Category: Talent Technology

5 Signs It’s Time to Change Your RPO Provider 

Posted on by akessler

The global recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) market continues to grow as organizations seek more sophisticated talent acquisition solutions. But not all RPO partnerships deliver equal value. For experienced RPO buyers, recognizing when it’s time for a change can mean the difference between stagnation and transformational talent acquisition results.  

As the talent landscape becomes increasingly complex and competitive, organizations need partners who can not only execute on day-to-day recruitment needs but also drive strategic workforce innovation. The cost of staying with an underperforming provider extends far beyond missed hiring targets—it can impact market competitiveness, growth potential and bottom-line results. 

Here are five critical signs that indicate it’s time to find a new RPO partner: 

Sign #1: Underperformance in Core Metrics 

The most compelling reason to seek a new RPO provider is consistent underperformance in fundamental recruitment metrics. Too often we hear from employers about experiences they’ve had with other providers in which one thing was said during the sales pitch only to have the stakes change once the ink was dry. What begins as promises of transformative results often devolves into missed targets and shifting explanations. When core metrics consistently fall short, it signals a fundamental misalignment between provider capabilities and organizational needs. 

What to look for: 

  • Declining metrics in time-to-hire 
  • Rising early-stage turnover rates indicating poor candidate quality or fit 
  • Poor interview-to-hire ratios that waste hiring manager time and resources 
  • Decreasing hiring manager satisfaction scores and feedback about candidate quality 
  • Inconsistent reporting or attempts to redefine success metrics after implementation 

One retail organization discovered the impact of performance-guaranteed RPO when they switched providers to partner with PeopleScout. Through our partnership they experienced a two-day reduction in time-to-hire and improved sales performance by 7%, generating $3 million in cost savings through reduced vacancy costs and an additional $170 million in annual revenue. 

We’re offering organizations that switch their RPO engagement to PeopleScout guaranteed performance outcomes. Book your complimentary benchmarking session today to see how we stack up against your current provider. 

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Sign #2: Inflexible Cost Structures 

Many RPO providers rely on hybrid pricing models combining monthly management fees with cost-per-hire charges. This rigid structure can lead to inefficiencies and hidden costs. Organizations often find themselves paying premium rates during hiring slowdowns while still facing surcharges during peak periods.  

Red flags to watch for: 

  • High fixed monthly fees that don’t adjust with hiring volume 
  • Lack of transparency in invoicing 
  • Unexpected line-item charges that inflate total costs 
  • Fee structures disconnected from performance metrics 

PeopleScout offers truly variable cost structures with performance-based pricing—you only pay for actual hires. This ensures your recruitment costs scale naturally with your hiring demands, supported by transparent communication about any potential charges outside the standard agreement. 

The true value of an RPO partnership extends beyond the base program cost. Consider the financial impact of reducing time-to-hire by four days or decreasing early-stage turnover by 20%. Our experienced team works directly with clients to calculate potential ROI based on specific performance improvements. In some cases, we have even engaged our finance department to collaborate with clients in establishing concrete valuations of enhanced recruitment performance, ensuring you understand the full financial picture of your investment. 

Sign #3: Lack of Process and Technology Innovation 

In today’s digital-first recruitment landscape, outdated processes and technology can severely impact your ability to attract and secure top talent. Some providers undergo frequent operational changes or internal restructuring that limit their ability to invest in innovation. 

If you feel like you’ve been forced into cookie-cutter processes that don’t support your unique needs, it’s time for a change. 

Watch for these signs: 

  • Limited automation in candidate processing 
  • Poor candidate experience 
  • Basic reporting capabilities 
  • Lack of AI and machine learning integration 
  • Minimal investment in proprietary technology 

Affinix®, our proprietary total talent suite of AI-powered recruiting and reporting tools unites talent acquisition technology, automation and predictive analytics with candidate experience at the core. With a modular approach, our client can mix and match specific tools that align with their unique talent needs and enhance their existing tech ecosystem. Because it’s our proprietary technology, every feature of Affinix is shaped by our clients’ real-world recruitment challenges and designed to deliver tangible business impact. Recent advancements to Affinix, including more AI-powered capabilities, more flexible deployment options and greater insights, means we elevate our clients’ connection to top talent while helping them be more agile and resilient.  

