It’s 2023! And a new year is the perfect time to take stock of where the recruitment industry is headed. Looking at the upcoming trends can help you prepare your recruitment strategies for the year ahead, avoiding the pitfalls and taking advantage of the opportunities that 2023 offers.
So let’s look at some of the key recruitment trends we expect to see over the coming year.
Eight recruitment trends in 2023
1. Companies need to focus on candidate quality
The Bank of England predicts that inflation levels will fall from the middle of 2023. But they don’t expect inflation to be back to its 2% target for another couple of years. This means that business budgets and hiring budgets will be tight in 2023.
So how do you do more with less?
You focus on candidate quality over quantity. You need to make every hire count, which means moving towards skills-based hiring, and recruiting people with the right skills for a role.
We predict businesses will also search for and hire top-quality generalists rather than niche specialists. Organisations will need talented employees who can take on various responsibilities, providing maximum value for a business.
2. Generational shifts are happening
Baby boomers and Generation X are retiring. Millennials are currently the largest working generation. And Generation Z is entering the workforce for the first time, bringing their own skills and expectations to the floor.
In 2023, a key recruitment trend will involve recruiters adapting to this generational shift.
That means understanding how to appeal to the new kids on the block, Gen Z, and creating the employer brand, salary ranges, and benefits packages that promise to attract younger generations.
It isn’t just about the money for these guys. According to Deloitte, Millennials and Gen Z will make job decisions based on an organisation’s purpose. They want to work for companies that commit to more than just profits.
This ties into your employer branding (which we’ll talk about in a moment).
If you can show younger generations that your company has made a real, long-term commitment to benefitting the planet and its people, you’re more likely to get Millennial and Gen Z workers on board.
3. The rising importance of employer branding
A recent Glassdoor survey found that 92% of employees would consider switching to a new company, in a role at the same salary, if that company had a good reputation.
Building your own reputation with an employer branding strategy is paramount if you want to attract the best talent to your organisation in 2023. This means understanding and clarifying your company culture, knowing what you stand for, and committing to action when it comes to your mission and values.
Emphasising your employer brand takes time and money, but it’s a worthwhile investment. Because when your organisation is seen as a great place to work, top candidates will keep an eye out for your open roles, and you’ll find it easier to attract exceptional employees.
4. DEI will matter immensely
DEI is a key part of your employer brand. And something that younger candidates (particularly Gen Z) care deeply about. They want to work for inclusive organisations where everyone feels like they belong.
DEI also matters more than ever during tough times, especially because diverse candidates are more likely to be negatively affected by recessions and because improved diversity has been proven to improve a company’s bottom line.
We expect to see continued focus on DEI in 2023. This means companies will look for ways to eliminate bias and discrimination in their hiring practices.
And they’ll be casting their net wider to broaden their talent pool and encourage applications from under-represented groups.
5. Recruitment tech will become essential
Recruitment technology can:
- Speed up the recruitment process
- Reduce cost-per-hire
- Boost recruitment team productivity
- Improve candidate experience
- Improve hiring diversity
That’s why many organisations have already adopted recruitment automation software. Many more businesses will follow suit in 2023 to stay competitive.
Recruitment tech gives you the tools you need to automate repetitive parts of the recruitment process and remove unconscious bias from your screening process.
It can also streamline your hiring workflow with the help of targeted job advertising, assessment tools, interview scheduling, and asynchronous interviews.
For example, crooton’s employer fencing technology can help you better target your job ads to people in a specific geographic location. This means you can more easily get your open roles in front of the right candidates based on where they live or even where they’re currently working.
6. Data will be king
Another great benefit of recruitment tech?
It gives you easy access to a tonne of valuable recruitment data. And when we’re working with limited budgets and a tough hiring landscape, we expect data to become more critical than ever.
Whether businesses choose a tech solution or do it manually, they’ll be tracking all of the most important recruitment metrics. Things like:
- Time-to-offer
- Cost-per-hire
- Candidate experience
- Application completion rate
- Attrition rate
By monitoring recruitment metrics over time, recruitment teams can identify workflow problems and set targets.
This will help them improve productivity, make economies, and locate bottlenecks, making the recruitment process much more efficient.
7. Candidate management will be key
When great candidates are hard to come by, you need to maximise every candidate interaction. That means taking care of your candidates rather than taking them for granted.
Good candidate management involves:
- Excellent communication through each stage of the process
- Personalising the process to each candidate as much as possible
- Responding to unsuccessful candidates in the right way
Show your candidates that you value their time and effort, and you’ll see benefits for your business. Even unsuccessful candidates are more likely to leave a good review of your company if they have been treated well. And those who receive an offer are much more likely to accept it.
8. Continued focus on work flexibility
The UK government has announced a policy of default flexible working. This means that soon, workers will be able to request flexible working from their first day of employment (rather than the 26 weeks they currently have to wait).
In other big news, the UK’s four-day working week trial will end in 2023. Many of the businesses who took part are already saying that they plan to keep the four-day week in place. They’ve seen this new work week bring benefits to their employees and their organisations.
In 2023, work flexibility will continue to rise up the agenda. Recruiters need to understand what flexibility would look like for every role they advertise. They should also try to offer the hybrid or remote working patterns that 75% of Gen Zs and 76% of Millennials would prefer.
Start 2023 off right with crooton
Looking at these trends, you’ll see that many of them overlap.
- Implementing recruitment tech supports both your data gathering and DEI efforts
- Focusing on the candidate experience will bolster your employer brand
- A commitment to DEI and flexible working will help you attract top quality candidates from younger generations
This means that, by implementing just one of these changes in 2023, you stand to strengthen other parts of your recruitment strategy simultaneously.
Here at crooton, we offer fixed-price recruitment fees, unbeatable recruiter expertise, and access to the best recruitment tech — everything you need to prepare your recruitment strategy for 2023 and whatever it brings.
Want to find out more? Get in touch today, and our friendly team will be happy to help. And keep an eye on the crooton blog for the latest recruitment news and advice.