It is no secret that the past year has been a challenging one for many people. The cost-of-living crisis coming fast on the heels of the pandemic has forced many companies to re-evaluate their recruitment and employment practices. Significant skills shortage in the UK, an increase in the demand for more hybrid working methods, the explosion in AI-powered technology – all these and more have driven trends in recruitment.

To maintain a competitive edge, companies must be aware of and keep up with these trends. Ignoring them, or pretending that it does not affect them, will, in time, erode the trust and confidence that potential employees have and turn them into competitors who have their fingers more on the pulse.

We have highlighted seven key trends that companies need to incorporate into their working practices when it comes to recruitment if they are to stay ahead of their game.

Increase in remote working practices

When the world shut down in the spring of 2020, companies had to pivot to integrate remote working practices rapidly. Zoom and Teams became everyday parlance as employees, where possible, set up offices in corners of their homes and wove their professional lives with their personal.

For thousands, this gave them an opportunity to find a better, healthier work-life balance that they are reluctant to relinquish.

Companies are advised these days to incorporate hybrid working jobs into their employment practices for those roles where it is relevant. The opportunity to maintain a healthier work-life balance is a significant incentive for many to favour one potential employer over another.

Focus on employee well-being

Continuing that theme of finding a good work-life balance for your employees, one of the biggest incentives is the integration of an employee well-being strategy that offers a number of practical benefits aimed at improving the overall emotional and physical well-being of your workforce.

An employee well-being strategy can include everything from membership in a local gym to onsite counselling if required. Many schemes also include app-based mental health and stress awareness programmes.

Greater emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion

Apart from the fact that the Equality Act 2010 defends an employee’s right not to be discriminated against in the workplace, promoting a working culture that is steeped in diversity, equity, and inclusion will create an environment that is much more productive.

Increased use of technology in recruitment

Recruitment technology has gone through a bit of a revolution just lately. The process has been re-designed to be much more time efficient, targeted and precise than before.

From an initial triage to online psychometric assessments to video interviews – much of the leg work in recruiting can be significantly reduced to make the processes leaner and more efficient.

Greater use of data analytics

The recruitment industry has been one sector that has embraced the use of artificial intelligence in its processes, and this has given us insight into the trends that drive working practices across the UK. When you consider that there is a skills shortage in the UK and that many potential employers are cognisant of the demand for their skills and knowledge, having access to the data behind recruitment trends puts companies in a much stronger position when they are on a recruitment drive.

Upskilling and reskilling

As well as streamlining recruitment processes, upskilling and reskilling are key trends for companies to adopt if they want to protect current employees and discourage them from moving elsewhere.

Introducing a structured programme of professional training and development for both hard and soft skills will ensure current employees are kept engaged and invested in working for your company in the long term.

We’re here to help you stay ahead of the recruitment game- get started today!