Sign #4: Understaffed Delivery Teams 

The foundation of successful RPO programs lies in having adequate recruitment teams in place. We work with many clients who have worked with other RPO providers who ended up frustrated by chronically understaffed programs that can’t meet hiring demands. Some providers spread their recruiters thin across too many clients, compromising service quality and results. 

Warning signs include: 

  • Consistently missed hiring targets 
  • Slow response times to hiring managers 
  • Inability to handle volume spikes 
  • Sudden changes in team size without notice
  • High recruiter turnover 

Every PeopleScout client has a dedicated delivery team with appropriate bench strength, especially during critical periods like program implementation and peak hiring periods. Because PeopleScout recruiters, sourcers and program coordinators are only assigned to one client, our clients actually get to know their PeopleScout team. If we need to make changes, due to a drop in requisitions, for example, we do so in consultation with you to ensure you receive consistent service delivery and the results you’re expecting. 

Sign #5: Lack of Specialized Expertise 

Today’s complex hiring environments demand specialized expertise that goes far beyond basic staffing capabilities. Organizations need partners who understand the nuances of different industries, job functions and geographical markets. Top providers invest heavily in developing deep industry knowledge and maintain transparency about their team composition and specializations. 

Moreover, modern RPO providers should offer comprehensive talent advisory services to help organizations develop forward-looking talent strategies, maximize tech investments, optimize their employer brand and navigate evolving market conditions. This strategic guidance is crucial for creating a resilient workforce.  

Red flags to watch for: 

  • Generalist recruiters assigned to highly specialized roles without relevant industry experience 
  • Limited understanding of industry-specific requirements and compliance standards 
  • Superficial market intelligence and competitor insights 
  • Gaps in understanding regional hiring practices and cultural nuances 
  • Outsourced or insufficient employer brand and recruitment marketing capabilities 

PeopleScout stands apart through our global delivery centers and extensive network of talent experts, offering unmatched scalability for professional, specialist, volume and contingent hiring needs across all sectors. Plus, with one of the industry’s largest in-house talent advisory teams, we serve as a true strategic partner in talent acquisition. 

As part of TrueBlue, we’re able to provide our clients access to comprehensive talent solutions including healthcare staffing, contingent workforce management, on-site industrial staffing and commercial driver services. This breadth of expertise ensures we can address the full spectrum of our clients’ workforce needs. 

Making the Decision to Switch 

Evaluating a potential RPO provider change requires careful consideration of both current pain points and future needs. Look for providers who offer: 

  • Performance guarantees backed by financial commitments 
  • Variable cost structures aligned with results 
  • Proven long-term client partnerships  
  • Strong NPS scores and client satisfaction metrics 
  • Modern technology and process innovation 
  • Transparent team resourcing and communication 

The difference between being a provider and a true partner lies in the whole approach to service. For over 30 years, PeopleScout has built our services on integrity. We believe in keeping promises. We believe that listening creates a better experience and leads to better outcomes. We’re not perfect, but if we mess up, we make it right. 

We’re proud and humbled to say that this philosophy has led to some of the most enduring client relationships in the talent acquisition space. While the RPO industry average client tenure is approximately three years, PeopleScout partnerships extend well beyond that benchmark—averaging over seven years, with an exceptional NPS score of 84. These metrics reflect our consistent ability to deliver value and drive transformation. 

Remember: the cost of maintaining an underperforming partnership far outweighs the temporary challenges of transition. With strategic planning and the right partner, changing providers can revolutionize your talent acquisition capabilities and deliver lasting business impact. 

