Hiring during the COVID-19 pandemic came with its own complexities, but what issues are employers in Canada facing now? Building your new recruitment strategy around new tech trends and candidate attitudes might just be what you need to solve common recruitment challenges. We’ll take a look at what you’re up against, as well as some key solutions.
Current recruitment trends
Flexible working became a hot topic throughout the pandemic. Now that candidates have a taste for it, it’s still a hugely desirable perk.
Flexible work is still a candidate priority
Candidates are still averse to fully returning to office-based work. Research from Cisco Canada found that 81% of Canadians said flexible work policies would influence whether or not they would stay or leave their current job.
Why might this be the case? With Canada’s aging population and a workforce juggling other commitments outside of work, most employers will likely have to accept that candidates are still looking for flexible work as a benefit. As we address in our article on Diversity and Inclusion: Improving Practices to Hire and Retain Top Talent, the idea is to go beyond recruiting employees from underrepresented backgrounds, and instead making your employee experience more inclusive. Flexible hiring is one way to do just that.
Jobseekers demanding flexible work isn't necessarily bad news. In fact, flexible working schedules have their benefits. A recent survey by Regus reported that 72% of workers said their productivity increased directly thanks to flexible working. When asked why, 64% said it sped up their decision-making, and 74% said it encourages creativity.
So, advertising your flexible working perks is still one way to win over candidates in a competitive market.
Applicants are now using AI
Business Insider found that candidates increasingly use ChatGPT and other similar tools to write their CVs and cover letters. Another article by PR Newswire uncovered that 25% of Gen Z candidates were already using AI bots to write CVs.
Some companies, however, are responding unfavourably. In the UK, online banking institution Monzo is now discrediting any candidates that use ChatGPT to apply for jobs at their company. Whether employers deem the use of ChatGPT or AI in recruitment to be a strength or weakness will likely depend on what the role requires from a candidate if they were offered the position.
Employers might want to note potential inaccuracies (or AI ‘hallucinations’) in AI-generated text that may not reflect a candidate’s communication (or even critical thinking) skills. Researchers are working hard to solve these inaccuracies, but they're already proving a problem for many sectors. An increasing number of applicants using AI to build cover letters may also lead to plenty of junk applications to sift through – costing employers time and money.
Candidates are switching occupations
So we’ve seen why some businesses might be facing too many applicants. But conversely, you might be finding that your position isn’t receiving enough applications. And this also depends on the industry you’re hiring in. Our hiring trends report revealed that 20% of Canadian job seekers are looking for a new job because they want to change or grow in their career path. The industries that saw hiring surges at the start of 2023 included transportation, warehousing, building and other support services, finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing. A change will likely arise in 2024.
The occupational categories in the hiring trends study that declined the most in job postings included tech-related fields, sales, and marketing.
Employers looking to hire and retain employees in these roles on a decline would have to focus more on training and support; giving employees a sense of purpose, and career progression may make their role more meaningful.
Also, with just over a quarter of senior managers believing they are nailing employee recognition, according to research by OfficeTeam, it's time that employers looked for new ways to keep their employees on board for the long haul. One study found that workers who had been given thanks in the last month were half as likely to be looking for a new job and more than twice as likely to be highly engaged compared with their colleagues who had not received praise.
Research from OC Tanner has identified ‘four factors of fulfillment’ that drive employees: balance, community, connection and belonging, and growth and purpose. These findings are similar to our hiring trends study. The overwhelming consensus is that employees and candidates alike are looking for belonging and a clear career path when applying for roles.
Creating an effective shortlist
To solve some of the above issues, we looked at how employers can maximize their hiring budget by paying for results. From our research, we found that employers are increasingly looking for services that help them narrow down candidates to a concise shortlist of talented options. The idea is that having a smaller yet better quality list is more helpful to employers, simplifying your recruitment strategy while saving time and money.
What’s more, returning to a more human-centric recruitment strategy might also work in favour of both employers and employees. As our article found, employers and employees may benefit from using matching algorithms to increase the visibility of relevant ads to the right candidates.
If candidates don’t have to sift through irrelevant ads, they’re more likely to find the right jobs for their skills. It also means they’re more likely to find jobs that match what they’re looking for, whether that’s flexible working or other popular benefits. And likewise, employers are more likely to attract a higher calibre of candidate – as well as the right candidate.
In today’s hiring climate, listening to candidates is key
Last year has brought along some old challenges to your recruitment strategy, as well as a few new ones. These include candidates using AI to write their cover letters or increasingly switching occupations for better career progression opportunities. By listening to their concerns while responding with a more streamlined digital recruitment process, you can better attract and retain talent for years to come.
