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The trends shaping recruitment and the ways outsourcing can help your business achieve its talent ambitions.
Spanning director to advisor level, as well as independent consultants across the people space – covering roles in HR, talent and ED&I – and in sectors such as digital, IT, manufacturing, infrastructure, FMCG and more, we sought to dissect the challenges that are dominating talent strategies in the wake of COVID-19 and those that will shape our futures.
There was a record high of 1.1 million job vacancies in the United Kingdom in the three months to September 2021 – over half a million more compared to the same period in 2020 when the country was in the true throes of the pandemic. Running parallel to this was a national unemployment rate of 4.3 per cent. This equates to around 2.15 million people over the age of 20 being out of work.
The maths sounds simple – there should be two people available for every job on offer. Employers should be overwhelmed with choice. And yet, the opposite is true.
Employers should be overwhelmed with choice. And yet, the opposite is true.
50%
‘very concerned’ about their organisation’s ability to find enough talent to meet demand.
Major challenges in filling talent gaps
INCREASED COSTS
DEMAND FROM COMPETITORS
a lack of relevant skillsets
fluctuating employee preferences
As part of our own research, 27 per cent of businesses said they’re hiring more people on average per month than before COVID-19, but there are major challenges in doing so.
Demand from competitors (49%), increased costs (33%), fluctuating employee preferences (33%) and a lack of relevant skillsets (33%) was identified as the main barriers to fulfilling talent holes, leaving 50 per cent of participants ‘very concerned' about their organisation’s ability to find enough talent to meet demand.
1 in 6
are looking for the support of an outsourced recruitment provider
1 in 10
are wanting an outsourced hiring expert to work on-site at all times
1 in 4
are looking to hire based on values and work ethic, rather than qualifications
When it comes to overcoming the skills shortage specifically, employers are changing tack and broadening their horizons; more than a quarter said the pandemic has encouraged them to hire based on values and work ethic, rather than qualifications, meaning they’re likely to have access to wider talent pools.
However, many don’t know how to begin updating their hiring policies and employer brand to implement and promote this change in approach.
Is the solution to outsource?
The majority of respondents said they have fewer than six people in their hiring team, while only one in 10 have more than 12 talent experts in-house. When hiring is so key to business growth for in-demand sectors, a lack of available resource to fill the mass of vacancies will be leading to burnout in HR and talent teams. Furthermore, as jobs across businesses go unfilled, a domino effect is instigated; productivity drops, causing a financial drain on the company, with one team after another experiencing major fatigue.
EMPLOYEE WELLBEING
Research undertaken by McKinsey & Company revealed that employees’ hopes for the future centre less on earning an increased salary, and more on the way their jobs can feed into their lifestyles, which have changed because of the pandemic.
Better work-life balance (51%), greater flexibility for day-to-day work (49%), and increased focus on employee wellbeing (47%) are top of the agenda for people looking for new jobs. Additionally, people want to feel more valued by their organisation, strive for a sense of belonging and want to know there is potential for advancement in their careers.
51%
of women have said they are less optimistic about their career prospects than before the pandemic
57%
are planning to leave their current position within the next two years
Typically, these are all factors of the working world that could be improved upon with basic policy changes. But communicating that to candidates who’ve been severely impacted by the pandemic – perhaps becoming disillusioned with their roles entirely – and encouraging them to believe your business offers something different, is a much harder task.
For example, 51 per cent of women have said they are less optimistic about their career prospects than before the pandemic; as a result, a similar percentage (57%) are planning to leave their current position within the next two years.
Employee disillusion & the great resignation
Discussions with clients demonstrate, though, that lots of businesses are out of touch with how their employer brand translates in the crowded candidate marketplace. Many don’t have the data and insights at their disposal to understand how their company’s employer brand is perceived compared to that of their competitors, and don’t have the resource to delve into why a potential candidate might choose an alternative job role to the one they’re offering.
An outsourced recruitment provision helps overcome this challenge and 95 per cent of respondents said they would expect an RPO to support them in developing their employer brand to ensure they were front of mind with potential candidates.
Nine out of 10 say their employer brand is still relevant post Covid, though across the board many want to make improvements in certain areas.
Additional trends are emerging which have the potential to leapfrog the challenges that have dominated recruitment since the strike of the pandemic...
"Talent teams themselves have been under the cosh during one of the most career-defining periods in history.
THE 2022 TALENT LANDSCAPE
Additional trends are emerging which have the potential to leapfrog the challenges that have dominated recruitment since the strike of the pandemic...
"It used to be that you would cast a net and the fish would come. Right now, it’s the opposite.
THE 2022 TALENT LANDSCAPE
Additional trends are emerging which have the potential to leapfrog the challenges that have dominated recruitment since the strike of the pandemic...
