Are we set for a hiring heatwave?

Jo Faragher

It wasn’t just the sunshine that was giving recruiters a reason to smile this week. The latest Report on Jobs from the REC suggested that placements for both permanent and temporary staff are on the up, and at the highest rate for more than two years.

As Kevin Green, the REC chief executive points out, this inspires great confidence in the UK jobs market, and a real indicator that we are beginning to emerge from the cloud of recession. However, he warns that in some areas there may be too few of the right candidates for roles, leaving some organisations short of talent where they really need it.

If, as some commentators predict, the skills shortage becomes more widespread, the role of recruitment agencies can only become more important. This is a good time for agencies to build specialist knowledge, increase their virtual and in-person networking and source the ‘golden’ candidates that clients will clamour to hire.

And if any recruiters out there were still wondering why they should bother making their website mobile friendly, a recent announcement from search giant Google may force them to change their mind. Last month, the company said it was changing how its search algorithms work so that sites without responsive web design (that is, if you search on a mobile and the site is not optimised for your phone) are demoted in search results.

Last week, a US consulting company, Pure Oxygen Labs, looked at how this would affect some of the top hiring companies in the States – some 94% of them would be affected by the algorithm change. Even though most had some form of mobile site, many were not responsive enough to meet Google’s new standards. So, if a high percentage of your prospective candidates come to you through mobile – and in particular mobile Google searches – it pays to make sure your site offers the most seamless mobile experience you can offer.

Which brings us back to skills shortages – another survey this week revealed that graduates with the sort of technical skills required to help code those mobile sites are in short supply. TotalJobs’ report found that more than a third of UK employers are struggling to find graduates with the right level of IT skills, and many are creating apprenticeship schemes in a bid to address the deficit.

Many employers have called for IT education in schools to be more focused on what the workplace requires, and ultimately the skills that will help to build the UK as a digital force to be reckoned with. But until this happens, it’s encouraging to see companies taking the reins by ‘growing their own’ talent.

As Mike Fetter of TotalJobs points out, this is an effective way to “foster a new generation of IT and business experts”. As reliance on graduates for these roles falls away, it will be up to agencies too to widen their candidate pool to include school-leavers and qualified apprentices.

Let us know what you think at editorial@recruitmentagencynow.com