Gwent-headquartered recruitment agency Centric is expanding its Swansea offices with the launch of a new hospitality and catering division.

The expansion is in response to increasing demands from the sector where Centric has seen growth of more than 20 per cent in 2016.

The division will be led at the company’s Swansea Waterfront offices by industry specialist Emma Harrington-Howells who joins the company having spent more than 15 years working in hospitality and catering recruitment.

She said: “The hospitality and catering industry is predicted to employ more than 134,000 people in Wales by 2020. It is important therefore that we provide a platform of specialist recruitment services dedicated to this sector that will understand its unique needs and be able to deliver the candidates necessary for success.

“The team has already provided a number of catering and hospitality companies with on-going, reactive staffing solutions; something that is critical in this fast paced sector.

“Importantly, they have expert industry and market knowledge, supplying a diverse sector of staff from head chefs and porters to waiters and housekeeping teams. Specialising in both temporary and permanent recruitment we are able to deliver a real recipe for success for our clients.”

Steve Matthews, commercial director at Centric, said: “We are delighted to announce our latest expansion with the launch of a new hospitality and catering division dedicated to serving the needs of this sector in Wales.

“Already this year we have seen unprecedented growth and the launch of a number of new divisions to support our expanding client base. We have offices throughout South Wales and our investment in our Swansea team is testament to our success in delivering client satisfaction in the region. This is largely why our client base there has grown by more than 30 per cent in the last six months alone and we will continue investing in the city to support the recruitment needs of West Wales.”