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Where are the talented candidates? This is the question recruitment agencies are facing, with the latest trends pointing towards a severe talent shortage across all industries.
The fact that unemployment is at its lowest in 50 years is good news for job seekers but poses a tricky challenge for anyone looking to fill a vacancy. A 2024 report by Manpower reveals that 75 percent of employers are finding it difficult to fill roles.
So, is it all bad news for recruiters? Things are generally looking up. Staffing Hub’s latest State of Staffing Report reveals that recruitment firms anticipate growth this year. According to CNBC, people are seeking new roles, with almost fifty percent intending to leave their jobs in 2024.
While 2024 promises to be a year of growth for recruiting agencies, leaders are right to be cautious. There are still numerous staffing challenges to overcome.
This article reveals the key recruitment industry trends emerging in 2024 and highlights the most pressing challenges facing staffing firms this year.
Key Staffing Trends Shaping 2024
- AI continues to revolutionize the staffing process, and fast-growing agencies are capitalizing on AI-driven tools and algorithms and leveraging data.
- Candidate expectations are high; creating an excellent candidate experience is critical.
- Quality of hire is topping the recruiting agenda.
- Staying agile is vital for meeting modern hiring needs.
- Accentuating the human touch, getting to know candidates and clients better, and delivering superior services will define stand-out recruiters.
- To fuel growth, recruiting firms plan to adopt new technologies.
Top 11 Challenges Staffing Agencies Are Facing
1. Unearthing Talent
There’s been much talk about skills shortages in recent years, but with a staggering number of people moving jobs or intending to, it’s not a lack of talent that’s the problem. The issue is more about sifting through a sea of candidates to find the right one. A Morgan McKinley study found that 80 percent of employers are struggling or having to work hard to hire the right candidates.
Another significant challenge for recruiters is how to hook increasingly discerning candidates, many of whom want their next job to be better paid, offer greater flexibility, and enable better work-life balance.
Despite a buoyant number of potential candidates, finding one with the exact blend of skills, experience, and qualifications takes a lot of work.
A key trend in securing a great hire now is the need to reskill or upskill candidates who may not have the specified certifications or qualifications but fit the company in all other ways.
Candidates who share a company’s values, fit most of the job criteria, and are keen to learn can successfully fill a position once they receive appropriate training.
According to Staffing Hub’s recent survey, recruiters still rate referrals and LinkedIn as the best sources for new candidates.
2. Updating Tech and Moving with the Times
Technology is advancing rapidly. According to Staffing Hub’s State of Staffing Report 2024, technology and AI are among the most significant opportunities for driving growth. It’s no wonder fast-growth agencies are doubling down on technology investments this year.
Microsoft and LinkedIn’s report on AI at work notes that employees want AI at work and won’t wait for companies to catch up. AI is helping employees keep up with the pace of increasing work volumes and is boosting their creativity. AI skills like Copilot and ChatGPT are increasingly being added to peoples’ LinkedIn profiles.
Within recruitment, GenAI is also being used to bring conversational AI into hiring workflows, saving recruiters time. AI-powered recruiting helps with job postings, creating job descriptions and candidate profiles, screening candidates, interviews, communication, creating job offers, and much more.
The challenge for recruiting agencies is choosing the right tech. Respondents to Staffing Hub’s survey rated their Applicant Tracking System (ATS) as the most valuable software solution.
3. Automation, Workflow Efficiencies, and Speed
A massive challenge for recruiters is workload. But slow and cumbersome processes are common and a sure way to miss out on snapping up the best talent. Speed is critical in the hiring process. Top talent is usually hired within 10 days of being on the market—recruitment automation matters.
You won’t be in the business long if you’re still recruiting the old-fashioned way. The name of the game is speed and efficiency. Finding the best candidates quickly to fill open jobs is the sure way to demonstrate superior business performance to your clients.
Using automation is more than a trend; it’s a necessity for staffing firms. Fast-growth agencies are ahead of the curve. They are twice as likely as slow-growth agencies to have automated performance monitoring, credentialing, and pre-screening interviews.
The top three processes agencies plan to automate this year are:
- Resume screening
- Sourcing
- Candidate communication
4. Breaking Free From Outdated Strategies
Taking the view, “It ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, is a dangerous game to play. Just because a strategy is well-established, it doesn’t mean it will always work or it’s the best way to do things. People, technology, values, and so on are constantly changing, as is how we consume and process information. Strategies must be relevant and flexible, and processes must be adapted accordingly.
This year, Staffing Hub asked survey respondents for the first time to identify various elements of their agency’s success strategy. The top three were revealed as:
- Setting primary goals and objectives
- Increasing marketing and branding efforts
- Candidate experience enhancements
When thinking about strategy, we should remember the words of the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus. “The only thing that is constant is change.” With this in mind, change isn’t something to be feared but embraced.
All change brings an opportunity for growth and learning. Importantly, in any business, IT strategy is intertwined with other business strategies. In recruitment especially, technology is an apparatus or tool that liberates change.
