The COVID-19 Pandemic has had a significant impact on recruitment as we know it and will leave lasting impacts on how we recruit for years to come. Pair that with the current, severe talent shortages faced by Australian businesses around the country and you have a significant challenge for even the most talented recruiters we have to offer. Recruiting the perfect candidate is now harder than ever, and represents a worry for 73% of Australian business owners in 2022 according to a study done by the Ai Group.
Since 2020, recruitment agencies and their recruiters have had to learn to adapt faster than any other period of time. Pre-pandemic hiring practices are now accident and unused, leadership talent pools are practically non-existent, and people are working remotely more than ever.
Australian Recruitment is an ever-evolving industry that experiences a constant change in strategy and trends. In this article, we will discuss the trends we believe are taking the recruiting industry by storm, whether we like them, and what you can do to stay in front of your competition.
Now that we have had 2 years to learn and experiment with a new wave of recruitment in Australia, it is time to reflect on what has benefitted recruiters and how to take advantage of the trends we are and have experienced.
What is changing?
In short, everything. But if you mean what has been affected the most, well that’s exactly what we will cover in this article.
Here are the Main 2 Changes COVID-19 Has Caused to the Recruitment Industry in 2022:
- Recruiting is Now Candidate Driven
- There Has Been an Increase in Recruiter Demand
Candidate Driven Recruitment Market
Due to talent shortages in Australia, the Recruitment Market is currently referred to as ‘Candidate Driven’. This means that there is more competition for employers as opposed to employees. As the competition and scarcity increase, workers begin to become more willing to leave current positions for pay increases, more ideal working environments, or larger benefits packages.
Because of this market pressure, employers and their Human Resource Departments should be constantly looking for ways to better the experience for both potential candidates and existing employees. In doing so, you will not only improve the level of talent you are able to attract but you will also reduce the number of employees that leave lowered away with more attractive monetary packages.
As the employer, you must make a consistent effort to make existing employees feel like a valued team member that is recognised among others. If not, they are naturally going to begin exploring options elsewhere.
Increased Demand for Recruiters
According to LinkedIn, the number of job postings for recruiters on their platform has risen 280% since Pre-Pandemic times. Since an all-time low for recruiter positions on LinkedIn in May of 2020, the number of positions has multiplied by more than 7 times! Revelio Lads shows that recruitment positions at public companies have risen 120% since 2008, while all other positions have risen approximately 40%. At the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, we saw tis percentage decrease, however, it was followed by a sharp incline shortly after unlike other occupations.
Right now, Recruiters are in red hot demand again caused by the shortage of talent in Australia, especially among skilled workers. Over the last year, there has been a steep increase in the demand for recruiters and the scarcity of skilled candidates has dwindled. Because of this, employers need the help of a high-quality recruiter that can find the talent they are seeking.
What you can do as an employer?
As an employer, it is more important than ever to deliver a positive work environment to your employees. This will prevent you from ever getting into a short-staff situation where you can no longer operate your business or deliver the service you wish to.
Although, if you do find yourself needing to hire, make your candidate feel welcome and comfortable. Get help hiring by well-regarded recruiters that can have your positions filled with high-quality candidates through the use of seamless Recruitment Software like RDB.
