So what developments can employers expect to see on the recruitment front over the next few years?

More emphasis on assessment
Before businesses hire anyone, they will be setting a higher standard for assessing candidates. Screening prospects through multi-person or multi-part interviews, more input from third parties, such as Payworks, and increasing use of testing tools will become more commonplace to ensure the candidate you hire will become an employee who will stay.

Selling your company
With more jobs than candidates, the prospects have more choice. Businesses will need to develop “sell” strategies to attract candidates. Most of the time, it's about more than money.

Sometimes it is the money
If retention bonuses can work for convenience stores, they can work for other businesses. Increased salaries, signing bonuses and creative compensation packages can be very tangible ways to show candidates how much they are valued.

Hire first, train later
Companies can’t expect to find the ideal candidate for every position. Sometimes the best candidate is the person who is not the most qualified. It is important to hire someone who fits the organization. Once they’re in, they can be trained to develop the skills they need.

Finding people who aren’t looking
Not every candidate is actively looking for work. Many good people are happily employed by other places. These “passive job seekers” already have the skills and companies will need to develop attractive packages to get them to switch. Getting current employees to refer potential recruits works for some, as an example.

Inside moves
The right people may already be in the organization and it's simply a matter of shuffling things around. It's easier to find people internally who are already familiar with the company and then train them to play new roles. This strategy also helps strengthen the perception that the employer is committed to its employees.

Engaging employees
Job satisfaction is an increasingly important factor for employees choosing to stay with a company. Keeping employees means keeping them committed and interested in their work. Giving employees input into decision making processes, celebrating the achievements of individuals and rewarding individual or team performances are examples of successful strategies that make employees feel valued.

Outside recruiters
Skilled human resource professionals can provide extra resources to give employers an edge in searching for new talent. As objective outsiders, headhunting firms are often more successful in finding and hiring the right people.
     For the critical first steps in recruitment, Payworks can offer useful HR tools to track candidates as they move through the process from applicant to new hire. Once those new hires are on board, our robust payroll system combined with a growing roster of HR features can help you to effectively attract and retain your business’s most valuable assets.