History
In 2021, SAB Detachering and BuildingCareers Recruitment & Selection merged under a single name: BuildingCareers. This decision was the result of a long history that dates back to 1950.
SAB: it began in 1950
The SAB foundation was established more than 70 years ago as a subsidized labor pool with a dedicated team to unload wooden ships in the port of Zaandam. This was long before the concept of “flexible work” was introduced. Starting in 1951, SAB began providing workers for the steel company Hoogovens, now Tata Steel, which at the time faced a significant labor shortage.
Expansion during the 1970s
In the 1970s, our scope expanded significantly. In addition to placing workers for port and production roles, SAB also began employing staff for secretarial and administrative positions. As we became more familiar with the industrial sector, demand for highly educated technical specialists grew. Over time, the foundation was renamed SAB Detachering.
BuildingCareers: founded in 2000
BuildingCareers began operations in Haarlem as a recruitment agency for engineers. Responding to growing demand, the network quickly expanded. Corus IJmuiden, now known as Tata Steel, became one of its regular clients.
Collaboration with Corus
In 2008, BuildingCareers and SAB began collaborating to place engineers in secondment roles, primarily in response to Tata Steel’s needs, but also for other clients. Alongside this partnership, BuildingCareers continued to operate as a recruitment agency.
Tata Steel: a special connection
Tata Steel plays a vital role in the region. Having worked closely with Tata Steel for 70 years, we feel at home there. We are deeply familiar with the various roles on the shop floor and have been through a lot with this unique company. This understanding allows us to perfectly assess what is needed and who fits where within Tata Steel.
In 2015, Tata Steel stepped back as a participant in the SAB foundation. At that time, we transferred our activities related to production and administrative staff and shifted our focus to providing qualified technicians and project managers (mbo4-, hbo-, and wo-level) to various industrial clients.
SAB Detachering and BuildingCareers worked closely together for many years but continued to operate as separate labels serving engineers and industrial clients. SAB functioned as a secondment agency, while BuildingCareers specialized in recruitment.
This separation ended in 2021. Since then, we have been working as one team under the name BuildingCareers. The long history of SAB remains an important part of our identity.
Since May 2022, BuildingCareers has been based in Zaandam.