2015 is now well under way and, with that, new trends are emerging for the recruitment industry. The legacy of the previous year is following us into this new year and we decided to take a closer look into what trends may become more prevalent as the year goes on.
Skills and Expectations
There are many skill-based jobs that are seeing a decline in qualified staff as fewer and fewer people are trained in industries such as nursing and engineering. This may suggest a trend in unfilled positions remaining vacant for an extended period of time as employers struggle to find workers who fit the bill.
Another trend that was noticeable in 2014 and may continue into the New Year is the often-unattainable level expected of workers by their employers. With a magnitude of new positions becoming available as the world of technology changes, employers may often expect ready-made experts rather than offering training.
Aspiration and Retention
The economy, whilst still recovering from the crisis, is becoming more stable and candidates are no longer so desperate for work that they will take or remain in jobs that do not satisfy them. The trend of renewed effort into the retention of staff will be enhanced in 2015 as employers realise the need to offer staff reasons and incentives to stay rather than simply assuming that they will.
Recruiting staff that will remain with a company for a length of time will require employers to spend more to find dedicated staff. With the current climate, job-hopping has become more common while people search around for something that inspires and stimulates them. Employers looking to attract top talent must also look more deeply into their how their brand message is expressed; it is no longer up to the employee to advertise themselves, now the company must rethink how their company looks to potential workers.
Data and Technology
The advances in technology were hard to ignore in 2014, particularly in the recruitment industry. Mobile recruitment has become one of the most prevalent ways in which candidates search for jobs and this continuing trend will mean employers need to catch up if they are to find tech-savvy modern employees. Currently, less than 30% of companies have a dedicated mobile site through which people can apply for jobs, in spite of over 50% of candidates utilising the technology.
The use of mathematical data may also play a large part in the way recruiters judge when to advertise and which demographics to target. In terms of data collection, start-ups such as SkillSurvey.com accrue data from various sources in order to predict how well a candidate suits the role and how information on previous jobs may signify how well they will fit within a future work team.
All the aforementioned trends are likely to become more popular as the months go on, while recruiters utilise their continuing knowledge of these trends to attract top talent for employers and find more meaningful and long-lasting jobs for candidates. Bring on 2015!
Castle Hill House