As the economy continues to recover from the turbulence of the last two years, hiring efforts are ramping up. According to CNN, job postings have increased by over 121% as of December 14, 2021, compared to pre-pandemic levels.
However, posting open positions is not enough to attract top talent in this unique climate. Rather, organizations must leverage the latest recruitment market trends to fill vacancies and increase productivity.
With that in mind, the experts at eSkill have compiled a list of the top recruitment industry trends that will be an essential part of the hiring process in 2022. If you want to enhance your hiring efforts, consider incorporating these practices.
Heavy Reliance on Virtual Recruiting and Interviewing
While virtual recruiting was already trending before the pandemic, lockdowns and other protective measures accelerated the adoption of this practice. Even as millions of people return to the office, look for virtual recruiting and interviewing to remain prevalent in the future.
Virtual recruiting offers several benefits over traditional approaches like job fairs. The hiring staff no longer have to travel to physical locations to meet with prospective employees. Instead, they can create digital recruiting content such as social media posts, videos, and other forms of interactive enticement.
Highly virtual interviewing and onboarding will also be among the top recruitment market trends in 2022. Virtual interviews are much more efficient than in-person alternatives. The same goes for onboarding.
The hiring staff can provide new hires with all of the resources they need via email or other electronic media. These new team members can navigate onboarding materials at their own pace and reach out if they need additional information.
Increase in Remote Work Offers
Next up on our list of 2022 recruiting trends is an increase in remote work offers. Some experts estimate that nearly one-fourth of the workforce will be operating remotely by 2025 — in other words, over 35 million people.
While that may seem far-fetched, millions of people are already working from home. The latest generation of workers finds remote work particularly appealing. This appeal encourages many businesses to offer more remote working opportunities to attract quality talent.
A Focus on D&I
The recruitment industry is also focusing on D&I (diversity and inclusion). Having a culturally diverse workforce gives companies a huge advantage over their competitors. A diverse and inclusive working environment encourages creativity and helps businesses grow.
Increased reliance on remote workers is one factor that fuels efforts to become more diverse. Businesses no longer have to hire individuals based on their location. Instead, they can connect with talented employees around the world.
AI-centric Recruiting Practices
Artificial intelligence technology has advanced by leaps and bounds over the last few years. These automated solutions have broken into several sectors, including the recruiting industry. Businesses can use AI-based recruiting software to automate certain aspects of the hiring process. For instance, AI technology can analyze resumes, schedule interviews, and review the results of skills assessments.
Artificial intelligence software has another huge benefit. Through AI, businesses can eliminate subconscious bias from the candidate selection process. This means they are protected from civil liability while simultaneously promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Talk about a win-win scenario.
Increased Reliance on Skills Tests and Behavioral Assessments
Last up on our 2022 recruitment market trends list is the increased reliance on skills tests and behavioral assessments. Skills tests are online pre-employment screening tools that allow businesses to gauge the abilities of prospective candidates. Once a candidate completes an assessment, hiring teams can review their scores and topic-by-topic performance.
Skills tests can be used to measure either hard or soft skills. Hard skills refer to job-specific abilities. For instance, if your organization hires engineers, you can administer a Mechanical Engineering Skills assessment.
Conversely, soft skills are not directly related to a specific position. Examples of soft skills include office filing, spatial reasoning, and attention to detail. To be successful in a particular position, candidates must possess a good mix of both hard and soft skills.
In addition to skills tests, some organizations are deploying behavioral assessments. These assessments reveal valuable information about a person’s core personality traits. Businesses can learn more about how people think and what motivates them by using behavioral assessments.
Skills tests and behavioral assessments can streamline the hiring process. Businesses can use these screening tools to make better hiring decisions and screen candidates more efficiently.
Capitalize on Recruiting Trends with eSkill
It’s important to understand emerging recruitment industry trends and how they will affect your ability to remain competitive in 2022 and beyond. Request a demo to learn how implementing eSkill’s online testing and behavioral assessment solution can help you.