Archive for category: Employer Insights

2020 was a transformational year for recruitment. The onset of the pandemic and the rolling out of Brexit triggered significant changes within the sector. In this article, we will look at some of the biggest recruitment industry trends that are likely to dominate in 2021. 

Table of Contents

1. Smart Recruitment Technologies
2. Candidate-Driven Experience
3. Focus on Soft Skills
4. Responsive Employer Branding During The Age of COVID-19
5. Remote Recruiting & Onboarding

Trend 1: Smart Recruitment Technologies

In recent years, innovative technologies have disrupted the recruitment industry. Recruiters have applied start-of-the-art technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), to streamline and automate time-consuming jobs. 

Not only does this help to improve the quality of candidate searches but it also greatly accelerates the screening and sourcing process. This frees up the consultant from laborious admin so that they can focus on tasks that require more human skills such as creative problem-solving and relationship building. Another major benefit of AI is that it helps to eliminate unconscious bias to ensure greater diversity among candidates. 

Berkley has fully embraced these technologies. We use an advanced AI platform that curates dynamic talent pools to empower our team to identify and deliver the most suitable candidates. Our clients benefit from a partnership process that delivers a consistent pipeline of curated talent with more speed and accuracy.

Trend 2: Candidate-Driven Experience 

While many markets have experienced a downturn over the past year, we are still seeing some areas (e.g. tech) where there are more job openings than available candidates. This has resulted in a candidate-driven market in which companies are competing to attract top talent. 

When it comes to attracting new employees, reputation matters. An organisation’s recruitment process can be one of the biggest deciding factors for in-demand candidates. According to data from Deloitte, 87% of candidates say a positive recruitment experience can change their mind about a company they once doubted.  

To promote positive word-of-mouth, many employers are now investing more time and effort into developing a recruitment experience that puts the candidate first. By cultivating a reputation as a “candidate-friendly employer” organisations can enjoy an edge over their competitors. 

Characteristics of a Candidate-Driven Recruitment Process

• A clear and accurate job description 
• Easy application process
• Timely updates throughout the process 
• Transparent and clear communication style
• Respect for the candidate’s time
• Well-prepared interviewers 
• Feedback is provided throughout 

Trend 3: Focus on Soft Skills

Study after study forecasts that automation technology will have a transformative effect on the labour market. According to McKinsey, 45% of current paid activities can be automated. As automation technologies continue to grow in sophistication and popularity, many of the roles that require hard skills may eventually become defunct. 

One offshoot of this is that employers are now seeking out candidates with strong soft skills. In a time of increasing automation, one way employers are futureproofing their workforce is by attaching more value to inherently human skills that intelligent technology is incapable of recreating (e.g. creativity, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, critical thinking). McKinsey estimates that between now and 2030, demand for social and emotional skills will grow by 22% across all industries in Europe. 

Trend 4: Responsive Employer Branding During The Age of COVID-19

Whether or not they seek to develop it, every organisation has an employer brand. According to research from LinkedIn, 75% of job seekers consider this criterion before applying. As such, it is no surprise that organisations with attractive employer branding receive 50% more qualified applicants. Strong employer branding can boost an organisation’s credibility and give them a competitive edge. 

The ongoing pandemic has further highlighted the importance of maintaining a strong employer brand. For many candidates, an organisation’s response to the pandemic provides an invaluable insight into how they treat their employees and whether this aligns with their values. During interviews, candidates may ask how your organisation worked to protect employees during the pandemic. Brian Kropp, the Vice President of Research at Gartner, says that: 

“How your organisation answers this question will affect your ability to both attract new talent and retain the top talent you already have because it indicates not only what the employee experience might be like, but also because it provides a window into the organisation’s values.” 

As such, when communicating your employee branding it is important to strike the right balance between the head and heart. Transparency, positivity and sensitivity are key. Workplace health, safety and wellbeing measures will also require increased focus in your communications. 

