In many ways, recruitment and employment trends for the coming year are consistent with changes since 2020. But the year ahead promises some important changes for HR and recruitment professionals. Here are the recruitment trends to watch in 2022.

Recruitment Basics Remain the Same

In many ways, 2022 promises more of the same work and employment trends that we have seen in previous years. Many of the changes that candidates expect and demand from employers are generational, rather than situational, so we still forecast high expectations for:

  • Values-driven work. People want to work for companies that share their personal values, and do work for the greater good. Focusing on shared values remains an important part of the recruitment and hiring process. 
  • Equality and equity at every level. Equality, equity, and diversity remain a source of contention into 2022. Factors like pay equity, discrimination, and justice remain significantly more important to candidates than they are to business leaders, and the disparity increases for workers under 45. To attract the best and the brightest, employers must address and resolve workplace inequality challenges. 
  • Soft and hard skills outweigh credentials. More and more employers are relying on proven skills rather than on degrees and education. Focusing on soft and hard skill competencies allows employers to be more nimble, responding to rapid changes in their industry, instead of relying on educational curriculum developed decades in the past. 
  • Lifelong career changes. People are working longer than ever before, but they do not stay in one job, or even a single career, over their working lifetimes. Instead of avoiding these candidates as “job hoppers”, companies need to embrace the wider range of skills and experiences that these candidates bring to every role.  

Top Three Recruitment Trends for 2022

While the trends above have been evolving for several years, and should come as no surprise, here are a few of the most important factors that will lead to recruitment and retention success in the year ahead: 

Trend 1: Employers Must Address the Whole-Life Wellbeing of Candidates

If the pandemic caused employers to take more responsibility for employee’s health, that responsibility has only grown over the past two years. Candidates are more concerned about their whole-life wellbeing than ever before, and competitive employers are addressing those needs. Top recruitment techniques will not only offer financial, health, fitness, and retirement benefits, but will need to develop packages that address the mental and emotional needs of candidates, address the wellbeing of their families, and address their concerns for the future. In fact, over 60% of candidates say that wellbeing benefits will be their top priority in a new job offer. Success in recruitment in 2022 means considering job candidates as whole people, and offering them care and quality of life that extends beyond the workplace. 

Trend 2: Employers Must Redefine Success for Flexible and Hybrid Work

It’s no secret that flexible and hybrid work is here to stay. While recent years have seen companies adopting the processes and technologies that enable a distributed workforce, the year ahead will require companies to find better ways to leverage and empower that workforce. This means finding new and better ways to offer support and mentorship, new and better ways to measure performance, and new and better ways to recognize and reward success. Companies need to create new tools to measure the effectiveness of leaders, employee collaboration and engagement, and the impact of support and success initiatives. 

Trend 3: Employers Must Upskill Themselves as Much as Their Employees

Companies have been reducing turnover and lowering recruitment costs by up-skilling employees for years. However, recent studies have shown that HR teams and company leadership have focused more on employee learning and development, and not on up-skilling themselves. Recruitment and HR staff need the skills and expertise to manage new AI-enabled hiring and employment tools, promote a healthy and resilient corporate culture, and innovate within their own teams and departments. Corporate learning initiatives need to include company leadership, HR, and other essential staff as well as production and development teams.

Grapefrute has been ahead of these trends, because we do more than simply find talent: we get to know them. We learn about their wants, needs, and concerns, and the current trends have been growing in urgency for several years. However, recent global events and the competitive employment environment are allowing candidates to be more selective than ever. In 2022, successful recruitment will rely on meeting candidate’s needs and expectations, now and into the future.