The staffing industry is constantly adapting to meet the demands of the labor market. But due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some new recruiting and staffing trends now, as well as trends we can expect to see before the end of 2022.
The past few years have been hard on various industries. From IT to manufacturing, and engineering, everyone has had some setbacks both with hiring new employees and retaining current employees. Luckily, there are new trends in the recruiting and staffing industry that can help your business build back stronger. Here we will take a look at the changes we’ve been seeing in the recruiting and staffing industries and how these changes will help improve your recruiting and hiring.
Virtual Recruiting Practices
While the pandemic did not create virtual recruiting and staffing, it played a big role in increasing the popularity of virtual recruiting practices over in-person recruiting. Virtual recruiting is more than just searching for candidates online; it also involves virtual interviews and virtual onboarding. While some may think doing this process virtually is complicated, they couldn’t be more wrong. According to TimeRack, this process of virtual recruiting is effective for both employers and potential employees as it speeds up, simplifies, and streamlines the recruitment process.
We can expect the virtual recruiting practice to continue throughout 2022 and become even more prevalent as we continue to navigate this post-pandemic market. Adapting your recruiting practices to take advantage of virtual recruiting will help to give you an advantage over your competition.
Remote Work
Similar to virtual recruiting, the pandemic did not create remote work, but it certainly increased the popularity of remote work. While many jobs are able to work remotely like java programmer jobs and python programmers jobs and, therefore, can save on office and supervision costs, not all jobs can be done remotely. There are many companies that need to have staff on-site like jobs in the manufacturing industry or customer-facing positions.
Since each industry has a different approach to remote work, you should keep an eye on trends in your industry. For example, those in the IT industry should pay attention to the remote work approaches of competitors within the IT industry. Suppose many competitors are making the switch to a remote work environment, or even offering the remote work option. In that case, you should consider following the trend to increase the acquisition and retention of your employees.
AI or Artificial Intelligence
AI recruiting has been around for a few years, but with technological advancements, it is now seen by some as the future of recruiting and staffing and will certainly be more prevalent before the end of 2022. Systems like sourcing candidates, screening resumes, and scheduling interviews can be adapted with AI to provide the most favorable candidates. When combined with data and other analytics, AI helps recruiting and staffing agency services narrow down their pool of candidates which saves a lot of time.
AI recruiting and staffing is expected to continue and even become an industry norm by the end of 2022 according to TimeRack. As headhunters get experience with AI, it will be used to take over data-heavy tasks as well as repetitive tasks so the best candidates for your position can be found faster.
A Focus on Diversity and Inclusion
Because of the increase of remote work across various industries, the levels of diversity have also increased. This is because employees are being hired on their skills and experience over a wide geographical area, rather than all employees being from the same town. In previous years, it may have been more difficult to focus on diversity if the job requires employees on site. This is because there are only so many potential candidates living within a commutable distance. Luckily, remote work offers a great solution to the issue of diversity.
According to TimeRack, a workforce diverse in culture, race, religion, and gender has diverse viewpoints, which makes them less biased and also more adaptable to change. Companies with an ethnically diverse workforce also outcompete other companies by 35% when it comes to earnings in their industry according to Capterra.
Focusing on diversity and inclusion can have other benefits for your business other than those listed above. Nowadays, showing your company takes things like equity, diversity, and inclusion seriously is good for your brand image. It will also help you draw in more potential candidates as these company policies are very highly sought after and, unfortunately, not easy to find.
Employee Benefits and Perks
You may not think about it, but the benefits and perks your company offers your employees influence the recruitment process. Candidates are more likely to consider a position with your company if the salary, perks, and benefits meet their expectations. According to BuiltIn, 61% of job applicants say they are more likely to apply to a job if the salary is listed, which means offering a lower-than-market-rate salary or not providing a salary upfront will cause to you to miss out on roughly 40% of potential candidates.
Since most companies offer benefits like health insurance, 401Ks, and paid time off, offering creative benefits can help attract a higher number of candidates. Benefits like childcare and flexible schedules are examples of creative benefits that would appeal to potential candidates in this new age of remote work. Mental health is more recognized than ever, so offering mental health support programs or even stipends for fitness can help attract new talent.
Recruitment By Use of Social Media
Sometimes the best candidates are not actively looking for a new position. This makes recruitment practices like job boards ineffective at times. According to JobVite, 78% of recruiters have begun expanding their search for candidates beyond traditional sites such as LinkedIn, Indeed, or ZipRecruiter to social media sites. Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and even Instagram are now being used by recruiting and staffing agencies to source candidates. According to TimeRack, these social media sites are proving to be an effective way to reach younger candidates such as those in Generation Z.
Social media proves useful not only for recruiters but also for individual businesses and companies. Since the popularity of social media grows constantly, having a strong presence on social media is great for marketing and branding your business. Since recruiters are turning to social media for recruitment, potential candidates may be researching your company through your social media profiles. Having your social media profiles up to date and accurate will help you stand apart from your competition.
The key to keeping up with current trends is taking a proactive approach. That’s why we take the time to look at your business’s hiring needs now and how they might be changing so we can meet your needs in the most effective way possible. To learn more about the measures we are taking to keep up with current trends in the recruiting and staffing industry, give us a call today!
