Grafton: Specialist Professional Recruitment Trends

The recruitment market has always been a complex one with a number of external factors driving behaviours and habits. Fast-forward to 2021 and technology has never played such an important part in how we continue to communicate, present and conduct business. The pandemic has forced some overdue changes in culture and performance. Remote working has been tried on the largest possible scale and we have had to embrace the change while still producing results and managing time in a much more effective manner. Almost overnight, when the first lockdown was implemented, remote working was no longer just an option just for the flexible few. It became a necessity for many. By April 2020 nearly half (46.6% of the UK workforce) did at least some work from home according to the Office of National Statistics. And this switch to homeworking and the flexibility it offers is unlikely to disappear as lockdown restrictions lift.
 

Candidates scrutinise prospective employers

However, the pandemic has also seen seismic shifts in other areas which organisations looking to recruit must pay attention. Now more than ever candidates are choosing culture, stability, wellbeing and technically equipped organisations ahead of those companies who have failed to respond to the shift in employee expectations. Diversity and inclusion is a more powerful driver for candidates than it is a focus for organisations, so those looking to attract candidates going forward must take heed of this. The forward-thinking organisations will be the ones in demand for the next generation of talent.

Exceptional candidates may be overlooked

In terms of recruitment practices, driven by necessity, virtual recruitment has increased but not without some issues for candidates and organisations. Judging cultural fit is much harder virtually, as is onboarding. So, organisations need to continue to invest in these areas. However, there is also a much greater risk of great candidates being overlooked due to things like poor connectivity. We’ve all experienced connectivity issues, stilted online meetings or frozen videos over the past 12 months, however from a recruitment process poor connectivity manifests itself in hiring managers assessing how easy will it be to work with this person in reality.

Booming sectors

Turning attention to the job market and increased demand for candidates, we envisage a growth in engineering and technical roles – particularly in the food sector - as businesses seek to ensure continued work flows to keep up with increased demand. Health & Safety and HR roles are also buoyant as businesses try to chart paths through unprecedented change to regulations and working practices brought about by Covid-19. E-Commerce, Construction and Finance and Banking are just some of the other sectors expected to grow in the coming months with the former experiencing a 143% uplift according to data published by LinkedIn.

For more expert insight into future recruitment trends, download our free whitepaper: Employment Trends 2021: What does the future hold? here.