The 5 Most Important Recruitment and Hiring Stats You Need To Know From 2021

2021 has become a bounce-back year for recruitment and hiring. Getting back on track has been a priority for many employers who are now experiencing a rise in job vacancies, applications and new hires.

But since the pandemic began many things have changed. Hiring teams now cater for a new way of working, including home working, remote work and flexible options.

We look into the five key stats taken from 2021 and how they’ve affected recruitment and hiring.

1. Job vacancies are now 249,000 above its pre-pandemic level (ONS, 2021)

In the UK the number of job vacancies has risen to 1,034,000 and are almost 250,000 above the pre-pandemic level in January 2020. This is the first time vacancies have risen over 1 million since records began. With all industry sectors experiencing a rise in vacancy numbers, showing steady signs of recovery since the pandemic.

2. 58% of job seekers declined a job offer due to a poor candidate experience (CareerPlug 2021)

The latest research shows that 58% of candidates will turn down a job offer because of poor candidate experience. This is up from 50% reported last year in 2020.

Building a strong employer and employee relationship in the recruitment process is vital to maintaining a positive candidate experience. With job vacancies on the rise, in a candidate-driven market, job seekers can afford to be more selective in their job search and will favour an employer following their experience.

3. 70% of senior HR managers said diversity hiring is ‘very important’ to them. (Toggl Hire, 2021)

Yet only 40% implemented new tools to help combat bias in hiring. Organisations have a responsibility to improve diversity and remove bias from the hiring process and workplace. In order to build high-performing, diverse teams, employers need to safeguard against bias and create inclusive hiring processes.

4. 86% of candidates strongly value diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace (Monster 2021)

Diversity is also a main priority for candidates when evaluating potential employers. 62% of candidates also admit they might turn down a job offer if the company culture didn’t support a diverse workforce.

5. 40% of employers expect more than half their workforce to work regularly from home after the pandemic has ended (CIPD, 2021)

Before the pandemic, 65% of employers did not offer regular working from home options for their employees. That figure is now expected to fall to 37%. Employers are expected to continue offering homeworking because of its benefits with many organisations seeing a rise in employee productivity, a healthier work-life balance and better staff retention.

The pandemic has changed how many people work and employees value the flexibility homeworking offers them.