In a recent article, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) discussed how businesses in the United States could address the ever-widening skills gap.
The skills gap refers to the divide between the abilities required to fill vacant positions and the talent of the existing pool of workers. Without a highly skilled workforce, businesses are less capable of overcoming economic challenges and maintaining desired profit levels.
SHRM identified several ways in which organizations can overcome the skills gap. Unsurprisingly, two of their top recommendations involve reevaluating the recruiting and hiring process.
With those goals in mind, this article outlines some of the global hiring trends that will impact U.S. talent acquisition efforts in 2022.
Prioritizing the Employee Experience
Kicking off our list of emerging hiring trends is prioritizing the employee experience. While every potential employee is interested in fair compensation and a good benefits package, they are equally concerned with the quality of the workplace culture.
Poor workplace culture will cause top talent to seek jobs elsewhere while simultaneously ruining the morale of anyone who decides to stick around. This feedback loop will make it even harder to fill future vacancies, as businesses will gain a negative reputation amongst job seekers.
To combat these issues, businesses across all industries seek ways to improve the employee experience. Many organizations are placing a heavy focus on the mental well-being of employees by investing in health and wellness initiatives. These initiatives can help businesses make themselves more appealing to potential employees.
Increased Use of Automation Technology
Businesses are scrambling to scoop up talented candidates before the competition does. They are actively seeking ways to streamline the hiring process to accomplish this goal. Many are accomplishing this goal by implementing new technologies, which brings us to the next item on our breakdown of digital hiring trends.
Organizations utilize artificial intelligence software to automate certain aspects of the screening process. AI technology can be used to review applications, identify top candidates based on performance data, and help human resources staff determine which individuals are the best fit for an organization.
As a bonus, automation tools reduce the workload on HR staff, which improves morale and productivity.
More Remote Work Opportunities
U.S. talent acquisition movements often align with global hiring trends. This alignment is certainly true in the case of our third trend, which is an increase in remote work opportunities. As of the end of 2021, approximately 18% of global employees worked remotely, but only about 3.2% of United States workers operated remotely.
Over the next year, this figure is likely to increase significantly. The modern workforce craves remote employment opportunities. This desire is not surprising considering the many benefits of remote work.
Remote workers have the freedom to live anywhere because they do not have to commute to a central office location. Working from home also saves employees money. They do not spend nearly as much on fuel, vehicle maintenance, professional attire, or meals. Remote employees even have more downtime than professionals that must work on-site.
A Focus on Skills First
For decades, businesses have prioritized degrees and past work experience above just about everything else when evaluating candidates. While these factors can certainly provide insights into a candidate’s potential to succeed, they create an uneven playing field for nontraditional job seekers.
Many organizations are now focusing on skills instead of academic accolades to attract applicants from a broader pool of applicants. Specifically, they are adding skills assessments into their hiring process so that non-degree holders and college graduates have an equal opportunity to obtain vacant positions.
Online skills assessments are available for just about any position one could imagine. A few examples of some extremely popular assessments include Remote Working, Attention to Detail, and Business Etiquette.
In addition to pre-employment skills testing, many companies use behavioral assessments. These assessments provide hiring teams with greater insight into candidates’ workplace motivation. By examining motivation, hiring teams can determine how well prospective hires will fit into the company culture.
Proactive Recruiting
Over the next year, most businesses will engage in more proactive recruiting and hiring. While most organizations already do this to some degree, they must double down to attract the best applicants in this scarce talent pool.
There are several ways that businesses will expand their recruiting efforts in 2022. Many will turn to social media, which is a highly effective way to connect with prospective employees. While all platforms are useful, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram will likely be the most popular options.
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