Trend 5: Remote Recruiting & Onboarding

One of the biggest recruitment industry trends in 2020 was the digitalisation of the recruitment and onboarding processes. The first months of the pandemic provided organisations with a unique opportunity to conduct a trial run for remote recruiting. In 2021, remote technologies will likely become a permanent feature and candidates may come to view the recruiting process as an indication of how well the organisation has adapted to the new norm. 

As they reflect on their failures and successes of 2020, many organisations will now seek to apply these insights in order to refine and future-proof their remote recruiting and onboarding procedures. In addition to making the technological element as seamless as possible, they will also need to place renewed attention on promoting a positive and engaged virtual work environment for new hires. 

Key Takeaways: The Top Recruitment Industry Trends in 2021

In 2021, we are likely to see a continuation of the unique recruitment challenges that employers faced in 2020. By getting your hiring process in line with the latest industry trends and advancements you can give your organisation a competitive advantage in the war for talent. To learn more about the top recruitment industry trends in 2021 and beyond, contact Berkley to arrange a free consultation with one of our in-house experts.

To remain competitive in 2022 and beyond, organisations need to invest in upskilling existing employees in key areas and skills.

What is an Upskilling Programme?

Upskilling falls under the umbrella of talent development activities. It describes the further training that an individual may undertake to widen, update or specialise their professional skill-set. In 2021, an increasing number of organisations are realising that upskilling programmes are an effective way to bring their workforce into Industry 4.0.

Industry 4.0 & The Looming Skills Crisis

Recent years have seen significant advancements in the field of digital technologies (e.g. automation, analytics, IoT, AI) that are transforming the way we work. A key challenge for today’s organisations is figuring out how to prepare their workforce for the fourth industrial revolution. Organisations that fail to embrace these new technologies are likely to fall victim to digital Darwinism.

“As it currently stands, 25% of the global workforce will either need to find new professional activities by 2020 or significantly broaden their technological skills as well as their digital citizenship and classic skills, including their cross-disciplinary skills.”

– “Closing the Future Skills Gap”, McKinsey

Numerous studies have revealed that there is a profound structural shift taking place in the workforce, as skills and occupations that were once essential are heading towards irrelevance. Employers have a key leadership role to play when it comes to addressing this looming skills crisis.

Why Start an Upskilling Programme?

Employee Retention 

Upskilling initiatives demonstrate that your organisation values its employers and is invested in their growth. In a recent TalentLMS survey, 58% of participants agreed that upskilling has had a highly positive effect on employee retention rates. This retention boost will result in additional benefits including improved employee engagement and decreased recruitment costs.

Boost Morale & Productivity

Upskilling initiatives have also been linked with improved levels of employee morale, engagement and motivation. Happier employees not only contribute to a more pleasant working environment but also lead to better productivity and ROI for your organisation. TalentLMS data backs this up with 91% of companies and 81% of employees saying upskilling/reskilling training has boosted productivity at work.

“Good employees always want to continue moving up, forward, earning more, learning more, etc. If they aren’t offered continuous opportunity to grow their skills, grow personally and learn new things that interest them… or earn enough in compensation and benefits to make them feel comfortable, then they will look elsewhere for a career and company that does offer these things.”

– “What Makes Good Employees Quit?”, Buzzz

Enhance Your Employee Value Proposition 

According to Gallup, 87% of millennials look for professional development and career growth opportunities in their jobs. Demonstrating your organisation’s commitment to talent development can have a hugely beneficial effect on your reputation. Satisfied employees are more likely to spread the word about your organisation and leave positive reviews on online platforms. This positive PR can only strengthen your employee value proposition which will make it easier to entice high-impact professionals to join your organisation.

Upskilling & The Rise of Hybrid Employees

Another way in which the jobs market has changed is the rise of hybrid employees. Increasingly, employers are seeking candidates who have a range of skills that wouldn’t traditionally be found on the same CV together. Hybrid employees are adaptable and can work across a diverse range of projects. In a 2019 report, Burning Glass analysed a database of nearly a billion job ads and forecast that 25% of jobs show signs of hybridisation. They identified five key areas were hybrid employees were particularly sought after:

1. Big data and analytics
2. The intersection of design and development
3. Sales and customer service
4. Emerging digital technologies
5. Evolving compliance and regulatory landscape

Whereas 42% of traditional jobs could be automated, just 12% of hybrid jobs could be automated. As such, it makes sense for employers to look into ways of hybridising their workforce in order to get the most out of their employees.

