As we stumble into 2022, the last of our Christmas cheese shunned to the back of the fridge, we brace ourselves for what the recruitment landscape will do to our sanity next. The past two years have been anything but ordinary for the public sector. Their resources have been stretched beyond measure. Skill shortages within healthcare have reached new heights.
Roles within technology continue to grow and diversify in local government. Working closely with the public sector, and having access to an extensive pool of candidate data, JGP have the following predictions for the year 2022.
With the pandemic came many negative changes to our lives, but if there was one silver lining, it was the light it shone on the importance of work/life balance for employees.
Having experienced a lifestyle where we can put our washing on during our lunch break – we’re not keen on giving it up. This means that employers need to establish a healthy balance for their employees in order to retain talent.
With working from home now the new norm, an opportunity has been created for organisations. As location is no longer a factor when looking for new hires, a larger pool of candidates is available.
If you’re unable to offer remote working, it’s essential that you offer work/life balance in other ways. This can be through increased holiday allowance or flexible hours for your employees.
The healthcare sector has been greatly tested during the past two years. With the level of dedication needed rarely matching the benefits of the role. Due to this, many high-skilled employees have decided to move on. This has created a noticeable skills gap throughout the healthcare industry, especially within the public sector.
To combat this, and encourage those entering the working world to join healthcare, organisations are having to offer incentives. This can be through joining bonuses or sponsored training programmes, which we saw a massive uptake of during 2021. By implementing a training scheme within your organisation, you can help to create the next generation of skilled workers within the sector.
As technology continues to evolve, the expertise needed continues to change. In 2021 we started to see a rise in roles such as ‘Data Analysis’ and ‘Innovation Manager’ within local government. We predict that such roles will continue to grow and diversify throughout 2022.
As an employer, it’s important to keep a constant eye on recruitment trends within tech, as it’s an ever-changing beast. These are fairly new positions, so understanding the job spec and requirements can be a challenge – by speaking to industry experts such as JGP, you can gain insight and put your best foot forward in the recruitment landscape.
With unemployment rates at 4.2% and continuing to decrease, and the ‘Great Resignation’ seeing more job openings than before the pandemic, it’s clear that the ball is very much in the employers’ court.
Organisations will have to take this into consideration throughout the hiring process, and ensure that their Employer Value Proposition can compete within this challenging market.
For guidance on how to succeed within the public sector recruitment market, reach out to our team.