Recruitment Technology: How to Build the Ultimate Ecosystem for Talent Acquisition 

Posted on by akessler

Digital transformation has hit HR, and the world of recruitment is running to keep up with the growth of mobile apps, generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) and analytics. Candidates expect a tech-enabled recruitment experience, and building a talent acquisition technology ecosystem has gone from a nice-to-have to a critical part of the recruitment strategy for any enterprise. However, with the influx of new talent acquisition technology—from foundational platforms like an ATS to point solutions for sourcing, interviewing or recruitment marketing—it can be hard to navigate the recruitment technology landscape and know where to invest your budget. 

In this article, we’ll help you make sense of all the available talent tech and how each recruitment system can benefit your business. You’ll learn some important things to keep in mind as you build your tech stack. Plus, we’ll provide some details on what features to look for as you evaluate solutions. 

Working with a Recruitment Technology Capable RPO Partner 

One of the biggest value-adds that recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) brings is experience with the latest talent technology innovations. An RPO partner can help you assess talent acquisition software to address all aspects of your recruiting process, from identifying talent to creating a more efficient candidate experience. Your provider can show you how technologies like AI and predictive analytics can boost your ability to attract top talent.  

In addition to consulting, some RPO providers are investing in proprietary technology solutions including application tracking systems (ATS), candidate relationship management (CRM), recruitment marketing capabilities and analytics. This can come in the form of an integrated suite, providing a modular approach that lets you add and remove solutions from your tech stack as your needs change. 

All-in-One Recruitment Technology Suite vs Integrated Systems 

Any organization looking to update their recruitment tech ecosystem will enter the comprehensive suite or separate tools debate. Should we go for a system that’s already integrated or build our own?  

While the idea of a plug-and-play experience, in which you easily add new functionality to your repertoire, has allure, in reality it’s easier said than done. There’s wading through the vast HR tech marketplace to find potential solutions, researching multiple providers, negotiating a different contract for each system, going through implementation, onboarding and training for each tool, managing multiple vendor relationships and so on. Then, you’ve got to get all the systems to integrate and speak to each other in order maximize the benefits of AI, automation and analytics.  

On the other hand, an all-in-one talent suite eliminates the complexity and inefficiencies of pieced-together systems. For example, Affinix®, PeopleScout’s proprietary total talent suite of AI-powered tools, unites applicant tracking, candidate relationship management, recruitment marketing, digital interviewing and talent analytics. Unlike fragmented solutions that require multiple integrations and manual workarounds, a comprehensive platform offers seamless, end-to-end functionality that is both flexible and focused on user experience—both the candidate as well as the hiring manager, talent acquisition leaders and recruiters. Plus, there’s just one contract to negotiate and one vendor to manage.  

Look for a suite built as modules. This gives you the best of both worlds, letting you add to your ecosystem at your own pace, with pre-integrated modules accessible in one seamless interface and a consistent user experience across applications. With Affinix, our flexible deployment options and modular approach lets you can mix and match capabilities and build the perfect recruitment ecosystem for your needs. 

Whether you’re going for integrating separate tools or a unified suite, your goal should be a seamless user experience, single-user login, and an uninterrupted flow of data between systems to enable you to get the most from AI and analytics.  

A Word on Security 

Any technology you add to your talent ecosystem must comply with data privacy regulations in all regions where you’re recruiting. Pay attention to any rules about where data can be stored, like those stipulated by the GDPR. Look for tools that are ISO/IEC 27001:2022, which shows the provider maintains a high level of information security.   

Building Your Recruitment Technology Ecosystem 

Now that we’ve covered some important things to keep in mind when evaluating software, here are some solutions and features that make up the ultimate recruitment technology ecosystem. 

Applicant Tracking System (ATS) 

An ATS is the foundation upon which you will build your tech stack. This platform acts as the system of record for your talent acquisition program. As a repository for applicants, it helps you manage the hiring process for all your requisitions and satisfies compliance requirements for record keeping. 

Look for a platform that lets you put the candidate in the driver’s seat by letting them self-progress through the process with a mobile-optimized, digital experience. A system with configurable workflows will let you streamline everything from candidate screening, scoring, assessments, reference and background checks, interview scheduling and sending SMS and email communications. Not only does this boost recruitment speed for the candidate, but it also reduces the workload for hiring managers.  

