The recruiting industry has undergone significant changes over the last few years. In fact, the global pandemic, the increased push for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and remote working trends have changed the way organizations hire talent. While the last two years were years of reinventing HR strategies and solidifying its new role, 2022 is going to be all about pushing the boundaries of how HR can add value to organizational success. John Morgan, the president of LHH – a global provider of development and leadership, encourages organizations to keep up with constantly changing global recruiting trends to remain competitive in the job market and maintain a healthy organizational culture:
“The pandemic has accelerated behavior changes within the workplace and transformed the way we work. Employees are emerging from the pandemic with more confidence and new expectations. They are re-assessing and re-imagining their careers. How organizations and leaders respond will be critical to the health of their people and their companies. “
John Morgan, president of LHH
It’s obvious that HR’s role in bringing organizational success is increasing in most industries, and the IT sector is not an exception. Recruiters should adapt by mastering new skills, implementing new tools and metrics. To help companies to get an insight on how to maximize future changes in the industry, we’ve identified the major trends in hiring practices that will shape the HR industry in 2022. This article outlines key hiring trends in the IT industry to be aware of in 2022 to attract, hire, and retain top tech talent.
2022 HR Industry Trends
Emergence of employer branding
In 2022, the HR industry can expect the rise of employer branding development like never before. Recruiters face an uphill struggle to attract and retain IT professionals as candidates can afford to be much more selective about the jobs they apply for. In 2022, candidates will thoroughly research companies before applying for a job. Job seekers will want to know more about a company’s reputation, culture, mission, and values, and if they align, they are more likely to apply. So, businesses will need to revise their employer branding strategies to tailor their messaging to potential employees to resonate emotionally if they want to attract more employees.
Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies in recruitment have been on the rise and will most likely continue to become more prevalent in 2022. Diversity in the workforce has long been known to contribute to innovation, creativity, higher profitability, and growth. According to Gartner, inclusive teams perform up to 30% better in diverse environments. Over the last five years, inclusive hiring has become the expectation, rather than the exception, from candidates all over the world. More than 76% of job seekers report diversity is an important factor when evaluating companies. As more and more candidates value diversity in the workplace, inclusive hiring becomes vital for companies to stand out.
Rise of proactive recruiting
Proactive recruiters will dominate the HR industry in the years to come simply because modern recruitment technology permits a more efficient candidate sourcing process. Tech recruitment software, such as Employa, empowers recruiters to find more qualified tech candidates in a shorter period of time and at a lesser cost. In 2022, companies will continue to incorporate machine learning and artificial intelligence into the tech recruitment process to optimize their hiring processes.
Hiring for soft skills
While many associate the IT sector with technical skills, IT soft skills are also extremely important for success. As the HR industry answers the call for diversity and inclusion in the workplace, soft skills are becoming significantly more important than previously. Skills such as adaptability, analytical thinking, detail orientation, and decision-making will be among the soft skills trends in 2022.
Reaching passive candidates
The last year saw many businesses competing for the same candidates, which resulted in limited possibilities for companies to connect with tech talent applying for jobs. Employers found the solution by reaching out to the passive candidate market rather than just active job seekers. Reaching passive candidates expands the talent pool and increases the chances of finding a good candidate. So, 2022 will be the year of promoting job ads to a broader market and not just to those who actively look for a new job.
Remote Work Trends
Perhaps the biggest recent change in the HR industry has been the rising acceptance of remote work for a lot of jobs that previously required employees to be present in the office. Tech jobs were already remote-friendly compared to other jobs before the pandemic. In 2022, this trend will continue to emerge as most tech specialists will prefer to work remotely. Josh Brenner, CEO of Hired, says that 90% of tech job seekers on his platform only consider fully remote positions. That means that business leaders will be able to consider a wide range of location considerations to reach out to a broader market.
“Not everyone really wants to be living in one of these big cities or can even afford in the beginning to break into it. [Remote work] has opened up a lot of options for employers to just find the best talent and also to open it up to a more diverse set of candidates.”
Josh Brenner, CEO of Hired
2021 vs 2022 HR Trends
The last two years were like no other for companies, recruiters, and employees. The pandemic has changed our perception of the workplace and presented the new norms that recruiters should accept to stay competitive in the industry. What started as a temporary transition in 2021 has since proven to be a more permanent solution for businesses. While 2020 and 2021 were undoubtedly ones of uncertainty and upheaval that challenged companies and employees, 2022 should become the year of acceptance of new norms and the needs of employees. The challenge of 2020-2021 will undoubtedly influence talent acquisition patterns in 2022. In that case, then, the last year should be a template for what to expect this year. More companies have already started using virtual recruiting tools, revising tech talent strategies with equity and inclusion, and moving their hiring efforts to remote candidates. In 2022, these latest hiring trends will gain even more popularity and benefit businesses in the long run. Recruiters will use automation and artificial intelligence software more than in the previous year. Employer branding has risen to a top priority for companies in 2021. In 2022, businesses will need to effectively communicate culture, benefits, and perks to attract talent and stay competitive.
"I think this is an opportunity to really ensure that your talent brand is working for you now and that it's going to work for you in the future."
Teuila Hanson, LinkedIn chief people officer
Moreover, candidate expectations will see a significant shift, and workers will expect more from organizations. So, quality of hire over the next 12 months should become a new priority for recruiters.
Future of Recruitment
We’ve already discussed strategic trends in talent acquisition for 2022, but how will these trends affect the HR industry, and what changes to expect in the next decade? First of all, it’s expected that recruiting will become even more important than it is now. According to LinkedIn data, demand for recruiting professionals has increased by 63% since 2016, and this trend will be most likely to continue. As automation takes over recruiters’ manual tasks, the work left to humans will be more creative and consequential to the company overall. Secondly, better tools and technology will be key to boosting the efficiency of the HR team. The data suggests that investing in better recruiting tools and technology is the most effective way to increase performance, followed by adding flexible options and offering training opportunities. The technology will not replace recruiters but will reduce hiring costs and save time. The companies that already use tech to recruit said asynchronous video interviews reduced a three-week screening process to 48 hours. Thirdly, businesses will need to get used to changing their hiring plans. As markets, business models, and goals change rapidly, recruiters will need to be able to adapt quickly. One way to stay agile is bringing in all types of talent instead of only hiring within one business line. That’s why many companies will enhance their recruiting teams by hiring specialists dedicated to recruitment marketing, talent analytics, and recruitment technology. Those will be the three most impactful roles in the HR industry in the next decade.