The global pandemic that struck in the year 2020 has made the year 2020 like nothing we’ve experienced before. The unprecedented changes forced a lot of business owners and employees to change the way they work. Fortunately, the year 2020 has finally ended. So, it’s time to acknowledge that it has been a transformation year for the recruiting industry and embrace the changes. Having said that, it’s critical to understand the major trends that will rule the recruitment industry in the year 2021. So, let’s dig in and explore some of the top recruitment trends in the year 2021 that every recruiter should look out for!
The year 2020 saw extremities in the hiring pattern. From hiring freezes, layoffs, to now an increased demand in hiring as the situations have improved. The pandemic imposed some fiendishly difficult recruitment challenges on recruiters. However, organizations and employers are definitely going to embrace the new normal. According to a survey, 43% of organizations expect their hiring to become fully active from January while 12% expect it from April 2021.
The damaged economy will get back on track rapidly this year. Great economy will in turn generate great employment opportunities. As the demand for talent will most likely gain momentum. This complete procedure will definitely put immense pressure on staffing teams of organizations. That’s why, it becomes important to understand the trends that will shape up the recruitment scenario of 2021. If you want to optimize your hiring process and keep it updates, check out these top recruitment trends in 2021.
Top 5 Recruitment Trends In 2021
Data Driven And AI Powered Recruitment
Artificial Intelligence has been around for a couple of years now but its role will be highlighted more than ever now. Almost every company uses AI in its recruitment process in one form or another. AI technologies help recruiters to optimize their recruiting workflow and high volume workload. Recruiters and hiring managers are expected to leverage AI more in their recruitment processes.
Along with the involvement of AI, recruiters also need to keep an eye on data-driven recruitment. With the intense pressure of hiring the right people with limited resources, data is going to be more important than ever. Data-driven recruitment will help recruiters to make informed decisions and avoid unconscious biases.
Remote Hiring Is Here To Stay
The pandemic has forced many companies worldwide to do what was unthinkable before on short notice: manage a remote workforce. Within just a matter of days, thousands and millions of employees were forced to work from their homes.
If you are under the impression that remote work will pass away too with the pandemic, you are mistaken. It goes without saying that remote work is going to become standards for many companies and employers this year. It’s safe to say that work from home worked successfully for many workforces. So, there’s a good chance that many workers would still prefer to continue working remotely, at least some of the time.
More Digitization Of Recruitment
With remote work forced on the recruiters, they have started relying on digital tools more than they ever had to. Every task, from communicating to project management involved online virtual tools ruling them. Video conferences and zoom meetings became the primary communication in 2020. Project management tools like Slack kept all the tasks in place for a team.
Digitization of the recruitment process has been at its peak in 2020 and will continue to be so this year as well. According to some LinkedIn insights, 81% of recruiters plan on continuing with virtual recruiting even after post-COVID. Recruiters are expected to implement digital recruitment strategies more in 2021.
Increased Emphasis On Diversity
Apart from the COVID pandemic, 2020 also witnessed a major racial discrimination movement. So, companies worldwide pledged their support for Black Lives Matter. With a promise to include greater diversity, candidates, employees, recruiters are more determined than ever to turn their words into action.
In light of the above, recruiting in 2021 will see an increased focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in workplaces. Recruiters need to focus on upgrading their hiring tactics to hire a more diverse workforce.
Rise Of Freelancing
The year 2020 has been full of uncertainties. Thousand of people all around the world were out of their jobs. Companies went under a major transition in how they work. The economy went downhill, workforces shifted to remote, organizations were forced to implement mass layoffs. So, with remote work becoming the new normal, and the fear of lockdown in some areas still, employers are hesitant to hire for permanent roles just yet.
So, 2021 will see a rise in freelancing and project-based hiring. This way, employers can hire the best talents across the globe. This will also create opportunities for domain experts to take up short-term projects and have great productivity and efficiency.