5. Staying Ahead of the Competition
A new LinkedIn and Microsoft report reveals that 46 percent of workers (from a survey of 31,000 people across 31 countries) are considering quitting this year (six percentage points higher than the 40 percent who said the same during the 2021 Great Resignation). A separate LinkedIn study of US workers states that as many as 85 percent are eyeing career moves.
That’s a lot to capitalize on for recruiters. But competition is greater than ever in the staffing industry and hiring teams are navigating an increasingly complex landscape. Despite the numbers, skills shortages and candidate demands are making the job of matching candidates with open positions more difficult.
Quickly finding the best hires in a sea of candidates is tough. And, while potential candidates are out there, many are passive, and this is the hardest cohort to reach and engage with.
To attract candidates, recruiters must differentiate and stand out against the competition. Catchy branding and a reputation for great candidate experience are essential. Technology, too, can up the ante—recruitment software that can scan job boards 24/7 is vital to giving staffing professionals the edge. A quick find means communicating with highly sought-after candidates before the competition.
6. Leveraging Data and Analytics
In the digital age, leveraging data and analytics has become the driving force behind most businesses. It transforms the way information is analyzed and facilitates more effective strategic decisions.
While fast-growth agencies are ahead of the curve amongst recruiters in this respect, smaller and slow-growth agencies face unique challenges, from cost and budget constraints to data quality, regulatory compliance, and security concerns. Scalability when it comes to data infrastructure is an additional challenge.
However, by unlocking the benefits of data and analytics (better insights and more effective strategic planning), recruitment agencies are more likely to optimize processes and gain a competitive edge.
7. Improving Transparency and Communication
Quality candidates might be leaving your process for many reasons, but there are also things you can do about it. A few challenges exist, including transparency in the process, nailing communication, and getting candidates to respond.
Staying connected with clients and candidates is critical but a mammoth task. Consistent communication is essential regardless of whether a candidate has just applied, is being rejected, or is in consideration.
It also works from the client’s perspective. Collaboration through better communication and access to information builds trust and facilitates a more streamlined hiring process. For example, video interviewing and custom reports through cloud-based software can keep clients informed.
The most successful way to overcome transparency and communication challenges is through automation. Sequences of emails or texts can be triggered according to actions (or non-actions). Recruiters should also aim for a two-day rule in getting back to people.
8. Enhancing Candidate Experience
Focusing on candidate experience was among the top three answers given by recruitment C-suite execs when asked how they will drive growth in 2024 (Staffing Hub). Going above and beyond is now the name of the game.
This is why automation and a streamlined onboarding process is so important. The future of hiring requires recruiters to add that personal touch, and to have the time to do that, mundane, time-consuming, everyday tasks must be taken off their plates.
So, what does enhancing candidate experience require?
Firstly, it means engaging candidates at every stage of their journey. Secondly, offering personalized experiences using real-time data is essential. Recruiters need to understand the people behind their data.
Today, candidates expect to be valued, understood, informed, and connected. They want engaging and authentic experiences. The right recruitment software and ATS can help your team provide them.
9. Economic Challenges
Of course, you can do your best to predict the market, but you can’t control it. Economic challenges should, however, be front of mind. You can control your processes, candidate sourcing, engagement, etc. Keeping a close eye on the economic landscape will help you to plan better, pivot quicker, and navigate unexpected market hurdles.
In an unstable market, which has become the norm in recent years, the best you can do is always be ready and flexible. The right technology is essential for quick and easy shifting of processes and fast access to relevant and vital data.
10. The Remote-Hybrid Versus In-office Battle
Understandably, remote working accelerated during the pandemic as businesses kept employees safe and enabled them to work from home. Since the emergency situation, many companies have settled on a hybrid approach. More recently, many CEOs and businesses have pushed to get employees back in the workplace.
A report by CNBC at the end of last year stated that a whopping 90 percent of companies were planning to implement return-to-office policies by the end of 2024. Only two percent of business leaders said their company never plans to require employees to work in person. Herein lies the challenge for recruiters.
A report on remote work statistics compiled by team collaboration software company Pumble, found that 77 percent of Gen Zs and 75 percent of Millennials would start to look for a new job if their company required them to return to the office full-time.
In addition, highly educated employees with higher incomes choose remote work more often. And, a whopping 85 percent of employees believe that the ability to work remotely would improve their happiness and work-life balance.
Matching candidate expectations with that of clients is a huge challenge moving ahead for recruiters.
11. Client Acquisition and Sales
According to Staffing Hub, one of the biggest challenges recruitment agency leaders face in 2024 is client acquisition and sales. Slow demand from current clients is an issue for recruiters. One respondent commented, “The economy is strong per the numbers, but our clients have completely stopped hiring.”
The rising cost of talent acquisition is hitting recruitment agencies. The challenge for recruitment firms is to demonstrate value to existing and potential clients.
Get Ahead With Tracker
The world of recruitment is moving fast, with innovative tools and platforms delivering large-scale evolution, unprecedented efficiencies, and powerful benefits. At Tracker, we ensure no recruiting firm gets left behind. Our innovative ATS, CRM, and Recruitment Automation platform keeps recruiters ahead of the competition.
Let us show you how. Book a demo or speak with us today. We can’t wait to share our expertise and show you the recruitment software of the future.
