The Information Technology (IT) industry is booming, with an expected growth of 12 percent in the next few years. Unfortunately, this success is being threatened by a looming labor shortage. There are not enough workers with the necessary skills to fill all of the open positions. This shortage is already causing problems for businesses and, quite likely, things won’t get better any time soon.
According to recent research by the US Department of Labor, the national fill rate after the pandemic reached 78%. In other words, there are 78 hires for every 100 job openings.
In June 2021, the United States had a record 10.1 million open positions, while the United Kingdom was experiencing its biggest worker shortage since 1997.
As an employer, you can’t expect that hiring strategies that worked in the past for you will work now as well. You need to reinvent your hiring processes and here are 5 ways how to do it!
If you want to attract top talent, be open-minded about where your employees can work from. Is it really necessary to have all your staff be in the office, at the same time?
The pandemic has shown that many jobs can be done remotely, so, don’t limit your search to candidates who live near your office. Instead, consider candidates from all over the country (or even the world). You may be surprised at the quality of talent you can find outside of the major cities.
Nowadays, the traditional nine-to-five working hours simply won’t do it. People crave more flexibility. Some employees may need to take off time during the day to pick up kids from schools. Others may prefer to work out during the day and continue working in the evening.
Work on building trust with your employees and be flexible about their working hours. After all, as long as the work gets done, does it really matter what time of the day are your employees working?
There is a big difference between hiring quickly and hiring efficiently. When trying to close an open job position, don’t rush through the process. Take the time to interview candidates properly and assess their skills. But, don’t make the process too long, otherwise, the candidates might drop out.
During your interviews, don’t focus only on skill assessment. Many companies nowadays prioritize finding candidates that are the right cultural fit for the company. By doing so, they significantly improve their employee retention rate.
If you want to stay ahead of the competition, you need to use technology in your recruitment process. There are many tools that can help you automate repetitive tasks and speed up the process.
For example, an applicant tracking system (ATS) can help you keep track of job applicants and their progress through the hiring process. ATS software can also help you score and rank candidates, based on their qualifications.
A stronger—and more transparent—employer brand will also enable you to self-select for the attributes you’re looking for in a new worker. While doing so may cause individuals who aren’t well-suited to go, those who appreciate what they see will stay.
When a company’s culture is clearly and accurately represented to job applicants, they know what they’re getting into from the very start. Transparency allows the candidates to decide whether the company is the right choice for them, and many are attracted to this type of attitude.
Labor shortage is a pressing issue for businesses all over the world. However, with a bit of creativity and innovation, you can find the best talent to help your business grow. Use the tips above to get started.
The pandemic has left an indelible mark on organizations, employees, and the workplace in general. To recruit and retain top talent on your team, keep an open mind, stay flexible, and be willing to adapt!
Popcorn Recruiters is a recruitment agency with a significant difference: we’re border-less. Located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, we are in touch with ambitious and talented professionals across Europe. With a deep pool of IT and foreign-language speaking talent, our Popcorn Recruiters are leading the way to successful matches.
As a specialized agency that focuses on recruitment and staffing for IT and operational business roles, Popcorn Recruiters are your go-to partners for filling one or more roles in your company.
Thanks to our pool of qualified candidates we offer our clients fast, flexible and reliable solutions to their hiring needs. Our experienced and certified IT recruiters are equipped to find the best talent to meet your specific needs.
Whether you want to scale quickly or expand to new markets and locations, Popcorn Recruiters will help you employ the best talent for your company.
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