"Companies shouldn’t be making decisions without data.
IS IT TIME TO OUTSOURCE
Outsourcing recruitment is a big decision.
Put the joy back into recruitment.
At RPOne by Morson, we listen, we shape, we understand, and we solve.
The trends shaping recruitment and the ways outsourcing can help your business achieve its talent ambitions.
There was a record high of 1.1 million job vacancies in the United Kingdom in the three months to September 2021 – over half a million more compared to the same period in 2020 when the country was in the true throes of the pandemic. Running parallel to this was a national unemployment rate of 4.3 per cent. This equates to around 2.15 million people over the age of 20 being out of work.
The maths sounds simple – there should be two people available for every job on offer. Employers should be overwhelmed with choice. And yet, the opposite is true.
Spanning director to advisor level, as well as independent consultants across the people space – covering roles in HR, talent and ED&I – and in sectors such as digital, IT, manufacturing, infrastructure, FMCG and more, we sought to dissect the challenges that are dominating talent strategies in the wake of COVID-19 and those that will shape our futures.
Employers should be overwhelmed with choice. And yet, the opposite is true.
50%
‘very concerned’ about their organisation’s ability to find enough talent to meet demand.
As part of our own research, 27 per cent of businesses said they’re hiring more people on average per month than before COVID-19, but there are major challenges in doing so.
Demand from competitors (49%), increased costs (33%), fluctuating employee preferences (33%) and a lack of relevant skillsets (33%) was identified as the main barriers to fulfilling talent holes, leaving 50 per cent of participants ‘very concerned' about their organisation’s ability to find enough talent to meet demand.
Is the solution to outsource?
1 in 4
are looking to hire based on values and work ethic, rather than qualifications
1 in 10
are wanting an outsourced hiring expert to work on-site at all times
1 in 6
are looking for the support of an outsourced recruitment provider
When it comes to overcoming the skills shortage specifically, employers are changing tack and broadening their horizons; more than a quarter said the pandemic has encouraged them to hire based on values and work ethic, rather than qualifications, meaning they’re likely to have access to wider talent pools.
However, many don’t know how to begin updating their hiring policies and employer brand to implement and promote this change in approach.
The majority of respondents said they have fewer than six people in their hiring team, while only one in 10 have more than 12 talent experts in-house. When hiring is so key to business growth for in-demand sectors, a lack of available resource to fill the mass of vacancies will be leading to burnout in HR and talent teams. Furthermore, as jobs across businesses go unfilled, a domino effect is instigated; productivity drops, causing a financial drain on the company, with one team after another experiencing major fatigue.
EMPLOYEE WELLBEING
Research undertaken by McKinsey & Company revealed that employees’ hopes for the future centre less on earning an increased salary, and more on the way their jobs can feed into their lifestyles, which have changed because of the pandemic.
Better work-life balance (51%), greater flexibility for day-to-day work (49%), and increased focus on employee wellbeing (47%) are top of the agenda for people looking for new jobs. Additionally, people want to feel more valued by their organisation, strive for a sense of belonging and want to know there is potential for advancement in their careers.
57%
are planning to leave their current position within the next two years
51%
of women have said they are less optimistic about their career prospects than before the pandemic
Employee disillusion & the great resignation
Typically, these are all factors of the working world that could be improved upon with basic policy changes. But communicating that to candidates who’ve been severely impacted by the pandemic – perhaps becoming disillusioned with their roles entirely – and encouraging them to believe your business offers something different, is a much harder task.
For example, 51 per cent of women have said they are less optimistic about their career prospects than before the pandemic; as a result, a similar percentage (57%) are planning to leave their current position within the next two years.
Discussions with clients demonstrate, though, that lots of businesses are out of touch with how their employer brand translates in the crowded candidate marketplace. Many don’t have the data and insights at their disposal to understand how their company’s employer brand is perceived compared to that of their competitors, and don’t have the resource to delve into why a potential candidate might choose an alternative job role to the one they’re offering.
An outsourced recruitment provision helps overcome this challenge and 95 per cent of respondents said they would expect an RPO to support them in developing their employer brand to ensure they were front of mind with potential candidates.
Nine out of 10 say their employer brand is still relevant post Covid, though across the board many want to make improvements in certain areas.
"Talent teams themselves have been under the cosh during one of the most career-defining periods in history.
Additional trends are emerging which have the potential to leapfrog the challenges that have dominated recruitment since the strike of the pandemic...
"It used to be that you would cast a net and the fish would come. Right now, it’s the opposite.
"Companies shouldn’t be making decisions without data.
Put the joy back into recruitment.
Outsourcing recruitment is a big decision.
IS IT TIME TO OUTSOURCE
At RPOne by Morson, we listen, we shape, we understand, and we solve.