employ someone senior three or four days a week as it would to employ a more junior member of staff five days a week but think of the experience the senior candidate can bring and the value they can add straight away.”

Mrs Moore, aged 37, a business psychologist and former chief executive for the relationship counselling charity Relate in Worcestershire, has more than 10 years' experience as a senior manager and business leader responsible for staff recruitment, business development and financial management.

She also has experience of working as a recruitment consultant and team leader, recruiting into private and public sector organisations across the West Midlands.

More information is available at www.flexibleminds.co.uk, or by emailing info@flexibleminds.co.uk