Why is it hard to recruit?

“If I had a pound for every time, I have been asked that then I would be rich” comments Helen Stacey, MD of Aspire Jobs – recruitment agency specialising in permanent recruitment across Dorset and Hants.

?Helen explains further: -

?“The market has been candidate driven now for around 18 months, difficult to believe that we have come out of a pandemic straight into a market where, at all levels, and for all roles companies are struggling to recruit.?Trust me, I know as I see it day in and day out.?

?Don’t get me wrong, people are moving but (and I sound like a broken record) they have a choice, in fact they have multiple choices, they are moving off the market so quickly – sometimes within 24 hours of uploading their CV.?They can afford to be choosy and if the salary, benefits, or culture doesn’t fit their values then they move on to the next job offer.?I have never known anything like it in over 30 years of recruitment.”

?Some reasons include: -

?·??????During the pandemic, people have reassessed their lives and many have decided to look at their work/life balance and go part time or retire early

·??????For the same reasons, many people have set up their own businesses coming out of Covid

·??????A lot of Europeans have gone home and can’t get back into the UK due to Brexit

·??????There are generally a lot more jobs available

·??????More people have taken on caring duties, maybe for older parents

·??????Benefits culture – I’ve said this before and it's controversial, but UC applicants aren’t being forced to look for work ?- it’s a major problem for Dorset but also for UK PLC

·??????A lot of people are now looking for hybrid or fully remote roles – not all business is able to offer this

·??????More people can work from home meaning they can work for city-based companies who can afford to pay more, but the candidate still stay living locally – local salaries can’t compare with London salaries as an example

·??????Cost of living is starting to have a real impact on people’s decision to move roles

·??????Cost of fuel is a deciding factor for many when looking at moving jobs – does the company offer working from home, for example?

?It's having a real impact on the economy as well.?Business is having to curtail growth plans due to recruitment issues.?Pay is also starting to grow, with starting salaries really rising in the last 6 months. This has a knock-on effect to existing employees, which is a difficult balancing act for employers trying to attract and retain staff!

?It's down to us as business owners to really challenge the way we think about recruitment.?Recruit on personality and culture fit – skills can be taught (for most roles) and more importantly put people planning at the top of your agenda and to-do list.?A lot of business owners talk about staff as their most important asset, and that means moving the item up the agenda and focussing on it properly, not just a knee-jerk decision when someone gives their notice in.??Also, you need to really start putting a value on Recruitment Experts (such as Aspire Jobs) – they know their local marketplace, can give advice on salaries and job titles as well as candidate attraction. We are not the enemy here!?

Of course, there are elements that are out of business owners’ control – the spiralling cost of child care for example is a major barrier for people to return to work, and locally we all know and experience the infrastructure issues around our roads and lack of public transport where it’s needed – getting to Bournemouth Airport is a classic example!

?The next 6 months are going to be interesting with cost of living being squeezed, the war in Ukraine continuing and a new Prime Minster about to be announced.?If you would like further information on the local employment landscape, then please call Helen on 07974 429217 or email [email protected]