More than two in five (45%) employers consider talent recruitment the most significant HR challenge they will face in 2022 and beyond.
Moreover, 66 percent of respondents said they had been impacted by recent staff shortages in the UK, with 56 percent saying turnover has increased.
This is according to a recent study by Natural HR, which also found that 42 percent have had to use an agency or temporary workers to fill gaps.
A further 33 percent said they had offered more training to upskill existing staff to support short-staffed departments.
Filling vacancies
In the latter stages of 2021, the quarterly CIPD Labour Market Outlook study found that almost half (47%) of employers reported that they had difficulty filling vacancies.
In addition, one in four predicted that the number of vacancies that would be difficult to fill would increase in Q1 of 2022. So while industries such as hospitality, tourism, arts, construction, healthcare, and manufacturing continue to battle coronavirus cases and restrictions, the lasting impact of Brexit is still being sorely felt by many.
Recruitment and retention
Unsurprisingly, recruitment and retention of employees is also high on the priority list for over two-thirds (67%) of HR managers.
HR in 2022 and beyond under the UK’s new immigration rules, EU nationals no longer have preferential treatment; instead, a new points-based system is designed to attract skilled workers.
HR and talent teams continue to compete fiercely for the best talent and, as a result, they must develop new strategies to attract and keep that talent for the long-term.
As the supply of labour shrinks, many employers have adopted tactics to combat the challenges they face around recruitment, such as raising wages, upskilling existing staff and hiring apprentices.
However, the perfect storm of the ongoing pandemic and Brexit has made the lives of HR and talent teams harder than ever before when it comes to attracting candidates to fill open vacancies.
How can the tide of resignations be curbed?
Pierre Lindmark, Founder and CEO at Winningtemp, comments that “it is more important than ever for employees to have the tools and confidence they need to have conversations with their managers about salary. This includes providing each employee with data and personal insights that paint the bigger picture of how they’re feeling at work and understand what needs their focus.”
“Employees are then able to turn this information into action – creating both private and public action plans to move the needle on whatever changes they would like to make. This ensures that employees are constantly making progress and developing their careers, as well as providing them with the evidence they need to have conversations about increasing their pay. This has benefits for the company because it encourages self-leadership and leads to a more engaged workforce. Both of these are absolutely vital to organisations that are fighting the Great Resignation,” adds Mr Lindmark.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
