The data is in. Employers are ready to raise their recruitment game in 2024 through a combination of work-from-home opportunities, transparent job descriptions, fractional hiring, and more.
In the latest edition of Breezy HR’s Hiring Challenges survey, we revealed five clear tactics employers are using to win the best candidates this year.
From emphasizing work/life balance to offering competitive compensation and clear performance management systems, there’s never been a better time to rethink your recruitment.
Change in the talent market can be difficult to navigate, but it can also be a great opportunity to level up.
At Breezy, it's our tradition to invite employers to share their biggest hiring challenges each year, plus the tools and strategies they’re actively using to solve them.
Our latest survey data draws on insights from hundreds of employers of various sizes and industries to understand what modern businesses are really up against as they seek to attract and retain a highly qualified workforce.
You can download the report here for full access to the latest data.
Modern candidates want three things: clear expectations, fair pay, and as much flexibility as possible.
If you’ve gone anywhere near the HR echo chamber in the past year, you know the work-from-home (WFH) debate rages on. While many companies remain focused on forcing employees back into the office, others are using remote opportunities to attract candidates who want more flexibility and autonomy at work.
And they’re not shy about broadcasting those perks in their job postings.
According to the survey, 43% of employers say they recognize the importance of remote work. Not only that, 40% are actively emphasizing work/life balance in their efforts to attract qualified candidates.
As competition for top candidates continues to grow and remains a common hiring challenge, a flexible WFH policy could be just what’s needed to win the highly qualified candidates you're looking for. Consider adjusting your recruitment and hiring practices to be more flexible for WFH and remote workers, too. This could include a variety of activities like remote interviews or blind hiring!
In 2024, the importance of direct and transparent job descriptions can’t be overstated.
Year over year, finding qualified candidates remains the top hiring challenge for more than half (56%) of the employers surveyed. Many are making active efforts to include a transparent salary range, clearly defined job requirements, and the benefits candidates actually want to see in their job ads.
In fact, 73% of respondents cited clear requirements and job descriptions as their most effective tool at the recruitment stage, ahead of both work-from-home opportunities (55%) and fair compensation (51%).
Even if revisiting your compensation framework isn’t in the cards this year, a focus on refining your job requirements and proactively highlighting employee perks can help you draw the right candidates in – especially if those perks include WFH benefits.
The cost of living is on a steady incline and candidates are increasingly aware of their wages. They’re also willing to switch companies if it means making more somewhere else. But budgets are tight for employers, too, which is why competitive compensation is a solid way to combat your organization's hiring challenges.
According to the survey, 41% of employers struggle to attract qualified candidates due to limited opportunities for salary increases. If you have the budget to increase employee compensation, do it.
But it's important to note that throwing money at the problem isn't the only solution. Transparency can also make a big difference in the eyes of qualified candidates. Include salary or salary ranges in all your open job ads and highlight any opportunities to upskill into higher-paid positions.
Remember, employee attrition can put a sizable dent in your company's finances. So, treat your workforce as an investment – not an expense. With the right approach to your total rewards and employer value proposition, you can both draw in and retain top talent.
In the past, performance evaluations were all about the paper trail. Employees would get buried in forms and reports just to demonstrate their worth every year-end.
But the formalities of the performance management landscape are finally diminishing, with more than half of employers (54%) shifting towards informal performance check-ins and over a third are increasing their focus on rewards systems (36%).
Even if a raise isn't on the table, employees still crave feedback. And if they don’t get it they may look elsewhere. This is especially true for younger workers who entered the workforce during the pandemic and are actively seeking ways to progress in their careers.
Whatever you do, don’t pause your regular performance appraisals.
Instead, tailor your performance management questions to encourage communication between managers and team members. Keep the focus on giving your employees regular opportunities to track their progress, ask questions, and be heard – even if it doesn’t result in an immediate pay raise.
Nearly 60% of the employers surveyed named the changing economy as their primary hurdle going into 2024. In an uncertain environment, agility is key for both employers and job seekers.
And fractional hiring can improve your ability to adapt.
While 83% of the employers surveyed have a workforce made up entirely of full-time salaried employees, there is also a steady rise in the number of employers tapping into temporary, contract-based, and part-time positions.
Currently, 24% of employers are utilizing contract-based help and 21% are hiring part-time workers, compared to 22% and 18% respectively in 2022. This suggests that, even if you already have a solid full-time roster, the fractional talent market could help you fill shorter-term talent gaps, without having to commit to a newly created position.
Fractional hiring is part of the wider quiet hiring trend, which can carry some unexpected consequences if not managed carefully. As this trend continues, think about ways to strategically incorporate it into your wider recruitment framework to address hiring challenges, rather than using it as a short-term bandaid for hiring gaps.
This might include encouraging your existing employees to develop their skills for higher responsibility roles or establishing routes for freelancers or contract-based workers to transition from part-time to full-time roles.
There might not be much you can do about the increased competition or salary pressure, let alone the global economy, but with the right tools and processes you can take your recruitment strategy into your own hands.
Rather than passively waiting for the talent market to improve, employers can win qualified candidates in less time with a strong end-to-end process for attracting, selecting, and retaining the right people.
Here are some simple ways to combat hiring challenges and develop a ready-for-anything recruitment strategy:
To truly stand out and attract top-tier candidates, it's time to take control of your recruitment process. Revisit your employee perks and benefits, adapt to the evolving needs and desires of candidates, and update your job descriptions quickly to ensure you don't miss out on outstanding talent.
While you may not be able to directly respond to every hiring challenge on the list, the right plan and process can help you win the best new hires every time. Having the right tools in place to support your organization can improve and streamline your hiring process.
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