Recruitment market update – April 2018

It’s been another busy start to the year in recruitment – both for our own business and for our clients.

After a somewhat quieter than usual recruitment market post-election, it’s been encouraging to see that the New Year has brought an influx of roles of all types and levels from a wide variety of industries.

We are delighted to be celebrating 14 years in business in June.  After this length of time we have certainly become accustomed to the ‘ups and downs’ of the economy and the recruitment market.  We have experienced various changes in employment legislation, health and safety rules and regulations and the expectations of employers and employees.

We explore this further in this issue, where we take a look at the much talked about ‘flexibility in the workplace’ and how offering flexibility to employees can help secure and retain high caliber people for your business.

With our insiders’ view on the recruitment market, we are often asked questions by our clients such as ‘what is the market like’; ‘how many candidates are out there’; ‘what is happening with salary levels’?.

Any time that there isn’t a balance between candidates in the market and jobs that are available, it creates recruitment challenges.  Right now, there aren’t enough appropriately skilled people for some of the job types available.  It’s often the case that specialist roles can be challenging to source candidates for, however it is important that all businesses focus on holding on to their current staff, and in some cases, need to offer more to secure the best candidates.

So, what can you be doing in your business to ensure you are prepared when you do need to recruit?

Firstly, work on your culture and employment brand.  This is the single most important thing you can do to attract and keep good people.  You don’t need to be Google or Apple to have a great culture. It’s the little things that all add up, and of course, it starts from the top.

Secondly, if you do have a great story to tell, make sure it’s articulated and anyone involved in the recruitment process is communicating that story well.  You’d be surprised how often this is missed and candidates aren’t getting the information they need to make a decision.  Candidates are attracted to companies that have a culture that fits with their personality – so communicate what that is!

Finally, make a compelling offer.  This isn’t just about salary (however, this has become very important to people – see our last newsletter around this topic), but also things like training, opportunities for growth, flexibility, social activities and perks.  Without these, you will not be keeping up with your competition.  It’s these things that add to your employment brand and do make a difference.

If you need help with your recruitment strategy and how to secure quality candidates, we’d be happy to listen to your situation and suggest where you could focus your effort.  We talk to candidates every day and they tell us what’s important to them. This can vary by job type, industry and level, so do talk to us about your business.

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