Recession boosted profile of recruitment

The recession has increased the importance of recruitment in almost two-thirds of organisations, according to the latest edition of the Strategic Talent Acquisition Report (STAR).  

The report, which is produced by the Forum for In-house Recruitment Managers in partnership with analysis company Write Research, found that 65% of resourcing professionals believed recruitment was viewed as more important by managers since the start of the recession, while 15% felt it to be a source of competitive edge.

It concluded: “Historically it can be said that HR, and recruitment in particular, were seen as the ‘poor relations’ among the central enabling functions. STAR strongly suggests that those days are behind us, with the recession proving to be a pivotal movement.”

Encouragingly, 36% of respondents to the report expected their hiring levels to increase this year. However, 55% expect to manage more of their recruitment internally with only some support from external recruitment companies. Almost one-fifth currently outsource some aspect of their resourcing needs, the report found. 

In terms of how organisations structure their recruitment, STAR found that virtually all take a structured approach to hiring (90%), with 67% of organisations managing their recruitment efforts centrally. Around a quarter handle recruitment on a geographical or business division basis.

Cost and time-per-hire were the two most important recruitment metrics cited by respondents, with only 27% looking at the performance of the new hire.

The trend for agency consultants to move into in-house resourcing roles continues: 60% of those questioned for the report began their careers in recruitment agencies.