The COVID-19 outbreak accelerated digitisation of processes, including hiring processes, across companies and sectors. If predictions based on LinkedIn’s data and survey of HR leadership is to be believed, Asia Pacific is gearing to focus more on diversity, inclusion and belonging, among other things. LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report reveals that employees are likely to stay 41 per cent longer at companies that practise internal mobility/hiring
1. Internal mobility will become a necessity and an essential part of the recruitment strategy. Internal partnership along with learning and development will be leveraged to bring the best out of internal talent. This will not only increase retention but also ensure more engaged employees. According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report, employees are likely to stay 41 per cent longer at companies that practise internal mobility/hiring.
When it comes to assessing talent during the hiring process, recruiters will focus more on their ability to adapt and solve problems rather than on their technical prowess in performing certain jobs or tasks.
2. Diversity, inclusion and belonging (DIB) will be the focus and be a significant part of the talent plan of organisations. The number of DIB positions has been and will continue to be on the rise in the Asia-Pacific. With remote working becoming more widespread, there will be more flexibility offered to candidates and underrepresented groups will face fewer barriers. Data-driven reporting will ensure more accountability and retention of diverse talent, along with their engagement
3. Virtual recruiting has already caught up in India, and will only become more common as it gives better access to new talent. In addition, it ensures savings in terms of costs and time. However, to project the company’s brand and workplace culture to the candidate, a hybrid model of hiring with the right combination of virtual and physical interaction will have to be resorted to. While entry-level candidates may be hired via a 100 per cent virtual process, senior executives may require face-to-face discussions before being selected.
4. The number of remote job postings has been on the rise. Recruiters will play an important role in their organisations’ transition to remote work. How an organisation is able to cultivate and nurture a strong workplace culture and create a positive employee experience, despite the distance, will determine how ahead of competition it will be. The key will be to ensure employees stay connected even while working remotely.
5. The brand image of organisations will depend on what they do for the community and the kind of support they extend to their employees and customers during crises. The actions of organisations will speak louder than the perks and benefits offered. Simply put, empathetic employers will be preferred, whose employees themselves are their true and proud brand ambassadors. Recruiters will also demonstrate their company’s brand in their interactions with candidates, through an empathetic and accommodating hiring process.
6. Adaptability will be the most sough-after skill going forward. Recruiters will focus on building new skills in alignment with the business and the changes it is undergoing. Not surprisingly, recruiters have been spending more on learning, in fact, four times more than they did a year ago. About 74 per cent of those surveyed in the Asia Pacific felt employee engagement will be a bigger part of their role, compared to 67 per cent globally. Nurturing positive relationships with people will be important to the role of recruiters.
For India, the World Economic Forum estimates that over 50 per cent of the workers in the country will need to reskill in two years. The unexpected rise in demand for tech solutions only proves that the country cannot do without digitisation. In India, 72 per cent of professionals admitted that adaptability will be an important skill in the years leading up to 2025. Only about 66 per cent professionals in the Asia-Pacific shared the same opinion.
While 85 per cent of talent professionals in India thought reskilling the workforce was very important in shaping the future of recruiting, compared to the Asia-Pacific average of 76 per cent. About 80 per cent of talent professionals thought tech automation was very important, compared to Asia-Pacific’s average of 73 per cent.
