Several trends, including artificial intelligence and early-career hiring, will influence talent acquisition in the coming year, according to Korn Ferry’s 2024 Talent Acquisition Trend report. The organization identified six recruitment and talent trends to watch for in the upcoming year.
“With the explosion of AI in recruiting as well as the challenges of greeting a new generation of workers and grappling with when, where and how people should work, there is a lot for talent leaders to consider when shaping the hiring and retention landscape,” Korn Ferry CEO Jeanne MacDonald said in a press statement.
The trends include:
AI and recruiters. AI will increasingly handle time-consuming recruitment tasks, such as AI-driven assessments and scheduling. The time saved by AI will enable recruiters to focus on the candidate experience and help to discern how candidates match to specific roles. However, 73% of leaders will closely monitor the use of AI tools for potential negative effects on their companies.
AI for candidates. AI will assist candidates by finding openings for roles they may not have considered, optimizing their résumés and cover letters and preparing them for interviews. AI will also keep the lines of communication open, as it can continually update candidates on where they stand in the recruiting process.
Early-career hiring. There is a growing battle for workers who are fresh into the professional field. Employers are interested in the new ideas they bring, and in times of economic uncertainty, it’s easier to justify bringing on people with entry-level salaries than hiring more experienced (and more expensive) workers. Some larger employers are starting to woo candidates as early as high school, and others are broadening their candidate searches beyond top-tier colleges to technical and non-traditional higher education institutions.
Hiring for skills. In 2024, it’s your skills, not the pedigree of past employers on your résumé, that count. Instead of tying hiring initiatives to long-term strategic business needs, many companies are hiring for — and paying top dollar for — the skills workers possess today, such as generative AI specialists. Job postings will focus more on specific skills, including technical and leadership skills, depending on the role, instead of qualifications such as the university the person attended.
Empathy regains importance. Many employees believe there is a decline in pandemic-era empathy from top organizational leaders. CEO-led return-to-office mandates are perceived as ignoring workers’ personal commitments. In a survey of 3,000 HR professionals at the start of 2023, a third said empathy was lacking at the top. The report shows that’s a big problem for any business that wants to hire and hold onto high-performing people. As those high performers move on, taking roles in organizations that give them greater work-life integration or more freedom to share their opinions without fear, CEOs will have to make changes.
Relocate or resign. As more leaders demand employees head back to the office, there may be a resurgence in relocating for work. While some employers already pay relocation costs for senior executives, if employers want to attract top talent at all levels of the company, they will need to start folding relocation or housing assistance into their employee incentive packages.
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Source: The top 6 hiring trends to watch in 2024: Korn Ferry
