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Recruitment Review

2024 Recruitment Review and Winning Recruitment in 2025

2024 has been a transformative year for recruitment — reshaping and reinforcing how organizations attract, hire, and retain talent. Following the global pandemic, this year has presented many hiring challenges, including hard-to-fill positions and intense competition with other employers.
 
Despite the obstacles faced by staffing professionals, the recruitment landscape has evolved, offering valuable lessons in adaptability, innovation, and resilience. In this article, we explore the challenges we’ve seen in the job market, what we expect for 2025, and strategies to stay on top of it all, regardless of how the market changes.

Top 3 Recruitment Challenges in the Last 12 Months

According to data released by SHRM in its 2024 Talent Trends report, 46% of organizations experienced candidate ghosting. Of this, 30% occurred before a job interview, 45% after an interview, and 20% after an offer was made. It’s important to note that ghosting is influenced by both candidates and recruiters.

Another major challenge was the intense competition from other companies, affecting 55% of hiring professionals. This has led to increased efforts to attract and retain top talent. The biggest challenge, however, was the low number of candidates applying for roles, particularly those requiring highly specialized skills, making it even harder to fill open positions.

Top 5 Most Difficult-to-Fill Positions

In 2024, certain positions stood out as particularly difficult to fill. Highly skilled technicians in industries such as healthcare, telecommunications, and the environmental sector were especially hard to recruit, with 34% of recruiters struggling to fill these roles. Additionally, 36% of recruiters found it challenging to find candidates for social services positions, including counselors, therapists, and social workers.

Engineering and architecture roles ranked as the third most difficult-to-fill positions for 37% of recruiters, while 46% of recruiters reported even greater difficulty in hiring for skilled trades, such as electricians, carpenters, machinists, mechanics, welders, and plumbers. With 55% of recruiters citing difficulty in hiring highly skilled medical professionals, positions like nurses, doctors, and specialists topped the list of the most difficult-to-fill roles. Notably, highly skilled medical positions and skilled trades have consistently been among the hardest to fill since 2016.

How the US Job Market is Expected to Look in 2025

Looking ahead to 2025, several trends are set to shape the job market. Remote and hybrid work models will continue to be game changers in attracting candidates and retaining employees, especially in professions that can be performed without the need to be physically present in the workplace. In fact, 52% of global companies have already adapted to hybrid models. The coming year will also see a higher demand for tech and digital skills. As a result, AI-related and cybersecurity roles are projected to grow by 25%, as companies invest heavily in automation and data security. While automation and AI are expected to displace routine jobs, they will also create demand for new roles focused on overseeing these technologies.

Since the previous administration signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law in August 2022, which aims to boost domestic energy production and promote clean energy, more than 100,000 clean energy jobs have been created across the US. Green jobs are expected to expand to nearly 24 million, making up 14% of total US jobs by 2030, benefiting industries such as science, engineering, finance, and tech.

The job market is also expected to cool off in 2025. From the current pace of 200,000 new jobs per month, job growth is expected to slow to 100,000 and then 50,000 by the end of 2025. One contributing factor is the retirement of baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964), with companies potentially choosing not to replace all of the retiring workers, thus reducing the overall demand for new hires.

Despite these projections, the job market is expected to remain stable in 2025, driven by emerging skills and industry demands.

Navigating Through the Changes

Navigating the ever-changing job market can be challenging, but with the right strategies and mindset, you can successfully steer your career in the right direction. This guide will provide you with essential tips and insights to help you stay adaptable, leverage new opportunities, and thrive in a dynamic professional landscape. Let’s explore how you can confidently navigate your career journey amidst constant change.

  • Ethical AI Adoption in Hiring
 
AI has been rapidly growing in the digital world, and it’s here to stay. Despite its efficiency, it’s important to take a balanced approach to AI. While AI will never replace humans, it’s crucial for humans to learn how to work alongside it.

In a news article published by the Economic Times in September 2024, a manager discovered a flaw in the company’s applicant tracking system, where the system was auto-rejecting resumes with skills similar to those they were looking for. This revealed that no human review was taking place when screening the resumes, which ultimately led to the firing of half of the HR department.
 
 
  • Elevate the Candidate’s Experience
A survey revealed that 49% of job seekers declined a job offer due to a poor candidate experience.

One thing recruiters can do is communicate clearly about the recruitment process, rather than leaving candidates in the dark without anticipating what’s next.

See what our candidates say about how our recruiters keep them updated:
recruitment review
recruitment review
Another thing recruiters can do is to be available to address candidates’ inquiries/requests promptly. Treat candidates with respect by providing timely communication and constructive feedback, even to those who may not ultimately be hired. This leaves a positive impact on the recruiters and the companies they represent.

Using a semi-structured interview also elevates the candidate experience by making interviews feel more like a natural-flowing conversation rather than an interrogation. It helps build a connection between the recruiter and the candidate, which creates a good working relationship. 

See what one of our candidates says about his interaction with our recruiter during an interview:
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  • Step Up Your Sourcing Game
 
With the stable 4% unemployment rate, there are very few candidates actively seeking their next role. Given the tight competition for talent, recruiters must be more creative and proactive in reaching a wider pool of candidates. Since 73% of candidates are passive, recruiters need to stay proactive in reaching these individuals for potentially better opportunities.
 
  • Strengthen Recruiter-Hiring Manager Relationships
 
This strategy ensures smooth collaboration during the hiring process. It’s a win for all parties because it ultimately improves the quality of hires and significantly reduces the time to hire. To achieve this, it is important to set clear expectations, provide regular updates, and consistently celebrate wins.
 
As we reflect on the lessons of 2024, we’ve seen that the recruitment landscape presents both challenges and innovations that require adaptability and a proactive approach to hiring. With AGSI’s 16 years of industry experience, we’ve faced job market challenges head-on, but these years have shaped us to consistently adapt our strategies to meet the evolving needs of both employers and job seekers. Our ability to stay ahead and our commitment to excellence has enabled us to thrive, even in the most turbulent times.
Don’t let the challenges of the job market hold you back. Connect with our experts today to learn how we can help you build a strong, resilient workforce ready to take on the future.
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