Recruitment Trends To Watch For 2018
Last year was a great year for the recruitment sector, thanks to the opening of nearly 900 new agencies according to OnRec and a total revenue from permanent and temporary placements reaching £32.2 billion in 2016/17.
Great stuff! Though the emergence of numerous newcomers to the market means there's some tough competition right now. For the year ahead, those that cut it in line with the ever-evolving recruitment trends will be those that help shape the game.
So, what's coming this year for recruiters and HR professionals?
CRM Systems
Most recruiters worth their salt are using some form of technology in their search and selection process. Great CRM improves the candidate and client experience and makes the process slicker for all involved. 68% of recruiters are using it to manage sales and 78% to track candidate activity according to Bullhorn.
Newer, faster, more intuitive systems are already in the making, as the recruitment industry sees the need to make processes more streamlined and both candidate and client focussed.
Mobile Technology
Today's jobseekers are searching from the tips of their fingers, thanks to the mobile friendliness of all major job sites. Hppy have revealed that 70% of job seekers visit a recruitment website via their mobile, and around 50% have applied for a job via their phone.
So, it’s no wonder the recruitment industry is jostling to develop their mobile technology for prime candidate targeting and client management.
‘One-click’ buttons for job applications are being identified as a priority in 2018, as well as simplicity in design and a focus on speed. Career-hungry job seekers wait for no-one. Not even slow loading sites.
Artificial Intelligence
AI continues to make strides in the recruitment industry, with bigger, better opportunities arising for recruiters.
AI can help streamline the recruitment process thanks to chatbots, which reduce the time taken to respond to candidates' basic questions online.
Social Media
LinkedIn still remains King of the career hubs for business leaders, professionals and job seekers. However, Facebook and Google are stepping their game up for recruiters thanks to job opening features.
GDPR
From May 2018, the controls enforced by GDPR will impact the way we, as recruiters, process and control candidate data. The recruitment industry deals with data every day, meaning we have to ensure the correct procedures are in place over the next few months.
The Gig Economy
More companies are choosing to hire talent on temporary or freelance contracts to save money and avoid the need to offer additional benefits such as paid leave and pensions. This could see recruiters targeting different talent pools and searching on a whole new level.