Employers Confront Shortage of Recruiters in Midst of Talent War

Even as the delta variant pushes up Covid-19 case numbers, the economy continues stepping toward recovery. As it does, employers are struggling to fill open roles. And as they scramble to find the likes of software developers and data specialists, companies are also hunting for recruiters who can help speed up the pace of hiring.

That’s according to LinkedIn, whose research found that employers around the world and across industries feel the pinch of recruiting talent. Its jobs postings for recruiters have been increasing since the beginning of the year, and have now passed their pre-Covid levels. Between June 2020 and June 2021, the number of recruiter job postings rose by a factor of nearly 7.

Among the report’s highlights:

• The proportion of recruiters hired from comparable roles nearly doubled. Employers aren’t hiring recruiters from other fields at the same pace they did before the pandemic. The share of recruiters who were hired away from a recruiting job increased by 33% between January 2019 and March 2020, and 59% between April 2020 and June 2021. As LinkedIn observed, “[employers are] increasingly competing for the same narrow set of candidates.”
• More recruiters are being hired from HR. Specifically, 10% more HR professionals became recruiters over the last 14 months. The same period saw a 24% decrease in those hired from sales roles. The reason, said LinkedIn: “Companies are relying more on the surer bets who can ramp up quickly.”
• LinkedIn noted that key skills needed by recruiters can often be found in people with experience in account management, sales, customer service and administration. These people know how to build relationships, influence decisions and tell stories. “They may need training in how to recruit,” the report said, “but many of their other skills translate well.”
• Balance, compensation and culture remain priorities for recruiters who are thinking of changing jobs. But many other preferences have changed since Covid first appeared. Job security rose 21% as a priority for job-hunting recruiters, LinkedIn said. The idea of purposeful mission rose 19%.

In a war for talent, employers must build the strongest talent acquisition team they can. As open roles languish, they’re under pressure to keep their pipelines moving as quickly as possible. That requires candidates who’ve mastered the skills important to recruiting, even if they’re new to the field.

Authors

Mark Feffer

Mark Feffer is executive editor of RecruitingDaily and the HCM Technology Report. He’s written for TechTarget, HR Magazine, SHRM, Dice Insights, TLNT.com and TalentCulture, as well as Dow Jones, Bloomberg and Staffing Industry Analysts. He likes schnauzers, sailing and Kentucky-distilled beverages.