The Chartered Institute of Professional Development (CIPD) and the Adecco Group have released the latest Labour Market Outlook report, which shows that recruitment is getting harder.

This survey on 2,001 employers, confirms what we have been hearing during our engagement with employers;

• There is a shortage of applicants for all levels of skill from process level workers through to highly skilled positions

• Employers are competing for less and less candidates

“Employers received an average (median) of 20 applicants for the last low-skilled vacancy they tried to fill, compared with 24 candidates in summer 2017 and 25 candidates in autumn 2015.”

“On average, employers received an average (median) of 10 applicants for the last medium-skill vacancy they tried to fill, compared to 19 applicants in summer 2017 and 15 applicants in autumn 2015.”

“Employers received a median number of 6 applicants for the for the last high-skilled vacancy they tried to fill, compared with 8 applicants in summer 2017 and 8 applicants in autumn 2015.” (Source: CIPD)

• Anecdotally, it is recognised that Brexit is part of the cause. Up to 35% of process workers originate from the EU (Source: Guardian)

“EU-born workers in the UK increased by just 7,000 between Q1 2017 and Q1 2018, compared with an increase of 148,000 from Q1 2016 to Q1 2017.” (Source: CIPD)

There are 794,000 young people aged 16-24 not in education, employment or training (NEET) in 2017 according to the Office of National Statistics.

This gives employers a great opportunity to fulfil their recruitment needs whilst at the same time creating opportunities for young people (a win-win situation).

From our research, for many companies, we know the online recruitment process is broken and there are things missing. So, there is something a company can do to make themselves more attractive and to make sure the online recruitment process is fit for purpose.

What can employers do?

Look at your current roles and considered if they are suitable for inexperienced young people. Take away any unnecessary barriers such as industry-specific experience on entry-level roles.

Make sure you promote yourself as an employer and understand what you might need to say to attract younger candidates.

Review your online recruitment process to make sure it works and is fit for purpose (treat the candidate as a customer).

If you would like to know how to get it right then join us for our next webinar or training event. Alternatively, contact us direct.