Despite 50% of talent acquisition professionals expecting continued volatility for the next 12 months, nearly nine in 10 are optimistic about the future

Employ Inc., a leading provider of recruiting and talent acquisition solutions, and the parent company of JazzHR, Lever, Jobvite, and NXTThing RPO, today released the findings of its 2023 Employ Recruiter Nation Report.

The annual report, this year titled “Moving Forward in Uncertainty,” leverages proprietary recruiting data from 21,000+ Employ customers, and findings from a survey of more than 1,200 HR decision makers and recruiters in North America. This data provides key insights into the current state of talent acquisition, top priorities for employers, and potential technology and strategy investments in the coming year.

Improving the quality of candidates remains essential in the current labor market for recruiters and talent acquisition teams, with almost half indicating it is their top priority (49%). However, compared to last year, this number decreased by 12 points. For 4 in 10 recruiters, getting more candidates for each open role is a priority, followed by improving the speed of the hiring process (33%), and improving the onboarding process (31%) for an optimal candidate experience.

“Recruiters and talent teams have been faced with volatility from an uncertain economy, shrinking workforce, and slowing job market in 2023, compared to previous years. But overall, talent professionals are still optimistic about the future of talent acquisition,” said Pete Lamson, CEO at Employ.

“Employ data shows that applications per job are up over the last year across companies of all sizes, and more than half of recruiters expect their teams to grow in the next year, with nearly two-thirds expecting their recruiting budgets to increase,” Lamson continued. “Recruiters and HR decision makers should prioritize the right mix of talent acquisition tools and hiring strategies to effectively and efficiently find and hire top talent.”

The report also revealed:

- When it comes to the most significant challenges talent teams face today, there is a fairly even split among three primary areas: not enough people to fill open positions (31% in 2023 versus 56% in 2022); competition from other employers (30% in 2023 versus 54% in 2022); not able to compete with salary requirements (25% in 2023 versus 33% in 2022).

- Nearly 60% of talent acquisition professionals indicate that because of the tight labor market, they are taking chances on different ways to accelerate time to hire and reach candidates. This includes making sure the hiring process is faster (42%), increasing salaries for new open jobs (40%), providing remote work and hybrid options (38%), and incorporating AI-powered technologies (34%).

- The challenge of not enough quality candidates is anticipated more within SMBs (63%) than at large enterprises (48%); however, more than 4 in 10 recruiters from enterprise companies believe they will have more open roles to fill (42%) versus 23% at SMBs.

- HR decision makers are extremely optimistic about the future of recruiting. An incredible 86% of talent practitioners shared that they are positive about what the future of talent acquisition holds, while only 8% are not. So, while volatility is expected, optimism remains.

The annual Employ Recruiter Nation Report brings together the depth and breadth of Employ’s proprietary recruiting data from its JazzHR, Lever, Jobvite, and NXTThing RPO solutions. Employ’s holistic database features nearly 600 million candidate records, leading to greater recruiting insights for customers and organizations of all sizes. The Recruiter Nation Survey was conducted by Zogby Analytics in September 2023, examining responses from more than 1,200 HR decision makers and recruiters in North America.

To read more about additional challenges and opportunities facing recruiters and hiring managers today, download “Moving Forward in Uncertainty” or stop by Employ Booth #5805 at the 2023 HR Technology Conference in Las Vegas.

To learn more about Employ Inc. and its solutions, please visit www.employinc.com.

About Employ Inc:

Employ Inc. empowers organizations of all sizes to overcome their greatest recruiting and talent acquisition challenges. Offering a combination of purpose-built, intelligent technologies, services, and industry expertise, Employ provides SMB to global enterprises with a single solution for recruiting and growing a diverse workforce. Through its JazzHR, Lever, Jobvite, and NXTThing RPO brands, Employ serves more than 21,000 customers across industries. For more information, visit www.employinc.com.

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