Recruiting firms often re-evaluate staffing trends in early January, but it can be easy to lose sight of how these changes affect your business over the course of the year. Technological advancements, changes in the workforce, and the economy have made the greatest impact on staffing trends this year. As recruiters, it’s important to keep track of these changes, so you can continue to have a competitive advantage over finding the top candidates to place in your jobs. Having a greater understanding of technological trends and workforce changes can give you this edge.
- Technological Trends
More and more staffing firms are relying on AI software to help recruit top candidates. According to a survey done by Indeed.com, 61% of employers anticipate hiring more employees in 2018 than they did in 2017. Factor Finders predicted that because of this increase in hiring, more recruiting firms will be relying on software to sort through applications. While this kind of software can help you to single out candidates with the skills that fit the needs of your client, getting a sense of their personality or “soft skills” is something that recruiters will continue to do far better.
Technological shifts don’t only apply to software for recruiting, however. Staying on top of your business’s social media presence remains the most important technological mainstay for recruiting. Spicing up your social media content, from mixing up job postings with interesting articles and employee highlights to video content that promotes your business, will attract more talent. Determine what kinds of candidates you’re hiring in order to choose which social media platforms you will prioritize. LinkedIn can seem like enough, but Instagram or Pinterest might reach more of the type of candidates you are searching for, especially as Gen Z job seekers enter the market at higher numbers.
- Workforce changes
As unemployment rates decrease and more businesses are hiring, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to qualified candidates. According to Barbara Hammerberg, there is a noticeable skills gap between job candidates and a growing number of positions as more fields are requiring technical knowledge that they once did not. On the other hand, staffing companies are having to work harder to retain top candidates. One way to do this, Hammerberg suggests, is reconsidering your job descriptions. Top candidates, who can be more choosy these days, require that you give more details about available jobs and keep an open and approachable line of communication. According to Pereless Systems, re-wording your job descriptions to advertise the benefits of the position is an effective strategy of drawing in more talent.
For more information about recruiting and hiring, contact your hiring experts at Staffers today. We specialize in office clerical and have temporary, temp-to-perm, and direct hire services. We look forward to speaking with you soon!
