Not one industry has escaped the impact of the coronavirus crisis, according to Mckinsey, ‘more than 26 million Americans have applied for unemployment, but twice that number are vulnerable.’ With so many Americans laid off or furloughed, and a large number of firms freezing their recruitment processes, the staffing industry has faced challenging times and hiring practices are uncertain.
For in-house recruiters and agencies, filling vacancies while reducing costs has been a critical priority. In-house recruiters and agencies have each reacted differently to the strain of COVID-19. Onrec reported that ‘55% of recruitment agencies had either implemented or are considering redundancies, whereas only 9% of in-house recruiters had already implemented redundancies, with 47% not considering.’
Staffing firms have reacted by improving communications, supporting people to work remotely, and seeing that on-site workers are protected. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in rapid changes to many different industries, including emerging trends hiring processes.
Trends in staffing processes
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, AI chatbots have experienced a surge in usage. Up until recently, AI chatbots were infrequently used as part of the hiring processes. With so many candidates applying for roles, chatbots are equipped to handle a large volume of applications.
Techavio reported that the online staffing marketing in America will grow by $3.52 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 7% during the forecast period.’ They believe that AI searches are a prime factor influencing these trends. During the COVID crisis period, the number of remote job offers has almost doubled. Companies are hiring less, yet they are hiring more frequently for remote positions. Remote interviews had already gained significant popularity before COVID-19. In a post-quarantine world, these trends are likely to continue.
Supporting your staffing firm post- COVID-19
To support your staffing firm post-quarantine, you need an agile cloud-based platform. Staffing firms can benefit from adopting digital hiring platforms to handle applicant tracking, inbound talent marketing, and application onboarding. At AkkenCloud, we offer a powerful cloud-based platform for recruitment and staffing agencies. Our platform supports front office, middle office, and back office, providing the perfect digital solution for recruitment.
Support resources can be found on the Staffing Industry Analysts website. Here you’ll find useful tools and data related to COVID-19 and the staffing industry. Keeping up with the latest software, market trends, and COVID news will allow you to remain future proof.
Opportunities within challenges
Within all challenges, there are new opportunities. Many people are out of work, and this means that there is a whole new pool of candidates. Staffing professionals have access to brand new talent, which has been challenging to recruit in the past.
In the state of Oregon, some counties are yet to reopen, and that is causing a delay on job orders. However, elsewhere business is picking up; some staffing firms have 95% of contractors back on site. During challenging times like these, it’s more important than ever to focus on your strengths and ensure transparent communication with your staff and your clients.