Affinix’s new Hiring Manager Dashboard provides access to a real-time dashboard via desktop or mobile device. Hiring managers can open and approve requisitions for automated job posting, review applicant shortlists, check on candidate progress, schedule and reschedule interviews, submit and manage candidate feedback, and create and approve offers—whether they’re at their desk, on the warehouse floor or supervising from the shop floor. 

AI Sourcing & Matching 

AI-powered sourcing tools review, sort and rank talent on the open web using sourcing criteria you’ve previously specified like current or past job titles, previous employers, diversity attributes, industry experience and more. Algorithms crawl résumés and CVs, social media profiles and other sources of data to find a pool of candidates that match your job requirements, help you find and engage candidates faster for lower cost-to-hire. 

Affinix AI sourcing accesses over 1.3 billion public profiles across 23 of the top global job sites within seconds of a requisition opening. It then matches skills based on your job requirements to surface a pool of the best candidates. Pulled in passive talent from external databases or from your existing talent database to support direct sourcing, internal mobility and redeployment. 

AI in Recruiting: A Handbook for Talent Acquisition Leaders

Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) Software 

A CRM helps you to nurture candidates through automated SMS/text and email campaigns and more—whether to keep them informed during an active application process or to keep them warm until a suitable position opens up. Create talent pools based on geographies, job type, skills and more and personalize communication to the candidate for a more engaging experience. 

Leading CRM platforms can supercharge your talent pipeline by creating a multi-channel approach to finding talent. For example, Affinix CRM includes a drag-and-drop career site builder for both external and internal career sites and employee referral portals. In addition, it has built-in integrations with all major job boards, including LinkedIn and Indeed, as well as a job feed gateway to support connections with niche sites. Combined with our AI sourcing and matching capabilities, you can create the ultimate pool of best-fit talent, reducing time-to-hire, maximizing your recruitment marketing budget and boosting ROI. 

Direct Sourcing Technology 

With the growth of the gig economy and blurring of lines between full-time and temporary employment, workers who traditionally seek full-time employment are increasingly willing to take up temporary placements—and vice versa. Organizations that create and nurture blended talent pools of both permanent and contingent workers through direct sourcing technology can bypass traditional recruitment channels and connect with top talent in a more personalized and efficient manner.   

Look for solutions that offer AI-powered matching capabilities, which can dramatically improve the speed and accuracy of candidate selection. Affinix uses AI to form combined talent pools from external sources as well as talent rediscovery—whether they’re new to you, previous applicants or contractors, individuals who have filled out an expression of interest form for the role, or silver/bronze medalists from previous requisitions—to engage or re-engage talent with relevant skills and experience. 

What is Direct Sourcing? Why It Could Open the Door to Total Talent Acquisition  

Recruiting Chatbot 

Powered by natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs), chatbots are a conversational interface that can help candidates through the recruitment journey. Unlike recruiters, chatbots are available 24/7 to provide real-time responses to candidate inquiries, help with the application process, complete initial screening steps and schedule interviews. This reduces the burden on recruiters and hiring managers by taking on some frequently asked questions from candidates about your employer brand, culture and diversity and inclusion. 

Digital Interview Management System 

Modern candidates expect the hiring experience to be personal, quick and convenient. A dedicated digital interview solution can help you quickly hire the essential talent you need, no matter where they live or how the demand for remote working changes. Rather than just leveraging video meeting tools, a dedicated digital interview tool offers multiple options for virtual interviews, including text interviews, recorded video interviews or live interviews. Self-scheduling tools and automated candidate advancement tools help dramatically boost retention and connection. 

Assessment Tool 

Digital assessment solutions examine the candidate’s writing samples and skills test responses to measure aptitude, personality and skills using predictive analytics and machine learning, ensuring you hire the highest quality talent. Platforms may let you create a custom assessment or let you choose from a suite of pre-built skills assessments. Assessments range from code evaluations for software development roles to language aptitude tests—on-demand or live. Make sure you look at the assessment experience from both the candidate and hiring manager experience before committing to a tool. 

