Top ten talent issues for 2012

The integration of mobile technology, bilingual skills and the use of Recruitment Process Outsourcing for global expansion are amongst the top issues that will dominate China’s recruitment market in 2012, according to recruiting experts Hays.

Also high on the recruiter’s list is the importance of conducting a thorough background check rather than relying on content from social networking sites, which can be embellished.

“If there’s one thing we’ve learnt from the last year, it’s that technology offers employers, recruiters and hiring managers powerful new recruitment tools, but if used exclusively such tools become counterproductive to the recruitment process,” says Emma Charnock, Regional Director of Hays in China and Hong Kong.

“As employers incorporate social media checks into their recruitment process, some are neglecting to thoroughly background check the information they find, and some are even making hiring decisions based on this unauthenticated content. That’s why taking the time to get to know someone face-to-face, and confirming their background, is still crucial in identifying the right role for them.”

According to Hays, the top ten recruitment issues for 2012 are:

1.Bilingual skills: “For most positions, especially at the middle management level in MNCs, we will see fluent English and Chinese language skills become more essential,” says Emma. “As the business community becomes increasingly globalised this will be essential to enable organisations to do business across the globe. In addition, candidates who have worked overseas will be snapped up quickly.”

2.Background checking: “It is not uncommon for employers to use social networking sites to screen applicants. But some employers are now taking this a step further by using the content on such sites to decide who they will hire. We caution against this and warn employers that content on social networking sites can be misleading. Just as some candidates embellish their CV, we have seen cases of candidates exaggerating their skills, experience or qualifications online. In 2012, we advise employers to work with a recruiter or adopt more thorough background and reference checking procedures before making your hiring decisions.”

3.Mobile technology: “We expect to see further integration of mobile technology into the recruitment process in 2012. Candidates have a growing appetite for information that merges easily with mobile technology, so organisations will look for ways that the recruitment process can make this simple.”

4.Return of the counter offer: “Companies are expected to dig deep to retain their top talent in the face of a tightening candidate market. But a successful counter offer involves more than just money – employers need to make sure they address the underlying issue of why their employee decided to look for a new job in the first place.”

5.Recruiting from overseas: “Despite widespread agreement that organisations need to recruit from overseas to head off the growing list of skills in demand, there remains a lot of reluctance about this particular strategy. But as more organisations recruit candidates from overseas with bilingual skills, we should see this perception change and organisations in general become more accepting of the need to source far and wide.”

6.Business and commercial analysis skills: “Given China’s transition from a cost centre to a profit centre, we’ll see a real push from employers to find candidates with significant experience in business and commercial analysis to work closely with the business to understand its needs and provide financial insight into business growth.”

7.Salary disparity: “Candidate levels have increased, especially in tier-1 cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. But we are finding that a lot of candidates with three to five years of experience are very focused on salary when entering the jobs market. Given current levels of demand for the top talent, there are companies willing to offer these candidates high salaries in order to secure their skills. So in 2012 this will create an odd situation where existing employees with a similar level of skills and years of experience are on a lower salary than a new employee who has just joined the organisation.”

8.RPO for global expansion: “The reasons for using Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) will change in 2012 as organisations that are looking to expand globally seek a global approach to their workforce strategy. While cost reduction and process efficiencies will remain important, socio-economic factors, such as labour laws, demographic changes and global migration patterns are becoming too complex and causing employers to consider other, more sophisticated uses of outsourcing. The need for global RPO will also be driven by both multinational employers looking to harmonise their practices and organisations expanding into emerging markets.”

9.Instability of the Eurozone: “China - and Asia as a region - is well placed to ride out any impact on the global economy caused by European Sovereign debt issues. As a result, in 2012 we expect to see increased interest from overseas candidates with bilingual skills, particularly from those in the Eurozone, towards relocating to take advantage of our jobs market, particularly since the Asian economies continue to outperform some of their western counterparts.”

10.Internal mobility: “To overcome the skills shortage being felt in China, we expect to see MNCs further increasing their focus on internal mobility. This movement of employees from one position or location to another within the organisation also has retention benefits as it provides opportunities for staff to develop and reach their career goals. It’s about developing the right people into the right roles, whether that’s a vertical or a lateral move.”

Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.