Published December 2021 and kept as a record. The figures and the law have moved on since it was written. For the current position see STAR, certification for in-house recruiters. Note added 21 October 2026.
In the wake of the pandemic, the competition for talent has increased. Research has been unable to determine whether there is a shortage of workers, or whether unemployment benefits have made it too tempting for some to leave the workforce. It may be necessary, therefore, for employers to increase salaries to entice people to come back to work.
Despite the drops in unemployment for 2021, the pandemic has posed major challenges to the labor market. 66% of unemployed workers seriously considered changing fields of work to one with greater stability and less risk of exposing them to dangerous situations like COVID-19, according to a recent study by Pew Research Center. Therefore, There may not be a shortage of workers, but rather workers are not returning to their former occupations.
As a consequence of the labor market disruption, companies seeking to hire top talent must demonstrate a heightened sense of commitment to prospective employees. This will require full disclosure about the company's identity, values, why it matters, and how it cares for employees and customers.
The impact of employment trends on businesses
It is likely that most candidates will be rejected after going through the candidate process. A company must strike the right balance between appearing as an attractive employer while still giving it the flexibility to turn away candidates without adversely affecting corporate reputation and perhaps brand loyalty.
Unfortunately, the hiring process is not well documented by most employers. They can use these insights to make better, smarter, and faster decisions about how to engage, motivate, and reward candidates to create a fuller talent pipeline.
What do candidates go through
Many things can happen in a few months. For example, one recruiter may be on holiday or on parental leave, causing a new recruiter to handle the remaining work. Post-recruiting, a candidate is asked "How do you rate your recruiter's performance?" How will they respond? Potential candidates may split the difference and respond neutrally as a result of recency bias, which provides no value to the candidate, the recruiter, the manager or the talent acquisition leaders.