Integration is important for assessment solutions as it facilitates automated workflows, so candidates get notified of next steps via email or text based on their results.   

Learn more about our expert organizational psychologists in our Assessment Design & Delivery teams. 

Recruitment Analytics 

With data flowing across your integrated systems, a recruitment analytics platform offers you a single source of truth for understanding your end-to-end recruitment process. Whether you’re hoping to track time-to-fill, DE&I efforts or overall talent acquisition performance, these tools will satisfy your C-suite’s hunger for insights into your recruitment program. 

Look for a tool with interactive dashboards that make it easy to visually monitor trends and slice and dice the data to identify areas of opportunity—and gain the full value of your recruitment data. Leading analytics tools connect real-time recruitment analytics and talent market intelligence while pulling in business intelligence from across your business to elevate your talent strategy measure talent acquisition performance against organizational goals.  

Look for solutions that offer predictive analytics capabilities, in which artificial intelligence and machine learning highlight insights, anomalies and predictions to empower your teams. This helps you understand the behaviors of top talent and predict factors such as cultural fit, willingness to change companies, and future tenure potential to improve hiring speed and accuracy over time. 

Onboarding Software 

The new hire onboarding process is an essential element of creating a positive employee experience. Not only should it get new employees up-to-speed at your company and in their role, there’s also crucial paperwork steps for payroll, taxes, benefits and more.  

Digital onboarding software automates and supports the onboarding process—especially important for remote workers. Affinix lets candidates view, digitally sign and accept their offers quickly from a personalized online portal. Hiring managers can craft and customize digital offer letters, ensuring that offers are fast, compliant and aligned with company policies.  

For your HR staff, it reduces administrative effort by automating repetitive onboarding tasks like sending new hire reminders, tracking document completion and updating systems. Make sure you consider integration with your HRIS and payroll systems to eliminate manual data entry and reduce errors.  

Internal Mobility Software 

It’s no secret how important internal mobility can be for retaining employees and saving on sourcing costs. The good news is that a whopping 70% of employees would explore opportunities within their current organization before looking externally, according to our research, The Skills Crisis Countdown.  

An internal mobility platform should allow you to share vacancies internally and give existing employees the opportunity to submit an expression of interest form to be added to the talent pool. Look for a tool that offers hiring managers a seamless experience by letting you post to both internal and public job boards. AI matching and search should extend to existing employees, helping you identify internal candidates with relevant skills. Hiring managers should be able to view internal and external candidates together in one place, with internal candidates uniquely identified. The system should feature automated invitation emails to qualified internal candidates to speed up time-to-fill and reduce administrative burden. 

Navigating Recruitment Technology: From Complexity to Clarity 

The recruitment technology landscape is complicated, with new solutions being added all the time. It can be confusing to plan a talent acquisition tech stack but selecting the right tools can boost access to data and help you create both operational and cost efficiencies. Employers should work with an RPO partner who can help them customize a technology ecosystem that meets their needs now and prepares them for what’s next. 

Gen AI & Interviews: Navigating the Impact in Volume Assessment

Posted on by akessler

By Amanda Callen, Psychol AFBPsS FRSA, Head of Assessment Design

Pre-recorded or asynchronous video interviews have long been a core feature in volume assessment processes, valued for their ability to evaluate key criteria like motivation and verbal communication skills. But the rapid increase in accessible Generative AI (Gen AI) tools has created a significant potential risk of disruption to the expected levels of authenticity in answers and to the predictive strength of online interviews as a sifting tool.

PeopleScout’s year-on-year volume assessment data has so far shown little evidence of disruption following the introduction of free Gen AI tools like ChatGPT, but the potential for manipulation is undeniable. Realistically, we must expect that when candidates are given time to prepare responses, some will choose to use the tools to enhance their own pre-recorded video interview answers.

So, what can you do to protect the integrity of video interviews?

Should Preparation Time Be Scrapped?

Although an understandable initial response might be to prevent candidates from using Gen AI by removing preparation time and requiring instant responses, this approach could introduce new problems. Interview processes where there is no chance for the candidate to gather their thoughts may disadvantage neurodivergent candidates or those who have had less social and educational support for their job search. This could create a negative impact on inclusion and diversity goals.

