2023 was a year that saw record numbers of people in work in Northern Ireland. As a result, many employers found themselves in fierce competition to attract and recruit skilled professionals.
In this competitive talent market, it has become increasingly necessary for recruiters to not only reflect on filling existing roles but to also delve deeper into the skilled workers they will require to ensure the upward future trajectory of their businesses.
Strategic recruitment planning and analysing the needs of your business allows you to go beyond the basics. Delve into identifying skills shortages within your organisations, mitigating demands in areas with high turnover, expanding headcount in growth-oriented sectors, and understanding the needs of the jobseeker for upcoming recruitment projects.
In this article, discover how to achieve prolonged business growth and plan for your specific recruitment needs in this ever-evolving talent market.
Analysing Staff Turnover
Start by examining staff turnover so you can get an idea of what is needed to keep the headcount level. Also, think about areas of consistently high turnover. Is this going to be an ongoing issue? While there’s no exact science to predicting turnover, reviewing your previous year’s numbers and beyond is the best starting point to identify and make predictions.
Compare average headcount figures over previous years and determine whether they are meeting business expectations for that period. Is head count typically under or over what is required and why? Typically, if you are under, it’s a simple way to know if you have previously had appropriate resources, or if there are wider attraction or attrition challenges.
Use engagement surveys and the right questions to see if turnover is likely to be higher or lower this year comparing scores to previous years. Subtler questions are more likely to garner the truth such as:
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How likely would you be to refer someone to work here?
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How likely would you be to recommend our organisation’s products or services to a friend or colleague?
How to Determine Skills Shortages
Many organisations continue to experience long-term skill shortages and difficulties when it comes to filling roles. When beginning to think about the shortages in your organisation, it’s important to know what skills the business needs and wants from its employees.
Ongoing talent shortages remain a challenge for employers in Northern Ireland despite sectors actively recruiting. In our last Job Report for Q3, the Country Director of The Stepstone Group with responsibility for NIJobs, Sam Dooley remarked: “Our advice to employers is to focus on your key goals over a set period and identify business-critical roles that you will need to reach these objectives. This will allow you to clearly identify where skill shortages exist within your organisation and will also give a clear path of what skills are required for future success.”
Look at your job descriptions and rank essential skills that commonly come up and you will get a benchmark of common skills. Speak to senior management about the direction the business is going and what is needed to take you there. Remember, soft skills may be company-wide, whereas teams will have specific technical requirements.
Then, you need to look at what exists within the business. There are a few ways to review current skills, one of the best is to look at annual reviews and scores. If there is a consistent review process across the business with a scoring system that rates these skills, then it is much easier to map out where there may be gaps.
Examining Areas of Growth
Next, look at areas of growth or big projects for your business that will need resourcing.
Ask them to map out the tasks required, and the length of time to complete these and start getting an idea of who can do these internally within their own remit and what extra headcount is needed. This will give you a basic understanding of roles and responsibilities for job descriptions and new functions that may be needed as well as organisational structure. It’s also a good time to think about whether permanent or contract staff are required.
Understanding Jobseeker Needs
To attract and retain the best talent, employers need to consider talent strategies in their recruitment plan that incorporate evolving professional preferences and needs, while also making sure this aligns with their business’s needs and requirements.
For example, hybrid working models continue to stand out as an attraction for potential candidates. Our recent Jobseeker Snapshot Survey for Northern Ireland gave specific insight into the matter of hybrid working, revealing that jobseekers now express a preference for hybrid working arrangements.
Moreover, the data also reveals that three-quarters of jobseekers state that they are more inclined to apply for positions that offer hybrid working models. This finding underscores the importance of such flexibility for both attracting and retaining talent who now envision a career with more work-life balance.
Armed with these insights, organisations can systematically evaluate every aspect of their recruitment strategy, enabling strategic adjustments aligned with jobseekers preferences.
While the priorities of recruiters and jobseekers may not always align perfectly, informed decision-making based on this data equips recruiters to proactively plan and approach the upcoming recruitment year with optimal tools. With the growing demand in the market, recruiters now need to effectively meet the evolving preferences of jobseekers to stay among the competition. The unpredictable nature of the recruitment market suggests that without a well-thought-out strategy, you may encounter unexpected costs and a shortage of resources, placing undue pressure on both you and your team.
In a landscape constantly changing, it is essential to equip yourself with the right strategy and tools to propel your business forward. Commence this journey by scrutinising your existing framework and conducting an estimation of the personnel required to meet your business objectives. Remember, the end of the year is not just a conclusion but a launchpad for strategic recruitment that can shape the success of your endeavours in the year ahead.