Who to Target?

Organisations with limited resources may want to initially focus their upskilling efforts on the people that need it the most. So how do you identify these?

• The first thing you should do is to analyse trends in your industry and identify the people within your organisation who are likely to be affected by these changes.
• Alternatively, you could take a top-down approach by starting with management. This might be a good place to start as 74% of employees think their managers need reskilling and upskilling training.

Once you have identified your test group, carefully consider how you could tailor the content and delivery of the course to their needs, abilities, interests and values.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

Once you have identified a group of employees to participate in an upskilling programme, the next step is to determine the skills you will target.

“…businesses also see the nurturing of human skills, particularly leadership, creativity, empathy and curiosity, as essential if they are to take advantage of the potential benefits of new technologies. As a result, although purely functional skills related to automation and AI are often essential for business growth, they are not enough; they won’t suffice without these more ‘high-touch’ managerial and people-oriented capabilities.”

– “Talent Trends 2019”, PwC

For those in highly-technical roles, you may wish to help them to develop soft skills that will enable them to collaborate better or progress into management positions. Whereas, employees whose work demands a high level of soft skills may benefit from a course on hard skills that may help them to perform more efficiently or communicate better with more technical divisions.

For many companies, it is a challenge to predict what digital skills will be required over the next five to ten years. Many digital skills have a short shelf life, so it’s important to invest in the ones that are right for you. However, a survey of executives in the US, found that 42% admit they currently lack a “good understanding of how automation and/or digitization will affect our future skills needs.” As such, it is key to develop up-to-the-minute industry knowledge so you can confidently identify the skills that your workforce needs to work on now.

Upskilling Your Workforce: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Consider how an upskilling programme could support your organisation’s overall goals.

2. Complete a company-wide skills audit and identify gaps in your current employees’ knowledge. You could do this by holding discussions with co-workers, managers, and leadership, sending out an organization-wide survey or by running focus groups.

3. Compare the various upskilling methods and find the one that works best for your organisation. Weigh them up in terms of effectiveness, cost, ease of implementation and employee convenience. Some options include:

• • Classroom Training
  • Blended Learning
  • Virtual Classroom Training
  • Microlearning
  • Lunch and Learn sessions
  • Mentors

4. Compile your research and ideas into an upskilling strategy report and present to the relevant stakeholders. Be sure to highlight how this programme aligns with the organisation’s overall goals and identify metrics that will measure how the programme is supporting these goals.

5. Once you have buy-in from leadership, consider how your organisation can foster a culture of learning. In other words, how can you support employees in their learning endeavors. A key part of this is to allocate time for employees to upskill so that they don’t have to study when they’re off the clock.

6. Continuously seek out feedback from upskilling programme participants so you can tweak and improve it.

7. Upon completion of the programme, arrange a meeting with the participants so you can discuss their feedback and create a post-training action plan.

Case Study: Amazon

In July 2019, Amazon launched “Upskilling 2025” – a $700 million programme aimed at retraining and developing 100,000 of its employees over the course of the next six years. The initiative targets employees across various locations  in the US including its corporate offices, technology centers, warehouses, retail stores and transportation hubs. As the retail giant automates more and more of its processes, this initiative will help employees to transition to new positions by teaching them in-demand skills for fast-growing technical and non-technical roles such as data mapping specialist, data scientist, software and security engineers and business analyst roles. Ardine Williams, Vice President of People Operations, Amazon, in an interview on the Chief Learning Officer blog outlined further by stating that the programme was designed to “meet employees where they are and create opportunities for them to build on the skills that they have.”

Have a question about how to upskill your employees? Why not talk to one of our consultants today!