Attracting game changers in the talent tussle

Are we on the cusp of a second Great Resignation?

If some reports are to be believed, the scene could be set for a mass exodus of top talent. As global growth stagnated across 2023 and 2024, so did career goals. Many of us swapped opportunity for stability, and employees have stayed in jobs they would have otherwise left. When the economy is low, are you really going to risk leaving a stable job, even if it isn’t matching your career ambitions?

There are a number of issues that both organisations and their employees are now facing as a result. As hiring slowed, those left behind are picking up more work than before. In the UK, our recent Salary Guide found that poor work-life balance was one of the key reasons for people leaving their jobs in 2024. In the States, a recent study found that 66% of Americans were experiencing burnout.

But are we set for a 2025 sequel to the post pandemic surge in people quitting their jobs? Not for now, in the US at least, where the first Great Resignation started.

“That’s not what we’re seeing at this moment in time,” said Shaun Cheatham, Chief Relationship Officer at Hays Americas. “However, if the markets recover, we could see increased movement as employees look for better opportunities. Heavy workloads due to hiring freezes are putting pressure on employees, which could drive attrition.”

Over in Asia, talk of mass resignations is also premature. Qasim Mohammad, Associate Director for Technology, Hays Asia commented: “Post-COVID hiring surges have really slowed, leading many employees to prioritise job stability. There’s also been a rise in counteroffers, which is reducing movement.”

However, that’s not the case everywhere. Our UK Salary Guide data is pointing to employees wanting to leave…and employers are concerned about it. Sixty-three per cent of employees surveyed said they planned to change jobs in 2025, whilst 57% of organisations said retention was their biggest challenge this year.

Whatever happens, one group are less likely to be as rigorously dictated to by the economy. Highly skilled STEM candidates are hot property, with skills shortages across multiple industries playing into their hands.

Attracting them to your business, however, requires more than just deep pockets. Are you ready to engage the game changers?

Future Focus: Personalising work to win the STEM talent race

Enticing top talent in STEM fields may require a bigger shift in organisational mindset than you realise. Of course, you’ll need to offer a competitive wage, which still tops the priority list for most candidates. But personalising the work experience is becoming more critical, and it starts at the interview stage.

First impressions matter. How you conduct an interview will go a long way to determining if top talent want to continue with you.

As Qasim put it: “Outdated, slow and rigid interview processes can turn candidates away. Companies must "walk the talk" and avoid stone-age interview practices. After all, the candidate experience during recruitment is often seen as an indicator of the company’s culture and innovation.”

For Amanda Whicher, Technology Director at Hays UK&I, being inclusive is an important way of personalising work and attracting highly skilled individuals. “Organisations must foster team cultures alongside overarching company culture, and there are a number of questions leadership must recognise:

• Are employees being asked what they need at work?
• How do we ensure everyone is accountable for building an inclusive culture?
• How can we adapt recruitment processes to better accommodate individuals?”

In the UK, there are mixed messages over tech professionals with neurodiverse tendencies. According to employers, 3% of tech employees are neurodivergent. However, a direct survey of employees showed neurodiversity in tech is as high as 50%.

Unemployment rates for autistic people in the UK, US and Australia have been high in recent years. Part of the issue are these outdated interview processes that don’t allow neurodiverse candidates to show their full potential. Here are some steps to making the interview process better for the individual, ensuring you’re personalising the work experience as much as possible.

Other elements of company culture have made national news recently. With large companies scaling back their work from home and hybrid policies, flexibility has taken a hit.

“Work-life balance and flexibility are now more critical than salary alone,” said Shaun. “Many companies are reverting to full-time office models, making candidates hesitant. Retention strategies must include offering flexibility to meet employee expectations.”

The final way to personalise the work experience and to attract top STEM talent is through upskilling. Retention starts with development, and our Salary Guide data across the world shows that workers want to feel they are learning. Ensure that continuous learning is a part of your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and tailored to the individual. Remember, upskilling your existing team leads to greater retention, which is ultimately cheaper than sourcing new talent.

One area that many want to learn more about is AI. However, the learning and development opportunities in this area are sparse. Amanda continued: “We’re seeing in our surveys that 86% of workers want AI training, yet 36% of companies lack the skills to implement it. Organisations are talking about AI adoption, but the reality is that many are lagging behind.

“In the UK, 44,000 graduates have AI-related skills, but there are only around 350 AI-specific jobs on the market as we speak.”

So, before you start looking for more talent, have a think about what you can do to improve your recruitment process and the personal experience of the individual when they work for you.?

Career Corner – Assessing a potential employer and standing out from the crowd

If you find yourself wanting to make a career move in 2025, and you have the right skills, a second Great Resignation will not come into your decision making.

As Shaun put it: “If you have niche skills, interesting projects under your belt and a strong track record, you’re in demand. Period.”

The difficulty may come for those earlier in their careers, or with more generalist skills.

In Asia, Qasim agrees: “Middle management roles are declining, requiring professionals to be more autonomous. On top of this, companies are struggling to define ROI. Candidates should upskill in business acumen, communication and interpersonal skills, to really stand out.”

For the highly skilled STEM candidates who are in demand, finding a job may not prove too difficult. Finding the right job, however, may still be a challenge.

The economic downturn has made many more cautious to leave in case their next place is either not what they’re looking for or suffers financial troubles. What a company says on their website about their culture may also differ from reality.

So, what can you do to be comfortable with the choices you’re making?

“Validate your questions through everyone you meet in the hiring process,” said Shaun. “Validate company culture by asking multiple employees about flexibility, innovation and their commitments to DE&I. Don’t think it’s enough to ask one person in the interview and that be that. If you start to get a pattern through multiple sources, you can be more confident of the answer.”

Qasim added: “For the top professionals in tech and STEM, ask about their Research and Development investment, as well as their project success rate and risk appetite. The answers to these questions will go a long way to telling you whether a company truly innovates or not, which is an important part of the culture for any top candidate.”

You can find the latest tech jobs around the globe on our website.

The Hays ANZ 2025 skills report

Do you want insights on the state of skills in Australia and New Zealand? The 2025 Skills report from our colleagues in Hays ANZ deep dives into 10 industries and 10 different professions. Get access to strategies employed by hiring decision makers here.