The freeze that has affected much of the recruitment industry over the last nine to twelve months is now beginning to thaw. Organisations are looking again at their recruitment requirements, some with immediate opportunities, and many more looking to recruit in early 2010 and beyond.
In many organisations this process is being managed by HR and or recruitment departments that have suffered in the wave of reorganisation and redundancies that many businesses have been unable to avoid. Many are operating with fewer resources than a year ago and this is not just confined to people.
Recruitment Outsourcing
Many companies are moving to outsource their recruitment processes, in whole or in part, to help them cope with the upturn in requirements. Many more are now also realising the benefits of outsourcing their recruitment planning. Companies are finding that working with an established recruitment partner can bring immediate benefits in terms of market knowledge and access to key data, as well as competitive advantage through longer term planning and data management specific to their organisation.
So let’s recruit!
A logical view would be that recruitment should be easy in the current economic climate. After all, there are a lot more individuals seeking employment than there were eighteen months ago. In some cases this may be true, however, in many skilled or specialist roles the dearth of talent that existed before the recession has actually worsened, with key, skilled individuals ‘sitting tight’ in their existing jobs.
Anecdotal research has suggested that many of these individuals will look to move once the economy has improved; some reports suggest up to 30% of the workforce.
Any acceleration in the rate of employee turnover, especially amongst highly skilled, experienced staff, at exactly the point when an organisation requires stability and continuity to recognise it’s opportunities for growth, has to be seen as a serious threat to that growth.
This viewpoint is supported by recent research by Chiumento that suggests that whilst many may want to leave an organsiation, they are effectively trapped by a combination of factors such as motivation, situation, capability and flexibility; and performance is inhibited by one or more of these factors as a result.
Implementing Effective Strategies
In contrast to the short-term, reactive recruitment strategies that many organisations are forced to adopt, this research underlines the substantial long term benefits of effective resource planning and talent management to both attract talent to an organisation, and to retain key talent already present. Key to this strategy is effective understanding and knowledge about an organisation’s current and future requirements.
Outsourced recruitment providers, such as NorthgateArinso, are enabling organisations to act now to maximise their opportunities in the coming upturn. Whilst businesses concentrate on managing the growth in demand for their products and services, they are very aware that any constraints on delivery will have a major impact. Engaging with their outsourcing partners to ensure they have the skills and resources, both immediate and future, to deliver and grow will be a key strategy for organisations that will be successful as we move into more positive economic times.
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"New thinking for HR Professionals"
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