How has the Recruitment market done in the first half of 2021?
As we approach June, we are almost at the half way stage of 2021. So we are going to look back at the trends which were predicted for the year and determine how accurate they were.
Perhaps the most significant trend for many companies in 2021 was remote working, and how to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 working from home became the norm for many businesses and industries. This is something that has continued well into 2021. This has meant that candidates have had flexibility in their future workplace, and going forward will expect this. So flexibility has become a huge factor in whether they accept a job. Even though a lot of companies, particularly the big accounting firms in London, are starting to transition back into the office, many businesses look set to continue working from home completely, or being flexible between working from the office or remotely. Being flexible on where their employees work, has meant that companies have been able to widen their talent pool and attract top talent.
It is fair to say that the emphasis on remote working was an accurate prediction, as for the majority of the year so far, businesses have had no choice but to work remotely, so therefore factor that into their recruitment processes. Any companies who have not changed their recruitment strategies accordingly have missed out on a big opportunity to attract a higher and better pool of candidates.
For businesses to entice their employees back into the office, they are going to need a shift in the company culture. This trend could prove significant as the world and work environment will never be the same as before the pandemic, as people have got used to and become accustomed to working from home. Employees may have struggled with their mental health throughout the pandemic, which will make a compassionate company culture very important when returning to the office.
It was predicted that 2021 would be a perfect time to revamp your companies culture to become more empathetic and honest, as this will be hugely important to employees and potential candidates. In a post-COVID world a compassionate company culture will attract new talent as well as improve morale of existing employees as they transition back into the office. As companies prepare to do this over the coming months, only time will tell how important an updated company culture will be for recruiting and retaining employees.
A focus on retention was a big prediction for this year, with major cuts and tighter budgets being something that many companies had to deal with. So to cut down on recruitment costs companies need focus on retention. To do this companies need to improve the experience for employees, maybe by providing better benefits or flexibility or even, changing the company culture, and as mentioned above, this in itself could prove very important for businesses.
Companies have also found that employees are less willing to move jobs at the moment, due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. So if an employee does choose to leave, then it will be even harder to replace them, as much of the top talent are not looking for new opportunities at the moment. This means that employee retention has been really important so far this year and is likely going to continue to be so, meaning that the importance of retention was a very accurate prediction.
All in all, the major predictions for recruitment trends have been fairly accurate this year. As COVID-19 continues to shape the world and how we work at the moment retention and flexibility on work environment has been extremely important for companies and a shift in company culture will be needed when employees transition back into the office, as it will not be the same as before, and it will be a new thing they need to get used to, meaning that a more compassionate atmosphere will be crucial in keeping morale up.