Not all companies are experiencing a hiring slowdown as a result of COVID-19 and related economic challenges. A recent survey conducted by Universum, a global leader in employer branding, finds some companies have significant hiring needs, and they’re struggling to meet them in the current environment.
Here are highlights from the Universum survey, which polled employer branding and talent acquisition leaders at 120 large global organizations in March and April 2020.
How will coronavirus impact any recruitment/hiring needs?
All respondents
- 47% – There are far fewer hiring needs as a result of coronavirus
- 25% – Our typical or seasonal hiring needs will be made difficult
- 20% – We have significant hiring/staffing needs that will be difficult to fulfill during this time
- 8% – We have significant hiring/staffing needs that are a result of coronavirus
By industry
Responses vary greatly by industry. Survey findings suggest that two industries, banking/financial services and healthcare or pharmaceutical, currently have the most demand for candidates.
In banking/financial services, only 22% of respondents say there are far fewer hiring needs as a result of coronavirus, while 33% say they have significant hiring/staffing needs that will be difficult to fulfill during this time.
In healthcare or pharmaceutical, only 20% of respondents say there are far fewer hiring needs as a result of coronavirus, while 60% say they have significant hiring/staffing needs that will be difficult to fulfill during this time. Additionally, 20% of healthcare respondents say they have significant hiring/staffing needs that are a result of coronavirus.
But recruiting and hiring are not as robust in other industries. In response to the statement, “There are far fewer hiring needs as a result of coronavirus,” these industries basically say yes.
- Professional services/consulting 67%
- Technology 62%
- Energy/oil and gas 50%
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) – Consumer Product Goods (CPG) is somewhat of an outlier. For the most part, hiring hasn’t slowed – and in fact, 60% of industry respondents say they have significant hiring/staffing needs that will be difficult to fulfill at this time.
Recruitment messaging
In the current environment, global organizations are stepping up their recruitment messaging. Among surveyed employers, 50% have already added a COVID-19 statement to their careers site, and another 19% plan to do so in the near future.
Again, this varies by industry. Of note is that 100% of health care organizations have already added such messaging, as have 86% of professional services firms.
Updating candidate communication has also been a priority. Among responding organizations, across all industries, 84% to 100% have already updated candidate communications to address any changes to current hiring or plan to do so in the near future.
Virtual recruiting
Not surprising, the survey finds that video conferencing tools are hot right now, with 73% of responding organizations indicating they use them for employee recruitment.
Social media remains popular for virtual recruiting (48%), while virtual information sessions (33%) and virtual coffee chats (32%) are gaining ground for recruiting.
How does recruitment activity at your organization compare to survey findings?