Introducing a Second Assessment Point

If you want to keep the pre-recorded interview stage, you could consider introducing a second assessment point for the same criteria evaluated in the pre-recorded interview at a later stage, such as during an in-person interview or an assessment centre. Comparing performance and content shared at the different stages, allows assessors to identify people whose answers indicate inconsistency across stages.

Are Only Live Interviews Both Safe and Fair?

Face-to-face live interviews seem protected from any interference from real-time use of Gen AI to produce inauthentic responses. However, new Gen AI capabilities mean that virtual live interviews, such as those conducted via Zoom or Teams, are not completely safeguarded from Gen AI use.

Whilst to date it is has been difficult for candidates to use Gen AI without detection, new AI tools can ‘listen’ and provide natural responses in real-time. This, combined with advancements in gaze management technology, means that during virtual live interviews, candidates can read off AI generated responses while appearing to still maintain eye contact—and assessors may be unable to tell anything is amiss. There are even new Gen AI tools specifically marketed to job seekers that claim success in helping interviewees.

The Need for a Systemic Approach

Dropping pre-recorded or virtual interviews completely isn’t always optimal—especially with high-volume hiring. Simply taking them out of the process could lead to less holistic and effective sifting and a greater number of candidates being manually assessed. A more systemic response to the challenges posed by candidates using Gen AI is needed.

A review of your end-to-end assessment process and the individual assessment methods within it will give you an opportunity to evolve and improve your assessment to ensure the quality and fairness of hiring decisions are maintained despite candidate use of Gen AI.

Redefining Success Criteria

For many roles it is essential to include the motivation and skills needed to work with new Gen AI tools as part of the assessment criteria. A strong assessment process that embraces innovation ensures that candidates are not only evaluated on established success criteria but also on their potential to develop the skills that will help them succeed in a workplace where the ability to leverage AI and other emerging and future technologies is a pivotal factor in organisational success.

While there are no easy answers to the challenges created by candidates using Gen AI, a managed and systemic approach to evolving your assessment processes will help you capitalise on opportunities and ensure a fair and effective hiring process. Want to explore more about the impact of Gen AI on interviews? Watch our webinar on-demand, Job Interviews & Gen AI: Pitfalls & Best Practices to Hire Top Talent.

Affinix® Analytics

Posted on by edyson

Affinix® Analytics

As part of the larger, Affinix® total talent suite, Affinix Analytics offers talent leaders a single source of truth to understand the end-to-end recruitment process and gain visibility into the total talent landscape. With a single, real-time dashboard, you can slice through the complexity, gaining instant insights into everything from hiring targets to diversity metrics, all while keeping your budget in check.

Download this fact sheet to learn more about Affinix Analytics.

DOWNLOAD Fact Sheet

Learn more about Affinix®.

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Dig into More Talent Tech Insights

Recruitment Technology: How to Build the Ultimate Ecosystem for Talent Acquisition 
Article

Recruitment Technology: How to Build the Ultimate Ecosystem for Talent Acquisition 

Get the low down on recruitment technology landscape and how new tools can benefit your hiring strategy.

Learn More
AI for Recruiting: Getting from Hype to Hire
Article

AI for Recruiting: Getting from Hype to Hire

Cut through the hype and understand the practicalities of implementing AI in recruiting.

Read the Article
AI in Recruiting: A Handbook for Talent Acquisition Leaders
Handbook

AI in Recruiting: A Handbook for Talent Acquisition Leaders

Everything you ever wanted to know about AI in recruiting and how to use AI recruiting software.

Read the Handbook

PeopleScout Affinix®

Posted on by edyson

Affinix®

Your talent needs are unique. Your talent technology should be too.

Meet Affinix®, PeopleScoutʼs proprietary total talent suite of AI-powered tools, uniting applicant tracking, candidate relationship management, recruitment marketing, digital interviewing and talent analytics into one seamless platform.

Download this fact sheet to learn more.

