Covid-19 has had an undeniable change on the world and has made a huge impact on business from 2020 and beyond. Many industries had to adapt and overcome the changes that came with Covid-19s wave across the world. Businesses have taken this in their stride adapting to remote working and the ‘new norm’.
In recruitment, coronavirus has forced unprecedented changes in strategy which have been significant. Changing to virtual working overnight meant slowing or even stopping recruitment processes for many businesses so without physical interaction, how was recruitment changed and what benefits has this had on the industry and for other businesses?
The Challenges Faced by Recruitment
In 2020, the top challenges faced in recruitment in light of the coronavirus pandemic were:
- Under qualified applicants
- Applicants facing unsatisfied pay
- Insufficient applicants
Filling roles seemed like a challenge in 2020, the hardest roles to fill during the coronavirus pandemic have been:
- Senior Executives
- Professionals/Specialists
- Middle/Junior Managers
A change in hiring needs
Covid-19 has changed the hiring needs for most businesses. This differs across industries, most of which have had a decline in hiring, but for others a demand for new workers have sky rocketed.
The impacts on businesses have been huge, the industries which have been most effected by coronavirus are:
While the coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect on many industries, some industries such as health care, food and pharmacy retail and supply chains have seen a huge surge in the need for services resulting in extensive hiring in order to satisfy the increased demand.
The industries hiring the most during the coronavirus pandemic are:
The top 5 companies hiring in the UK during covid-19 are:
- The NHS
- Care UK
- Hermes
- Amazon
- Lidl
(Five companies hiring during COVID-19 | reed.co.uk)
Changes in the way we recruit
Due to Covid-19, companies are operating remotely with employees working from home and therefore job interviews and the recruitment process has transitioned to completely virtual. Interviews are being done through video calls resulting in a massive change to the recruitment field. Using an outsourcing company like Ally can help adapt and enable companies to effortlessly continue the recruitment process remotely. The virtual interview process had been implemented by August 2020, with 76% of businesses in the UK already using virtual interviews and recruitment processes.
It is predicted the virtual process will be here to stay, long after the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns. However, according to Annual Leave, sourcing, screening and engagement with candidates using technology has been helpful in reinforcing employers with a smooth and seamless experience for the candidate.
(How COVID-19 Is Affecting Recruitment in 2020 And Beyond (annualleave.com)
How outsourcing can help you overcome the challenges of virtual recruitment:
Finding the most suitable candidates using an outsourcing company like Ally, is less challenging and saves you time and money and helps you adapt to the ‘new normal’ in recruitment. Your dedicated Ally will find you the best suited candidates and can save you 2 days’ worth of selling time.
Screening candidates has become harder during Covid-19 and it is now more difficult to weed out unqualified candidates and the candidates that are not a right fit for you. Ally makes this easier than ever providing you with just the best candidates.
