The recruitment landscape in 2024 seems poised for a gig-based and hybrid-oriented economy. While industry experts initially expected remote work demands to fall off shortly after the pandemic, hiring trends may indicate otherwise.
Immediate Hybrid Workplace Trends to Stay on the Watchlist
Hybrid work remains on the rise as talent continues to prioritize the work-life flexibilities of remote arrangements from the pandemic days. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that one out of five employees teleworked in August 2023. These remote workplace settings provide companies with a broader talent pool (and more applications per role) while improving employee satisfaction. While many employees have returned to the physical workplace in the post-pandemic climate, there remains a demand for remote work days.
Employers should consider leaning toward the hybrid workplace as a strategic recruiting strategy. However, these tactics ultimately vary according to industry demands and location. For instance, work from home has declined significantly in Santa Ana, California, where it saw a 45.1% dip compared to the national average of 11.6% since 2021.
Skills That Are in Demand in 2024
Machine learning and artificial intelligence competencies remain hot topics across industries. The future workforce could rely on hard skills and specialized knowledge focused on these emerging technologies.
Talent could apply these proficiencies across IT, customer service, and other critical organizational areas as the workforce adapts to a machine and data-focused reality. We have identified the following skills as the top talent capabilities for fine-tuning your recruiting campaigns in the evolving job market:
- Communication skills – Effective messaging remains a priority as companies integrate more advanced communication platforms. Talent with efficient communication skills can optimize teamwork and drive organizational progress by analyzing and interpreting AI insights.
- Cloud computing abilities – Organizational data is shifting to the cloud in droves. It has become increasingly important for employees to stay well-equipped to maintain the migration, management, and security of remotely stored information.
- Generative AI – The subcategory of the AI wave has proven highly sought-after, with Upwork reporting that generative AI job listings increased by more than 1000% in Q2 2023 compared to the end of 2022. Your recruiting team could look forward to many talent acquisition opportunities in the generative AI space through technological improvements in solutions such as AI chatbots and mid-journey and image processing functions in the healthcare space.
Adapting to Flexible Work Arrangements and the Gig Economy
The World Bank states that the gig economy accounts for 12 percent of the global labor market. Your recruiting team must highlight the benefits of flexible work arrangements as part of your job descriptions and hiring campaigns in light of the robust gig economy.
These strategies may include closer collaborations with talent networks and strong employee branding that appeals to contingency hires. Flexible work hours could attract individuals seeking more ad-hoc arrangements in their current job search journey. Your recruiting teams should also consider a strategic combination of offerings tailored to attracting gig economy hires. These may include contracts with variable time frames and remote tools and technical support.
Leveraging Data for Informed Hiring
Your recruiting team can optimize the quality of hires amid the influx of remote candidates by implementing a reliable talent strategy database. Intelligent software such as salary and benefits benchmarking tools in response to the latest employee expectations can significantly improve retention.
For a more comprehensive approach, consider a turnkey data management platform that integrates information from employee surveys, performance reviews, and other insightful workplace assessments to understand the factors that drive the best hires accurately. Ensuring that your applicant tracking system (ATS) or talent management system (TMS) offers an intuitive interface for consulting these metrics and applying them to recruiting efforts is critical.
Embracing Remote and Virtual Work Options
Ultimately, your recruiting team should consider redefining the concept of work and hiring as more companies leverage a global workforce with virtual work opportunities. Modifying your talent acquisition strategy to accommodate global teams can provide your company with a competitive hiring advantage in the talent crunch expected to continue in 2024.
An adaptive international talent acquisition effort would include reimagining your existing hiring strategy. These could consist of an in-depth global hire budget, an accessible cross-cultural and remote onboarding program, and customized employee benefits that cater to individual priorities.
