As we move into 2018, let’s look back at hiring challenges of 2017 and look forward at what industry experts say we’ll face over the next twelve months. Forewarned is forearmed, and the more we as a staffing agency can to prepare, the better we can serve both our clients and our candidates.
- Challenges of 2017. This past year, employers saw some significant challenges.
- First, finding qualified talent rose to the top of the list. With the continuing upswing in the economy, the pool of viable candidates went down. Not as many people are looking for jobs because they already have them and haven’t felt the need to switch jobs yet, so employers have had a tough time finding employees who have the skills they need to fit the positions.
- As companies hire, they too often ignore the onboarding and development that should go hand in hand with it. Therefore, they may hire good employees, but don’t make them feel at home enough or invest the time and energy to make them want to stay. And in an economy where younger employees often go from job to job in search of entrepreneurial opportunities, it’s harder to retain the employees they have when something exciting comes along.
- Particularly when it’s a contest of bigger companies versus smaller, the Goliaths outperform the Davids because, quite simply, they can offer more. And at a time when benefits such as healthcare became more expensive and the ACA’s affordability (and very existence) was in constant flux, many employees flocked to places that had more stability.
- Challenges for 2018. A few of the potential challenges for the upcoming year, so you can be ready to face them:
- Updated policies. At a time when a celebrity or senator gets accused of harassment on a weekly basis, recruiters must have something ready for their hires — they’ll want to have their policies for sexual harassment and the like in place should a candidate ask.
- Diversity and inclusion. In a similar vein, employers must take more care than ever before to ensure they hire a wide variety of employees from diverse backgrounds, including race and gender. Obviously, one needs to hire the most qualified person, but recruiters must take extra care that inherent biases don’t influence their decisions. This also goes to making sure that postings invite all possible candidates, not skewing toward one group.
- With the Affordable Care Act in the balance again, employers need to take care with what benefits they can and do offer their candidates. This also goes to employee-leave packages and ensuring all employees are clearly apprised of their rights.
It’s a different world this year, but if you have your plan in place, you’ll be in the best position to recruit for 2018. For advice on how to find the best candidates for you, visit PrideStaff Thousand Oaks/Ventura County.
