RGC

Demystifying Staffing Consultancy and How the Agencies Behind It Work

The global pandemic caused nearly all staffing and recruitment services to halt for a time. Now however, Canadian businesses are making up for this lost time with a vast number looking to hire fresh talent. Our main goal at Raymond George Consultancy is to provide Canadian staffing and recruiting job seekers with the necessary tools needed to decide which opportunity is right for them. We pride ourselves on providing an impartial view of the employment landscape for recruiters. In order to do so, it’s important for us to stay ahead of staffing trends that could affect how job seekers find and secure jobs.

Therefore, we thought it would be helpful to share our insights by analysing current industry trends within the Canadian staffing sector, taking a closer look at what this means for you and your job search.

Canadian Staffing Industry Trends:

1. The great resignation

With a newborn confidence in the market from both a client and candidate perspective there is a lot of movement in the recruitment and staffing industry in this post-pandemic world, a mass hiring frenzy is taking place.

While the U.S. lost 8.5 million jobs from February 2020 to February 2021, the labor market is hot. Tightness, an economic indicator that tracks the ratio of job vacancies to unemployment, has virtually returned to pre-pandemic levels. Especially unusual is the rate at which employees are voluntarily quitting their jobs recovered in September.” – Forbes

The Canadian staffing market is also experiencing frenetic hiring. From a candidates’ perspective, there is mass choice. So, how can a candidate determine which role is the best fit for their skillset and career ambitions? That’s where a RectoRec like us at RGC is invaluable. We bring a human approach to the staffing landscape and will always give you honest, professional and up-to-date advice about roles and Companies you may be considering. Whether we are working with the client or not, we have market insights that may help you with your choice.

2. Rapid technological adaptation due to at home working

As a direct result of the pandemic, successful agencies have innovated their staffing processes, focussing on social recruitment by introducing mobile-staffing apps and virtual interviewing.

Technology continues to empower hiring managers and staffing specialists to make smarter staffing decisions whilst simultaneously providing job seekers with greater access to opportunities – worldwide, improving the process for candidates and employers alike.

At RGC we believe that AI will play a crucial role within the next 5-7 years of the Canadian staffing industry. This is because AI allows employers and staffing specialists to offload a significant number of administrative tasks. For example, scheduling interviews, answering questions, and even conducting initial applicant screenings.

As a result of this, productivity rates are set to increase by more than 50%, giving staffing consultants time to focus on what they do best: speaking to prospective candidates. This is an important and notable transformation in job responsibilities for staffing consultants. There are Companies already offering different forms of technology in their staffing hiring process. If you want to be part of this, talk to us, to find out who is leading the pack.

3. Succession planning and talent pipelining will become more common and more critical as business leaders aim to ‘future-proof’ talent pools

Due to a perceived uncertainty in the global economy (despite a mass uplift of confidence) large international corporations are taking precautionary steps to future proof their talent. Moving from a reactive approach to a proactive one.

Businesses are looking to invest further in staff development schemes to provide internal progression and strengthen retention. They are looking to attract passive talent over time – building relationships and planning /preparing for the future, not just hiring when talent is needed. This could be through graduate opportunities or, by developing the skill sets of existing employees.

Its main focus is Talent Pipelining (building long-term professional relationships with passive talent for future opportunities) – this means recruiters must be aware of their talent landscape, and the people inside it, regardless of whether or not they are looking to make a career change immediately.

4. The Skills Gap will encourage a behavioural approach to staffing

It is also our opinion that corporations in Canada, and across the globe, will attempt to combat the skills gap by adjusting their hiring strategies.  This will most likely see staffing agencies prioritise candidates who demonstrate behavioural traits such as the willingness and ability to grow and adapt to new challenges in the workplace.

It is widely accepted that around two-thirds of all jobs created between now and 2030 will be strongly reliant on interpersonal skills, or “soft skills”, such as communication, organisation and empathy. This means that the way in which staffing specialists screen potential staffing candidates is likely to change. We believe that recruiters will frequently employ assessment tools in order to validate a candidates’ capabilities and receive a fuller picture about them.

So, what will this look like for your applicants?  A well-written resume will continue to get candidates through the initial gate keeping stage however, unlike previous interview screening, candidates will be subject to pre-employment assessment tests. These tests will firstly confirm that the candidate possesses the skills stated on their job application, but crucially, the tests will evaluate a person’s soft skills, helping determine whether a candidate will be the right fit for the role.

What Does This Mean for Recruiters?

At RGC, our main goal is to provide you with tailored advice and expert knowledge so you can make a great choice about your next career move.  We understand the current pain points Canadian candidates are facing and recognise that development opportunities and job security are significantly important when determining your ideal role.

If you would like further information about our services or how we may help you on your staffing journey, please contact a member of our expert team now.

Share this article:

Related articles: