Semira Petelo — Posted on June 4th, 2021
This time last year we were in the midst of a global lockdown, the lucky individuals who were still working went on to work from home but we saw the employment market take a nosedive with no new job postings as the uncertainty of the pandemic shut down the market.
As we’re approaching EOFY, we watch the recruitment world flourish as companies are looking to bring on new hires for the additional work. Australia is finally on the up and up in the job market.
As we move from first to fifth gear there are two trends that are really shaping recruitment this year;
1. Recruiters are looking at new candidate pipelines
In 2020 the biggest job boards used in Australia, SEEK and Indeed took a plummet compared to their 2019 numbers. Not because their system had changed but simply because there were no jobs that needed the mass application.
The job ad volumes are slowly recovering from their 2020 numbers but the job posting costs on sites like these have increased to try and recover lost profits from 2020. Not only does this put some friction within an organisation as employees have to seek budget approval but inputs pressure to keep on budget!
This turns to the aid of recruiters. To be successful as a recruiter you need to be able to get resourceful. It really is about who you know and being able to fully utilise the candidate pool and contacts. Talent pooling and having a great pipeline of candidates to pull from is as important as ever. For once, the statement “It’s who you know not what you know” is accurate.
2. Flexible working conditions
Before COVID-19 happened the idea of having employees working at home 5 days a week was unimaginable to the majority. After the world shut down and there was no other alternative, the biggest companies needed to be quick to adapt and adapt they did! Within the week of shutting down the big corps had WHS policies set for home, home offices deployed and if they weren’t already everyone integrated on to systems like MS Teams to be able to work as if they never left the office.
What does that mean for recruitment today? Well, working at home has become the new norm. Although people like coming into the office a couple of days a week. The idea of commuting for 5 days is a distant thought. Companies offering flexible working conditions would find that they are able to attract a far better recruitment pool understanding the needs of today’s workers.
A great recruiters’ job is to find out the needs of both the company and the candidate. The best way to do this. Build your relationships, the better your recruiter understands your needs the quicker they can find a great fit whether you are the job seeker or the placer.