With 2020 coming to an end, we thought we dedicate our last blog post of the year to helping you with hiring in 2021!

As we all know, 2020 has been a whirlwind. Gone are the days of the traditional 9-5; especially right now when more people are working from home than ever before due to social distancing measures. 

However, at the same time, according to the American Staffing Association, 16 million temporary and contract employees are hired throughout the course of the year; so clearly, temporary workers make up a big part of the U.S. workforce. 

There are a number of reasons why temporary staffing is getting more popular! People want more flexibility and working part-time or on a contractual basis gives them the freedom to balance their personal and professional lives effectively.

Clearly, the “gig” economy represents a shift in employment around the world. Professionals are opting to work on a contractual basis out of necessity and choice. Particularly as there’s little job security in the current economy. 

So what can you do? Well, if you’re finding it difficult to hire full-time employees, it may be worth looking for gig workers instead. It all depends on what your company’s needs are. 

Another trend that hiring professionals need to keep on top of is data-driven recruitment. With more pressure to hire the right people, both cost and time-effectively, many organizations have turned to data to help them make smarter hiring decisions; and avoid unconscious bias. It’s particularly useful if you’re working towards key metrics. 

Additionally, you may want to start or focus more on the candidate experience. Candidates have held the power in the U.S. job market for some time now, and while this might be about to change as unemployment rates soar, the candidate experience remains important.  

After all, people are more likely to accept your offers if they have a positive route to hire; and reputation matters in the current market. For that reason, this is a key hiring trend you need to be on top of. 

So, how can you create a positive candidate experience? Well, it all starts with your job advert. You need to write this with the candidate in mind; what do they want to know? What would make them want to apply? Use engaging language and break the copy up with bullet points so it’s easy to read. If your advert is poorly-written or doesn’t make sense, you’ll fall at the first hurdle. 

Let’s also not forget machine learning and automation, as well as artificial intelligence as these, can help with taking over over some of the more menial tasks and improving the overall user experience. 

In the staffing industry, machine learning may not be something you implement yourself. Indeed, it’s something that industry suppliers are investing in to improve results for users. Feel free to reach out to our Chameleon BI team to help you with automation.

We cannot iterate enough that you must stay on top of trends! Unfortunately, there is a range of external factors impacting companies’ ability to hire right now. But, that’s not going to change anytime soon, which is why it’s more important than ever to stay on top of the latest trends and ensure your hiring process is fit for purpose.