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Overcoming 2016’s Biggest Hiring Challenges

January 8th, 2016

The upcoming year will bring a host of new opportunities for hiring managers, including a new generation of graduates who will be stepping onto the job market with skills, ambition, and energy to spare. But 2016 will also bring plenty of challenges for HR pros and hiring teams, and if you plan to expand your company or replace departing employees during the year ahead, you’ll want to be ready.

A potential skills gap

Some industries are likely to experience a widening skills gap during next 12 months, which may leave critical positions standing empty while managers scramble to find qualified candidates. In some fields, this is nothing new. But now that skill sets are becoming more highly specialized and technical than ever before, industries that have never had this problem are about to feel the pinch. If you just can’t seem to find the right candidate for a hard-to-staff position, an experienced recruiting firm can help.

A thinning candidate pool

During the peak of economic downturn in 2009, excellent candidates flooded the marketplace. Laid off workers lined up for every open position, many of them highly overqualified and willing to jump through hoops to impress potential employers. But at this point, unemployment rates are dropping, and great candidates are harder to find—and even harder to attract and retain. Qualified recruiters can help you target these candidates and shape offers that will bring them on board and keep them away from your competitors.

Employees are moving faster

Young millennial employees have plenty to offer to a growing company, including tech skills, affordability, and the enthusiasm and innovative attitudes that characterize their generation. But today’s entry-level employees aren’t like those of past generations. They have bigger loans to pay off, greater demands on their time, and fewer stigmas associated with “job hopping.” The average tenure of an entry-level employee is rapidly dropping below two years, and in order to retain valuable employees after training and investing in them, you’ll need to go the extra mile. A great recruiting firm can show you how.

Sourcing will become more complex

Large national job boards are still excellent places to post positions, and candidates still use them. But because these boards attract so many resumes, candidates are now migrating away from this resource and toward smaller, industry-specific resources with tighter keyword and geographic filters. Again, an established professional staffing firm like Merritt can help you make the most of the sourcing outlets, websites, and apps that will become available in 2016.

The staffing landscape is about to become more competitive and more focused than ever before, thanks to sophisticated online job search tools and expanding social and professional networks. Contact Merritt Staffing today, and choose a team of staffing experts that can help you stay on top of these changes.

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