Skills shortage causes stress for companies and recruiters

The skills and labor shortage in Switzerland shows little sign of easing and has thus long been an everyday occurrence for recruiters. The shortage of skilled workers increased by a further 24 % in 2023 compared to the previous year, reaching a new record level. Recruitment therefore remains a major challenge for companies (University of Zurich, Swiss Skills Shortage Index).

This has an impact on the day-to-day work of recruiters: a full 91% say that there are high expectations and demands placed on them by company management, while for 83% the shortage of skilled workers means a higher administrative workload. As a result, recruiters feel increasingly under pressure: 65% complain of high emotional tension and stress.

"Much of the pressure that companies feel due to the shortage of skilled workers is passed on to HR managers. However, they often have limited scope for action and few resources at their disposal to counteract it," says Sandra Bascha, Head of Communications Switzerland. "Company management must work closely with their HR departments to create the right framework conditions in order to position themselves as an attractive employer. Employees expect flexible working hours, fair pay and a good work-life balance." 

AI as the key to easing the burden

When asked about the activities that recruiters spend the most time on in the application process, more than 39 percent of respondents say onboarding processes and administrative tasks for new employees, as well as researching and actively approaching suitable candidates (39 %) and organizing and conducting interviews (39 %). The screening of applications and CVs also takes up a large amount of time in the recruiting process (35 %), as does the evaluation of feedback and assessment of applicants after interviews (26 %).

At the same time, almost half of HR employees would like to spend more time organizing and conducting interviews (47%). Around 39 percent would like to invest more energy in selecting suitable candidates from the applications received. 36 percent would like to intensify their active sourcing, i.e. the proactive search for new employees. The establishment and maintenance of talent pools is on the wish list of 35 %.

This makes it clear that using AI to reduce the workload in the recruiting process can be an effective solution to create space for tasks: "Artificial intelligence can be a helpful support for HR managers to automate processes or create job advertisements more quickly," says Sandra Bascha. "Administrative time wasters in particular can be effectively reduced in this way and create space for the core competencies of recruiters."

Applicants are becoming increasingly demanding in the recruiting process

The shortage of skilled workers not only makes the recruiting process more difficult, but also more complex, as the demands of applicants have increased significantly: 82% of HR managers fully or somewhat agree with the statement that the shortage of skilled workers has led to a significant increase in the non-commitment of applicants. Examples of this include ghosting, poor availability, rejections despite acceptances and little feedback from actively contacted candidates. 17 percent have already experienced ghosting very frequently or frequently, a further 54 percent occasionally. In addition, 89 percent of respondents report that applicants have increasingly high expectations of job conditions, corporate culture and benefits. These include flexible working hours, attractive remuneration and career development as well as promotion opportunities.

Appinio also surveyed 500 employees in Switzerland for the Xing job market report, which revealed that most candidates want a speedy application process and feedback within one to two weeks. For longer response times, approval drops rapidly. For applicants, a lack of feedback (33 %), long waiting times (32 %) and impersonal communication in the form of automated responses and standardized rejections (26 %) are the most annoying factors in the job search - this puts additional pressure on recruiters.

Recruitment is the focus of annual planning

Back to the recruiters: What plans do they still have for the remainder of the year? For most respondents, finding new employees through active sourcing is the most relevant point (39 %). Active sourcing is rated as somewhat to very important by 88 percent. For 35 percent, conducting job interviews is at the top of the to-do list. Advertising vacancies, as well as filling vacancies through passive sourcing, is on the agenda of around one in four (28 %).

In addition, 27 % consider the general fight against the shortage of skilled workers in the company to be the most important topic that HR managers would like to focus on in the coming year. Digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence is only an aspect for 26 % of those surveyed in order to better meet the challenges of the skills shortage. "However, the transformation of the world of work requires smart recruiting, a new way of looking for jobs and flexible working models," emphasizes Sandra Bascha. "Recruiting is a success factor. The responsibility for this must not just rest on the shoulders of the HR department, but must be strategically anchored in the company management."

Source: www.xing.com