Even before COVID-19 took every industry by storm, emerging HR tools and new ways of working were paving the way for new hiring and recruitment practices. A World Economic Forum report states, 84% of employers plan to expand remote working. Today, going to the office is a concept of the past. New models of work are everywhere. Diversity and inclusion are more important than ever. Competitive compensation structures are not enough to retain employees.
So to win in this new working environment, HR leaders and recruiters need to stay on top of emerging recruiting and hiring trends. Here are what we see as the top 3 emerging recruitment trends going into 2022:
Trend #1: Remote recruitment is here to stay
The pivot to remote-first hiring over the last year has positively impacted organizations and the way they recruit talent whether it is experienced or early talent. The benefits of remote recruitment for recruiters are crystal clear:
- Faster time-to-hire
- Access to a larger and more diverse talent pool
- Saves on HR costs such as traveling to different locations to recruit, arranging booths at job fairs, and so on
- Helps your employer brand feel up to date
- Access to more diverse skill sets
With regards to early talent development programs like internships and apprenticeships, they too have seen the rise of virtual recruiting since 2019. University career fairs have become redundant and university recruitment leaders believe it’s for the better! Remote recruiting has enabled university recruiters to connect with students across any school, and diverse and niche candidates who may have been in limited supply at in-person ‘target’ schools and career fairs.
While the benefits of remote hiring are clear, it is critical for you, as a talent acquisition leader, to focus on finding the right platforms that will help scale your remote hiring efforts and seamlessly integrate with your existing HR tech stack.
Trend #2: Commitment to DE&I is a must
DEI efforts are no longer a ‘good to have’ but a ‘must have’ criterion for most employees. According to a recent RippleMatch survey, the next generation of talent wants to see real results from Diversity and Inclusion initiatives. Not just employees, businesses are also realizing that diversity and inclusion is not just a feel-good initiative, but is central to a company’s success. This is quite clear from McKinsey’s Diversity Wins report which shows that more diversity has led to better profitability. Companies in the top-quartile for ethnic/cultural diversity on executive teams were 33% more likely to have industry-leading profitability. And companies in the top-quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 21% more likely to outperform on profitability and 27% more likely to have superior value creation.
Here are some ways to integrate DEI into your talent strategy:
- Hold each other accountable throughout the team: Call out when something is not right. As a leader, holding a precedent is key to building an inclusive team.
- It is of utmost importance to have a DEI committee on the team.
- Onboard vendors for recruitment that specialize in DEI.
- Make sure your team is representative of the diversity you are seeking. Have people that are authentic, and genuinely want to work in the space.
- Keep in mind these pillars of a diversity strategy: People, Culture, Market, and Community.
Trend #3: Yes, recruitment chatbots are worth the hype, especially in today’s times!
With The Great Resignation taking place in full swing, most companies are in dire need of more candidates, which means companies need to cast a wider net today than ever before, to recruit quality candidates. With recruitment chatbots, companies can qualify a much higher number of candidates for available positions. But first, what are recruitment chatbots? Recruitment chatbots, considered an HR manager’s dream assistant, are basically conversational interface platforms that perform the preliminary recruitment process. These chatbots are powered with AI and NLP capabilities which make them more disruptive and powerful.
A recent survey conducted by Jobvite reported that over half (51 percent) of surveyed recruiters said their organization uses chatbots in the recruiting process. Here are some benefits of leveraging chatbots to recruit:
- Ability to qualify a larger number of candidates in a short period of time
- Quick responses to job applications hence improving candidate experience
- Quick interview scheduling
Stay one step ahead in 2022 by keeping track of recruitment trends! To stay up to date with the latest in talent acquisition and development, subscribe to Symba’s blog right away.
