Like every industry, recruitment is constantly evolving. Economic factors, tech development and the rise and fall of certain brands have all helped to shape an industry that doesn’t look anything like it did a decade ago. But what about the future of the recruitment sector – we’ve seen how it has changed but what can we expect it to look like in the future?
The environmental factor
No, not the natural planet (although Corporate Social Responsibility increasingly has a part to play in attracting candidates) but the working environment. More and more we are beginning to see working conditions as a factor in whether or not candidates accept a job offer. In fact, more than half of job seekers won’t take a job if it means putting up with dated offices for example. So, employers will need to think more about conditions candidates really want to work in to attract the best talent.
A shrinking pool of candidates
The ability to attract – and retain – talent is already a concern for many employers who are keen to ensure that they are working with the best people. A misguided recruitment process lies at the heart of problems with staff retention and could prove increasingly problematic as the pool of top candidates begins to shrink in the coming years. It’s going to be more and more important for businesses to review recruitment, from implementing better diversity checks to ensuring brand values and job descriptions align.
The impact of Brexit on graduates
Almost half of graduates have decided to reconsider long-term career plans as a result of the Brexit vote (according to a report by Korn Ferry) and the wave of European talent coming into the UK via universities has significantly stalled. For many organisations this is going to require a rethink of the way that graduate recruitment is handled to make it more effective. It’s a mistake to assume that graduates are so desperate to be in work that they will make serious compromises – the reality is that they have a very good understanding of their worth and employers need to upgrade recruitment strategies to take into account recent changes, such as Brexit, to ensure that the best graduates are being attracted – and retained.
The necessity of investing in digital skills training
While artificial intelligence has been hitting the headlines as one of the biggest potential threats to the existing recruitment market, in fact the most serious issue for UK employers could be a lack of digital skills training. A shortage of digital skills in the very near future could leave employers who don’t invest in training with a poor recruitment success rate while struggling to achieve strategic objectives.
The 2i Recruit team always are always focused on how the recruitment sector is evolving. If you’d like to talk about how we could help you to manage future recruitment challenges, contact us on 01483 414719 to find out more.
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