Nine Recruitment Trends for 2024

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04 April 2024

The first quarter of the year is often a busy time for recruiting staff. It’s a time when many people think about a fresh start in a new job, and organisations review their staffing needs.

2023 was a tough and competitive recruitment year, so how can you gain the upper hand in recruiting staff in 2024?

Follow our nine tips for predicted trends in 2024 to help you find that next great recruit, and to aid retention of the talent that you already have.

1. The Candidate Experience

The way you communicate with prospective candidates and job applicants reflects on your brand. The days when an employer was inundated with job applications and could respond only to candidates they were interested in, are becoming less acceptable and this approach now impacts on reputation.

It is not unusual to see this sort of behaviour called out by candidates on social media, or for candidates to be put off my poor communication. Employers eager to attract top talent should be paying attention to their recruitment process to ensure it is engaging, nurturing and forms a part of the onboarding process from the first point of contact.

2. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

The use of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) in recruitment is becoming more common to improve the candidate experience and reduce administration by helping you respond to candidates and provide them with timely updates on their application.

Standardised responses can see rejections and shortlisting completed at the click of a button, ensuring that all applicants receive a response to their application and regular updates on the process.

3. Hybrid working

Despite some organisations recalling staff to the office, hybrid working is here to stay, with employers missing out on top talent if they don’t stick with this trend that started in the pandemic. We are seeking candidates refusing job offers based on the lack of hybrid working options. If you are a smaller business you may have a competitive advantage if you are able to offer more attractive hybrid working arrangements for employees than your competitors.

4. Flexible working arrangements

The right to request flexible working becomes a day one right for employees this year, so we are predicting a rise in the number of requests for flexibility in working patterns. The opportunity to raise this from day one means that it is likely that flexible working discussions will become part of the recruitment process rather than being discussed at the end of probation. It’s worth considering what level of flexibility you are able to offer so you can anticipate any requests you may receive.

5. Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

Equity of opportunities has been a legal requirement for some time, but inclusivity is a hot topic, with EDI emerging as a key factor for candidates when making job applications. Employers able to showcase that you not only have the correct policies in place, but that you embrace EDI in your organisation can attract a wider candidate base. You can do this by reviewing your processes, ensure that they are up to date and by training staff on equity, inclusivity, unconscious bias and the culture you want to build, not just to attract job applicants, but to run through the induction, probation, and day to day process such as training and development, promotion and remuneration processes within the organisation.

6. Artificial Intelligence

We predict that this will also be a year where Artificial Intelligence will start to play a more significant role in recruitment processes. It is already being used in some large businesses with bigger budgets but if recruitment is a big issue for your business this could the year to explore how this technology could help you in the future.

AI can be a very effective tool in ensuring your recruitment language and process is free of bias and enable the attraction of a wider candidate base, including neurodiverse applicants who may have been disadvantages by your previous recruitment wording or process.

It can save time and money in connecting, screening and filtering candidates. Using AI to screen for specific words in applications, in tray exercise responses, assessment centre notes can all save huge amounts of time.

AI can also be utilised to eliminate bias in shortlisting, using natural language processing to deliver the best applicants in record time.

7. Pay Transparency

Candidates crave clarity on compensation and benefits offered by organisations, with job adverts containing no pay information or that old chestnut ‘competitive pay’, see on average 35% fewer applications.

Pay transparency not only enable self de selection for roles that simply do not match salary expectations, but also help to foster a culture of trust, openness and transparency.

8. Employee Wellbeing

Job applicants are increasingly look for evidence of an organisation’s approach to employee wellbeing. Having a Wellbeing strategy, offering an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders, policies on hot topics such as Menopause, Men’s Health, free sanitary products, online or face to face counselling, Occupational Health support, or Health Cash plans are all part of the wellbeing offering that can help you stand out from the crowd and demonstrate to candidates that you are proactively committed to employee wellbeing.

9. Corporate Social Responsibility

An organisation’s CSR activities may also influence the discerning candidate when choosing between competing job offers. Many employers make a positive contribution to the local community, to achieving net zero, charity giving, volunteer days etc. If you haven’t yet thought about documenting your Corporate Social Responsibility and environmental efforts, think again – it can place your organisation in prime position when applicants are considering their options.

Incorporating the latest trends in your recruitment strategy can give you a competitive advantage, and have a positive impact on your current and future employees, and ultimately your bottom line.