T’is the season for thought leader, ‘This Was The Year That Was’ summaries and ‘This Is What Everyone Will be Talking About In 2024’ predictions.
Or to put it another way, this is time of the year when TA leaders get asked to predict the future, present a budget and deliver an iron-clad people strategy plans… and just when you need it, the crystal ball goes missing!
Wouldn’t it be nice if somebody wrote a blog that told you everything isn’t going to change? So this is it – my ‘here to stay’ list for 2024:
- Internal HR teams will continue to shrink. The lack of clarity around employee growth and budgets is moving organizations away from the trend of 2021-2022 to staff up internal HR expertise. Talent Acquisition. Recruiters, L &D and DEI leaders are feeling the brunt of pencil sharpening exercises, mainly due to the perception that these services can easily be outsourced and budgeted to be used only when needed, not all the time.
- Recruiting will continue to be challenging for specialized hard-to-fill roles. There are not enough candidates to meet the digital and strategic needs of organizations, and the flexibility offered to hybrid and remote talent will continue to be an issue.
- Mapping out potential talents before you open the requisitions will continue to give your organization a huge advantage. Mapping and connecting with employed, passive candidates will give you the chance to be top of mind first… before they start looking.
- A valid, authentic current employer brand – complete with your remote/hybrid or in-house policy is critical. Just as we have seen over the last 18 months, candidates won’t take the time to do a screening call, they want to know your philosophy now.
- Value is ranked first for the decisions related to HR services. There will continue to be push back from organizations of all sizes to be forced into inflexible, multi-year vendor relationships. Whether it is using a MSP provider or outsourcing recruitment or talent brand, there needs to be flexibility and measured success to allow for continued investment in 2024.
- The market has not shifted 100% from a candidate to a company’s market. The right candidates with the right skills still have leverage. Organizations who are not able to move quickly will lose out.
Whatever does or doesn’t change in 2024, employers need to be equipped with a diverse set of tools to fix whatever the next problem is that arises. Whether it is skill shortages, an unexpected growth surge, a pivot from the business or a need to scale back and rely more on contingent talent, TA teams need to be ready.
