Stepping into 2024, the landscape of hiring is ever-evolving, with annual changes in the recruitment process. Looking ahead, we explore into the employment procedures for the upcoming year. Leveraging constant communication with diverse markets, recruitment agencies emerge as the prime resource for anticipating trends in employment and hiring. Here’s a glimpse of our projections for the 2024 hiring trends in the dynamic employment market:
“As we look towards hiring trends for 2024, skills-based hiring is emerging as a key strategy. This approach prioritizes a candidate’s practical skills over traditional academic qualifications. It’s a shift that responds to the evolving needs of modern industries, where specific competencies are often more relevant than degree-based knowledge. This trend is particularly significant in fields where rapid technological advancements have changed the job requirements.
Moreover, skills-based hiring aligns with efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. By focusing on skills, companies can attract a wider range of candidates, including those who have gained their expertise through non-traditional paths. However, this approach requires a clear methodology for assessing skills and ensuring unbiased recruitment processes. Despite these challenges, skills-based hiring is anticipated to contribute to a more dynamic, inclusive, and competent workforce in 2024, adapting to the fast-paced changes in the job market.”
– Tyler Cook, Total Talent Solutions Manager
“Hiring Manager Expectations and Skill Based Hiring without Bias:
As we approach 2024, a shift towards a skills-based approach in recruiting is emerging, driven by the spotlight on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Job listings are evolving to favor skills over rigid requirements, with preferences rather than mandates for specific degrees. This change aims to attract highly skilled candidates, including those with self-taught expertise not tied to traditional qualifications.
Early adopters of skill-based hiring in 2023 experienced positive outcomes, including reduced time to fill positions, decreased cost per hire, and increased diversity. The competitive landscape in talent acquisition necessitates staying at the forefront of emerging trends. Embracing these changes can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of recruiters and HR professionals, enabling them to make more informed hiring decisions.
In 2024, a proactive approach to hiring processes, incorporating tested and trending techniques, has the potential to significantly expand the talent pool within organizations. This shift may also afford recruiters more time to cultivate relationships with candidates, hiring managers, and clients, contributing to a more successful and dynamic hiring environment.
AI in TA:
In 2023, AI, particularly through the utilization of ChatGPT, significantly influenced the field of recruitment, marking a notable shift in how businesses approach hiring processes. As we move into 2024, the role of AI in human resources is expected to persist and expand further. AI-powered tools, such as those employing machine learning algorithms, facilitate tasks like CV screening, candidate matching, job posting, and interview scheduling. By efficiently analyzing vast amounts of data, these tools identify top candidates, saving time and effort for recruiters. Additionally, analytical tools contribute to the improvement of recruitment outcomes by identifying patterns, predicting success, and evaluating the effectiveness of hiring strategies. This trend reflects a broader integration of AI into various aspects of business operations.
Return To Office VS. Hybrid and Remote:
The pandemic expedited the acceptance of remote work, transforming it from a trend into an anticipated norm across various industries. This shift led organizations to embrace remote hiring, virtual assessments, online onboarding, and remote work structures. Looking ahead to 2024, recruitment processes are likely to focus on refining the assessment of candidates’ soft skills essential for remote work, including self-discipline and communication. Onsite and hybrid positions may become more challenging to fill as the advantages of remote work environments become increasingly evident and appealing to both employers and employees.”
– Kyle Anderson, Total Talent Solutions Manager
“Artificial intelligence isn’t just a thing for big tech companies and data experts anymore. It’s everywhere in the modern workplace, even in jobs that aren’t super technical. As AI keeps changing the way we work, people from all kinds of industries are relying more and more on tools and apps powered by AI. This shift is making non-tech jobs want folks with AI skills, and those who can roll with these changes are setting themselves up for success.
It’s not just a feeling that AI skills are in demand for non-technical roles – there are numbers to prove it. A recent study by LinkedIn shows that job postings mentioning AI skills shot up by over 50% in just the past year. This demand is because more and more industries, from HR and sales to marketing and customer service, are getting into AI.
So, if you’re not in a tech job, you need to get on the AI train to stay competitive. You don’t always need to be a tech wizard, but having a basic grasp of AI concepts and applications is getting more important for non-tech jobs.
Companies are catching on to the AI trend too. They’re actively trying to bring AI tools and apps into their work, and you can see it in the rise of companies putting money into AI training for their employees.”
– Scott Ortes, Vice President
“As 2024 approaches there is a tremendous amount of fluidity and unknowns as we exit out of a period of relative hyper growth. Key priorities employers should be cognizant of next year in hiring talent and how their corporate culture could be impacted.
- Work-Life Alignment:
- The focus on “work-life balance” has been a huge topic in recent years, but for 2024 the equation needs to change. Balance implies equal amounts work and equal amounts life, and that’s not wrong. But if an employer is asking you to work as much as you “live” its time to re-evaluate! Aligning priorities is like getting the wheels on your car aligned; less wear and tear on the vehicle, more efficient operation and most importantly more enjoyable to drive.
- Influence of AI:
- As a wise person once said, “AI will not replace you, but someone who knows AI will!”. The role of AI in the talent acquisition process is increasing at an alarming rate, and that’s not all bad. However for years we have heard from candidates the in personal and de-humanizing process of automation from job boards to ATS, assessments etc. Companies will need to find balance on when AI is an enabler and when it is a hindrance. Humans do like to interact with humans at the end of the day. (AI was not used in the creation of this content!)
- Day Care/Child Care Solutions:
- As organizations continue to move towards hybrid schedules and flexibility, a residue of Covid is many parents were able to work from home and be present in their children’s lives. For 3 years our lives (and budgets!) reflected that change. In 2024 companies will need to explore and invest in solutions to support employees with family responsibilities. This could include on-site or subsidized daycare facilities, flexible scheduling, and family-friendly policies.
- Wage Pressure:
- Since early 2023 we have seen a significant shift in wage pressure from being employee centric to employer centric. Look for wage pressure to subside a bit with employees focusing more on soft benefits (child care, tuition reimbursement, extra PTO) as a priority in selecting a new role.
- Stability as a Priority:
- Given the uncertainties in the global landscape, job seekers and employees will prioritize job stability and financial security. Retirees are returning to the workplace as a result of increasing costs to living expenses. Part time roles will also emerge and continued growth for Gig workers. But all will be focused on having more stability in their work life that will ensure alignment with their lives!
- Return to Office:
- Yup, this will be the topic on all Hiring Trends lists for the next several years. We’ve all been deluged with data supporting 100% remote or 100% in office, and the purveyors of this advice and opinions are right! Not all roles and not all people are capable of working in just one environment and thriving! Organizations need to define their culture, and hire appropriately.”