Below are six trends for recruiters to watch for this year:
Trend: Workplace Flexibility
Technology and expanding work hours are driving the need and employee expectations for greater options for when, how and where we all work. Employees are now working and available outside of traditional work hours and the average work day is expanding from 40 to 47 hours in North America. Employee work-life balance is more challenging and employees are now willing to switch employers to keep demands in balance.
Trend: Office Space and Design
As less companies are providing full office space for employees, some companies are using office space as a drawcard to attract employees. That is a strange one, no??? With features such as lounge areas and flexible work settings, you will find that some employees will want a more traditional work environment.
Trend: Boomerang Employees
“Boomerang Employees” are employees that leave a company, only to return later. As employees venture off to new assignments with new employers, they are sometimes disillusioned and return to prior employers where the fit was better. With job swapping becoming increasingly frequent, it is now much more common to accept back a staff member who has ventured out. Recruitment professionals need to consider the impact on searches. Don’t eliminate former employees from your search criteria.
Trend: Rising Benefits Cost
The cost of healthcare premiums is on the rise. The result causes companies to rethink taking on full-time employees. This may even lead to layoffs, and an increase in the use of freelance staff to minimize the cost of employing full time professionals. This represents an opportunity for recruitment agencies to position part-time contracted employees.
Trend: Generation Z in the Workplace
Graduates from tech-savvy Gen Z are entering the workplace. As witnesses to the global recession, these young professionals have realistic expectations, entrepreneurial approaches and flexible work attitude. Get ready for the impact! Professional recruiters should become savvy on generational differences.
Trend: Temp Assignments/Short-term Projects
Job roles are now looked at on a more short-term basis, as job-swapping has become increasingly common and accepted by employers and recruiters. Experienced professionals are often seeking a short term “gig” to suit their current needs. The freelance market is also growing, with more professionals offering their service ad hoc as opposed to a full time role. Variety and flexibility are valuable to this employee. Recruitment professionals need to ask about the desired duration as this may be counterintuitive.
What trends are you seeing?
