As an intuitive recruitment consultancy, we’ve had our hear to the ground and have been tracking the continuously fluctuating hiring environment since the pandemic began.
The beginning of the great reshuffle (that’s what we’re calling it for this segment) had led to many people in permanent roles starting to scout out recruiters such as ourselves for ‘the right thing if it came up,’ however, generally, people were staying put. Fast forward to 2022 and things are changing fast, with permanent placements now catching back up with interim roles, and higher numbers of Chief Executives, Directors and other heads of service becoming more common, suggesting ‘the great pivot’ (you heard it here first) is now underway.
A Candidate Market
Candidates are also migrating for similar reasons, looking for new career development opportunities and a better company culture to work in. They are becoming more focused on seeking organisations which they feel align to their values and purpose, which have a better attitude towards flexible work patterns, employee health and a positive work-life balance. These are the top reasons we are hearing here at Greenacre not only from our own candidates for job migration decisions, but also across other industries, the latest research suggests. We are finding increasingly that organisations who are not offering these incentives are coming to us puzzled and seeking advice as to why they are not able to fill the vacancies they are advertising. The answer is simple. It’s a candidate market right now.
According to a recent study by Microsoft, 41% of employees are considering leaving their jobs, and this trend is set to rise. There is a growing sense of mobility among workers, and there is a desire to move from organisations who are still practicing the now out-of-date pre-pandemic work models to ones who offer flexible working patterns, better opportunities for development and who prioritise well-being and shared values. Younger people in particular are less likely to engage unless these criteria are met, and their job feels meaningful.
The Great Kerfuffle
There is no getting away from the pandemic’s impact on people’s mental health and well-being. The last two years have created huge amounts of uncertainty and anxiety around returning back to work and transitioning back to what nobody really understands as normal anymore. On top of this, the cost-of-living crisis has started to hit people across the country, and whereas previously we were seeing a rising trend towards a career with purpose and values over salary range, the financial aspect has taken precedence once more, and sits on a par with a values-led offer. This is not surprising, and with skills shortages hitting across the housing industry, the private sector is poaching top talent with competitive salaries, creating a need to raise the profile of our industry. Regionally and nationally, we are seeing shared utilisation of highly sought after technically skilled candidates, whilst enlisting more consultancy-led specialists to transform services and address departmental challenges.
On a positive note, once people join social housing, they do not tend to want to leave, and it’s up to us to shout louder about how fantastic the industry is to work in. Here, have a megaphone, and get going!