The latest NIJobs.com Jobs Report with Ulster Bank revealed good news for job seekers.
Vacancies across a wide range of sectors have increased, with jobs up 23% since this time last year. Tracking jobs advertised in July, August and September, the report found that seven out of 32 job categories have posted record highs and roles in engineering, accountancy and finance, construction and IT have all experienced an increase in listings.
However, while the job market has never been better, skills shortages are a longstanding issue.
8 in 10 businesses currently trying to recruit new staff in NI are facing major challenges in doing so according to the recent Quarterly Economic Survey from the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce (NI Chamber) and business advisers BDO.
The survey, which also covered Quarter 3 2018, found the share of manufacturers having difficulties recruiting skilled workers is the highest on record since 2011.
Addressing the discrepancy between jobs and jobseekers is where NIJobs.com steps in says Sam McIlveen, NIJobs.com’s General Manager.
“As NI’s online recruitment specialist it’s our job to bridge the gap between recruiters and talent. We have the digital prowess to identify and respond to trends in the job market to ensure our clients’ jobs always reach the best available candidates.
However, to hire the talented workers needed to drive their businesses forward employers need to play their part and think about how they represent themselves to jobseekers.
More than half of our traffic now comes from mobile devices and with that, we have seen a change in candidate expectations. People demand a streamlined and smooth application process. The old attitude that if you make it hard for people to apply you weed out time wasters is costing businesses talent. Candidates will just move on, apply and be hired elsewhere.
This is very much a candidate led market so good employer branding is essential for companies who are recruiting. It’s not enough to offer a job, you need to convince a candidate that your company can offer them the opportunity to progress and develop both professionally and personally. It’s not about offering bigger salaries, companies need to think beyond that and look at how they engage and communicate with candidates.
We pride ourselves on tech innovation at NIJobs.com focusing on SEO, skills matching software and onsite products such as job recommender which help make recruitment a success for both parties.
Coupled with our best in class tech is the expertise of our account managers. Our team work closely with clients, offering advice and support on everything from writing the best job description to crafting a company profile which showcases the best of their business.
As the only Northern Irish member of the Network, an international federation of leading recruitment websites, we can open the door to global talent for your business. Your NIJobs.com account manager can help you recruit anywhere in the world. He or she will liaise directly with their counterpart in the country of your choosing, managing your job posting as easily as if it were right here in Northern Ireland.”
Would you like to find out more about how to advertise your jobs to skilled candidates outside the UK? Just get in touch with your NIJobs.com account manager or contact our customer service team.