Over the past year and a half, more of us are reevaluating everything from our personal lives, self-care regimens, and most noticeably, our careers. Because of this, data has revealed people are quitting their jobs in droves and reporting unhappiness with their current positions. Now, this sweeping movement has left recruiters in a precarious position to fill those empty roles.
Jobvite, the industry-leading talent acquisition suite, has taken a closer look at this in their new report, which highlights the new challenges and opportunities facing recruiters today.
The 2021 Recruiter Nation Report gathered responses from more than 800 U.S.-based recruiters and HR professionals, revealing a dramatic shift from one year prior when the world was facing job losses, layoffs, and staffing reductions. Today, recruiters face higher organizational turnover while attempting to fill new roles as 39% of organizations are increasing staffing levels and hiring rapidly—a 13 percentage point jump since last year.
“Companies are experiencing a new kind of worker revolution where candidates and employees feel empowered to choose a job where they feel supported and valued,” said Kerry Gilliam, Vice President of Marketing at Jobvite in a news release. “The pressure is on for organizations to respond to these challenges by leveraging the right strategies that quickly get talent through the door and embracing initiatives that align with candidates’ values and priorities.”
These challenges have empowered hiring teams to reimagine recruiting processes and become more adaptable to labor market trends. Nearly 80% of recruiters’ priorities have shifted over the past year and 40% have increased recruiting budgets. Fifty-four percent plan to outsource more jobs to freelancers and 40% are making more hires from internal employees.
However, the report also finds that companies that fail to adapt will face more difficulty attracting high-quality talent. Sixty percent of recruiters believe organizations will lose high-quality employees if they do not transition to a remote-first culture, while 40% said candidates have turned down an interview or job offer due to an organization’s lack of diversity.
Today’s candidate-first world has also given workers the upper hand when it comes to negotiating salaries. Three out of four recruiters report an increase in candidates and current employees negotiating for higher wages, which is 20 percentage points higher than the previous year. In addition, 56% report that average salaries have also increased in 2021.