What job seekers are looking for as we move into 2022…and how to reduce the risk of losing them

Posted 23rd Nov 2021

It's been a hell of an eighteen months for most of us, in no small part due to the global health crisis, but also its many knock-on effects and subsequent legacies. Here though I'm focussing on the labour market and moreover, recruitment and hiring as we look ahead to 2022.

So as we forge ahead, what are the 'watchwords' and key considerations, if indeed it's at all possible to summarise matters so succinctly, well; technology, automation, change (of course) ...and oh, 'remote working'. I can hear you groan as barely an article on labour, hiring and recruitment is posted without mentioning the latter in some form or another, BUT whether we like it or not, it's an ever hot, debated topic, which will not, and should not be ignored. If you do, whether employer, employee, or both, do so at your peril. More on that shortly.

Change is inevitable of course and the world has quite obviously changed significantly in the last two years, but much of it has happened so much more rapidly than it would have done, were it not for the pandemic. Jobs, the very nature of the roles that many of us undertake to make a living, are also changing swiftly and it's currently forecast that some seventy million or more may be lost to technology and automation alone. Conversely though, it's also forecast that new roles, to the tune of almost double that figure, will be created simultaneously. Both frightening and exciting in equal measures.

Jobs related to technology and automation, in software and other development, e-commerce, social media specialisation and data analysis, to name just a few of so many, will continue to increase, while others will undoubtedly decline. That said, those with still a very much traditional 'human focus' will remain essential, particularly within the fields of customer service, sales, HR, marketing, training and development, creation, and innovation.

As we prepare to exit 2021, after, hopefully the kind of Christmas most of us missed so desperately last year,  and move into 2022 with much optimism and plans for growth, the working conditions and benefits that employers offer, not to mention the process of recruiting and successfully hiring, must be highly mindful of changes to what job seekers look for and how they should be engaged with, if they want positive results, which they undoubtedly do.

As much of the country has returned to work following lockdowns, isolation, and furlough schemes, unemployment is at an all-time low, with many disciplines experiencing apparent candidate shortages and so job vacancies high. There is still uncertainty of course and so a reluctance from many to switch jobs or seek new career opportunities and for numerous reasons. This will change though and it's now more important than ever for employers to recognise what it is job seekers want and may well be able to get from some or their competitors, if not from them.

 

What are your future, and indeed current, employees really looking for now...?

While salaries are often reported as not being a job seeker's primary driver, it is still quite obviously a major element for most and, in many cases, due to sheer competition for skills, salaries have started to rise. It's a complex topic for some and understandably not an easy one to address for a number of reasons, but it's still essential to be aware of what is  now available out there for a given set of skills, experience, or just plain potential, and to strive to stay competitive, with consideration to the overall package one might offer.

In addition to salaries, benefits packages are more in the spotlight than ever, with many would be employees placing ever increasing importance on what comes with the salary and, particularly if that salary is a little less than competitive, what might compensate and attract accordingly. The shopping list of potential benefits for employers to offer is extensive, but also subjective for all parties involved and while stalwarts such as performance related bonuses, pension schemes, generous holiday entitlements, healthcare, death in service, cars and so on will remain primary offerings, home, remote and hybrid working capability and flexibility is now an essential part of what employers should be operating, if appropriate to a particular discipline.

According to recent LinkedIn research, the most in-demand jobs in 2021/2022 can be done from home or remotely and according to a recent World Economic Forum poll, as many as 85% plan to increase (either with their current employer or, if needs be, a new one), not reduce their remote working soon. In another survey, one in three suggested they would seek a new position if their current employer insisted that they return to the office on a full-time basis. What started as a new day to day working arrangement for many overnight, has quickly become the new normal and, importantly, preferred way of working, though there are obviously exceptions. The benefits, to both employer and employee, are already known and promoting this from the outset will simply afford employers access to a wider and more diverse candidate pool when recruiting.

Flexible hours or at least some flexibility regarding hours is now offered by some, but not by all and with the rapid arrival of home working, the lines have indeed become blurred. With many employees quite often working for longer than contracted hours, rather than less, though, flexibility will become an ever more attractive aspect for a job seeker considering a new role. This of course does not align with current reported government discussions regarding the possibility of banning employers from contacting their staff 'outside of hours' (which is apparently now the case in Portugal for example), an idea that I guess represents direct conflict with the notion of flexibility. However, the commercial world we now live in certainly points to a need for increased flexibility, which works both ways, to the advantage of employee and employer.

Another area of growing interest, some will say necessity, to those seeking new careers or changes to employment is re-training, upskilling and cross / inter-departmental training. As we move forward into 2022 and beyond, these will be increasingly key offerings to not only existing employees, but potential ones as well. Again, the benefits to all parties concerned are many and one recent poll indicated that some job seekers would be prepared to sacrifice up to 12% of their salary to get increased training and accompanying flexibility.

 

How do you reduce the risk of losing talent once you've attracted it...?

Employer brand and reputation has, again, never been more important than it is right now, for many reasons quite obviously, but one of which is successfully recruiting talent. There was a time, a long time ago,  when all a potential new hire could do to was hope to perhaps speak with an existing or ex-employee of a given organisation in order to find out 'what they are really like to work for', but that changed with the arrival of the internet and our subsequent introduction to social media. If the impression and reputation of your business and as an employer is positive – the more likely job seekers are to apply for a job with you. A strong employer brand can reportedly lead to a 28% reduction in turnover and a 50% reduction in cost per hire.

Pay attention to your Diversity and inclusion policy too and indeed the evidence of it in action. Many potential applicants will look for this and, reportedly, 30% plus have indicated that they wouldn't apply for a position with a business that doesn't demonstrate a solid stance accordingly.

When recruiting and hiring, whether directly or indirectly (via an agency), it's imperative that you have a robust process that includes the promotion of ALL that you have to offer (and never lose sight of the fact that recruiting is totally a two way street), sets expectations at the outset, maintains communication, momentum and aims to ensure a good, if not great, candidate experience regardless of the outcome for a given individual. One thing that can certainly dent a brand and / or reputation is a candidate's poor job application experience. People talk at the end of the day and word spreads, and in fact another recent poll suggested that almost 50% of those questioned had declined an offer of employment at one time or another purely due to a poor experience during the application and subsequent process. So, feedback on CVs within 24 - 48 hours if at all possible, schedule first round interviews as quickly as possible and be flexible as to when. Continue to use video-based interviewing, certainly for first rounds, to facilitate them easier and then reduce the time taken between stages to feedback, diarise next steps and move the process along. Try to resist FOMO (fear of missing out) and the temptation to keep interviewing in case 'someone even better happens to come along'. It's fairly common for hirers to declare how much they like a particular applicant, but then insist on waiting until they can 'compare him or her to others'. Failing to do these, and indeed doing the opposite, will very often inevitably lead to loss of the talent you desired or worse still, their joining a competitor, not to mention the loss of time and money invested.

 

The outlook for 2022 is optimistic and whilst candidate attraction is tricky right now at times, the tides will change, and greater numbers will seek new job and career opportunities as we move forward. Yes, this does of course mean the loss of good people for some, but then there will good people to replace them. However, thought and subsequent attention, if needed, must be given to what it is on offer to a job seeker market that has significantly tweaked its key priorities since the onset of Covid-19 and that also demands quality of experience when considering a future employer.