​It’s no secret that 2020 has been one of the strangest years in living memory. The need to pivot was felt across practically every industry and the world of recruitment was no different. But as we mentioned last week, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, there were quite a few positives to take from 2020 as a whole. So what can we expect of 2021? 

Here’s a quick look at the recruitment and hiring trends that we expect to see throughout the coming year. As you can guess, many of these are heavily influenced by the challenges and opportunities that the global pandemic brought to us in 2020. 

More focus on an empathetic employer brand

2020 wasn’t just about the pandemic. It was also a year that saw the world face many significant social challenges, chief of which was the push for more equality in society with the Black Lives Matter movement. 

And it was how the employers of the world faced up to these challenges that really set some companies apart from others. 

Not only were employers now being judged on how they treated their workforce during the pandemic but they were also being judged on their reaction to societal issues. Many employers handled the situation very well by showing an empathetic side to their brand image. 

Look, we all know that employer branding matters a great deal to candidates and now we also understand that an empathetic brand image is also a big draw. So we can expect to see a subtle shift that puts company culture and a positive and empathetic employer brand front and centre when attracting new talent in 2021. 

Candidate priorities to change

No real surprise here. Now that candidates have started to realise just how valuable a flexible employer can be, we can expect their priorities to shift to a more benefits-focused package. 

Of course, salary will still be just as important as ever, but the ability to work according to your own schedule or from home will be just as, if not more important. 

We’ve already started to see employers take a more flexible approach to both hiring and how their teams work. And the results have been more positive than anyone could have hoped for. If anything, employees seem to be even more productive than ever before. 

All of this points to another shift in recruitment that will see employers and recruiters give candidates what they want — flexibility in the workplace. 

Neurodiversity the next big thing

Neurodiversity in recruitment is a relatively new concept. It means recruiting and hiring people that think differently. Interestingly, many of those who are neurodiverse are people with dyslexia, autism, ADHD, Tourette syndrome, and dyspraxia among others.

Unfortunately, people that fall into the neurodiverse category often find it difficult to find the roles that their talents deserve. This is often due to a subconscious bias held by employers and recruiters that sees neurodiverse talents automatically disregarded. 

However, we’ve come a long way in recent years and employers are now starting to realise the potential and benefits that neurodiverse candidates bring to the table. 

In fact, hiring neurodiverse talent could be the final piece of the diversity puzzle. We’ve covered everything from cultural background to age and experience in our efforts to create a truly diverse workforce — 2021 could be the year when we finally achieve that ultimate goal. 

Virtual recruitment will continue to gather pace

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — virtual recruitment is here to stay. 

This year has seen employers embrace all things zoom and we fully expect more of the same for 2021. 

Recruitment and HR leaders to gain more influence

It’s been a long time coming but 2021 could be the year that HR and recruitment finally gets a voice in high-level decision making processes. 

CEOs and CFOs are now starting to appreciate the value of recruitment and employment data in connection with long-term goal setting and an overarching business strategy. As a result, they now realise that recruitment, in particular, is a proactive process that can have a salient impact on the success of a company. 

Of course, those of us that work in recruitment knew this already, but it will be nice to see the industry recognized as strategic and not necessarily reactive. 

Employers to embrace global recruitment

This one is obviously related to our earlier prediction on virtual recruitment and hiring.

But aside from the ability to recruit remotely, the global pandemic also taught us that people function just as well, if not better when working from home. 

As you can imagine, this opens up a seemingly endless catalogue of possibilities when it comes to finding and hiring the best talent. If your employees can work from home, what’s to stop you from hiring and employing those who live abroad?

This is something that we’ve been doing here at Software Placements for many years now, but the idea of global recruitment is still relatively new to many industries. Perhaps 2021 is the year that employers finally take advantage of the global talent pool. 

Retention a priority

Okay, so perhaps this one isn’t quite in the recruitment category, but it will certainly have an effect on the industry. 

According to research, the average cost of replacing an employee is in the region of 6-9 months salary. That’s a significant cost and in the light of the economic downturn of 2020, we expect to see employers focus their efforts on retaining their best talent. 

The effect this will have on recruiters is that they will be expected to design recruitment strategies that focus on retention. Recruiters will be tasked not only with finding suitable talent for a role but also for ensuring that any new hires have the potential for further development. 

Hopefully 2021 will be a positive year for the world in general, but we’ve got a feeling that it will certainly be a busy one for the recruitment industry. 

Remember that if you’re looking for a career change or you’re an employer searching for the right talent, we’re more than happy to help. Just get in touch and we’ll take it from there.