Recruitment software as an aid to the economy

July 12th, 2018 | Industry News

Hard on the heels of the announcement that the UK Government is to set up a fee-free portal for teaching vacancies, research by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) reveals the pressure that recruiters are under to find supply teachers. Most recruitment firms are given less than two hours’ notice that a school needs a temporary teacher, the survey reveals. Given the speed with which recruitment agencies must find a qualified and vetted temp, online recruitment software makes a substantial contribution to this process.

This rapid and demanding recruitment turnaround is set against some DfE statistics showing that over a quarter of teachers left the profession between 2013-2016, the highest departure rate since records began in 1996 and further information from the REC stating that three quarters of recruitment agencies have had to persuade a teacher to remain in post in the past 12 months. To meet these needs, 92% of recruitment agencies say their consultants get to work between 6-8am. Recruitment agency software that allows recruiting professionals to work from home, and gives them the capacity to update databases and inform colleagues and candidates of placements gives these agencies a decided advantage not only in placing temporary employees but also in having their own good work-life balance to stop them burning out.

Horticulture as a coming of age employer

More research into employment has revealed another UK employer has recruitment issues. This time it’s horticulture! The sector offers many aspects that millennials desire: rural living, community enhancement, a clear career progression, a high degree of autonomy and the creation of worthwhile products but a study reveals that the industry may struggle with recruitment because teenagers (who are willing to work for the industry pay rates) don’t have an interest in growing things, while those who do have that interest often require a higher income than the industry offers. Recruiters with an applicant tracking system UK wide are often able to identify candidates who are able to move geographically to fill need, and this can be the best solution for employment that is high in job satisfaction but low in career progression/income generation opportunities.

The best recruitment CRM also gives candidates an opportunity to express the intangible elements of their desired career progression which for millennials is considered to be at least as important as the classic ‘salary range’. This more emotive aspect of recruitment consultancy relies as much on experienced consultants as it does on sophisticated algorithms but there’s no doubt that recruiting software that can offer candidates the scope to identify what’s important to them in job satisfaction creates better retention rates at all employment levels.