Employee Shortage – what can companies do? (Part II)

The cross-industry shortage of skilled workers continues to preoccupy the current labor market this year and characterizes a core issue for companies and their HR teams. Internal structures must be analyzed and optimized in order to develop concrete strategies that contribute to the recruitment of suitable candidates. In doing so, the focus is increasingly on the candidates themselves and their well-being within the recruitment process. Nevertheless, companies have to ask themselves which factors are most relevant during the application phase and what concrete contributions companies can make?

A good understanding of the market is a prerequisite for identifying suitable candidates for open positions. In many current application processes, the focus is solely on the candidate. That’s why it’s all the more important to design an individual and suitable strategy to stand out from the crowd. In a survey of job applicants, more than half of the participants (64 percent) stated that they had decided against applying even though their own profile matched the advertised position. But what are the reasons for this behavior? The survey participants agree: they want flexibility and efficiency. An absolute no-go is already the data transfer when submitting the application documents, which is often very slow and associated with complications. Half of the candidates surveyed (50 percent) also stated that the lack of mobile application options was a reason for not submitting applications. For companies, this means driving forward the digitization process within the company and, if necessary, implementing a one-click application option. Probably the most important keyword in the application debate: communication. In the digital age, skilled workers place a particularly high value on swift and smooth communication. It is advisable for companies to define a specific recruiting team in advance in order to be able to meet the requirements and wishes of the current applicant market. HR managers can generate an overview of the entire market and then accurately assess which factors are actually important for specific positions and which only drag out the recruiting process without results.

It is therefore an absolute priority for companies to understand their applicants. The change in the labor market also requires a change in the existing methodology. Digitalization is clearly a key factor here. This is the driver for new structures in the recruitment and application process. It is therefore essential that employers adapt to the changes in order to counteract the shortage of skilled workers.