DOWNLOAD Fact Sheet

Learn more about Affinix™.

Learn More

Dig into More Talent Tech Insights

Recruitment Technology: How to Build the Ultimate Ecosystem for Talent Acquisition 
Article

Recruitment Technology: How to Build the Ultimate Ecosystem for Talent Acquisition 

Get the low down on recruitment technology landscape and how new tools can benefit your hiring strategy.

Learn More
AI for Recruiting: Getting from Hype to Hire
Article

AI for Recruiting: Getting from Hype to Hire

Cut through the hype and understand the practicalities of implementing AI in recruiting.

Read the Article
AI in Recruiting: A Handbook for Talent Acquisition Leaders
Handbook

AI in Recruiting: A Handbook for Talent Acquisition Leaders

Everything you ever wanted to know about AI in recruiting and how to use AI recruiting software.

Read the Handbook

Talent Trends: 2024 In Review 

Posted on by akessler

At the start of 2024, we highlighted eight key areas that would impact how companies attract, retain and develop talent. As the year comes to a close, we’re revisiting these critical topics to examine what transpired in the talent landscape and explore what may be on the horizon for 2025.  

This year brought a complex mix of challenges and opportunities for HR leaders. Economic uncertainty forced many to re-evaluate talent acquisition strategies, with approaches like modular talent solutions and direct sourcing gaining traction. The ongoing skills gap, intensified by business transformation and the rise of new technologies like AI, highlighted the need for upskilling, reskilling and proactive talent pipelining. Meanwhile, employees continued to reevaluate their relationship with work, demanding greater flexibility, wellbeing support and personalized experiences. Navigating these shifts required HR leaders to become more agile, data-driven and employee-centric, often relying on technology to streamline processes, enhance the candidate experience and gain valuable talent market intelligence. 

In the following review, we trace how our 2024 predictions played out and offer insights for the path ahead. 

1. New Models Help Organizations Ride the Economic Waves 

What We Said:

Talent acquisition teams have experienced significant fluctuations over the past few years—from pandemic-driven downsizing to rapid growth and recent cutbacks—making it critical for talent acquisition leaders to develop strategies for managing through economic uncertainty. Rather than continuing the cycle of boom and bust, organizations should adopt agile approaches to workforce planning, with flexible RPO solutions offering stability during unpredictable times. 

What We Saw:  

Market conditions shifted the recruitment landscape to favor employers in 2024. Year-over-year hiring rates are stabilizing, with a moderation in the hiring slowdown, especially in the tech industry. While hiring rates across many industries were down, healthcare and energy sectors saw continued strength despite the general economic downturn. With continued labor shortages, shifting skills requirements and changing employee expectations, immense pressure remains on employers and their talent strategies.   

Modular talent solutions are gaining traction as a strategic response to economic uncertainty, providing a flexible approach to workforce management that allows employers to adapt to fluctuating demand and optimize costs. As 91% of hiring managers say they’re experiencing hiring challenges, and 45% indicate they’re struggling to find qualified workers for open roles, Modular RPO (recruitment process outsourcing) has proven to be a cost-effective strategy for augmenting internal recruitment capabilities. 

Employers also turned to direct sourcing as a key strategy for tackling staffing shortages. According to Everest Group, 46% of enterprises are actively exploring ways to combine approaches for contingent and permanent talent acquisition management, and 74% see direct sourcing as the best strategy for doing so. By building a talent pool of qualified candidates—including independent contractors, freelancers and other contingent workers—companies can hire faster, reduce costs and fill specific skills gaps within their organization. Leveraging contingent labor helps organizations gain the flexibility and scalability necessary in today’s dynamic market. 

As you consider implementing direct sourcing in your organization, remember that technology is a crucial enabler, and the human touch remains invaluable. Partnering with an RPO provider can provide you with AI-powered, cutting-edge technology, backed by expert talent curation and engagement strategies.  

2. Focus on Internal Mobility 

What We Said: 

Employee retention will remain a top priority for HR professionals in 2024, with 36% identifying it as crucial, leading to an increased focus on internal mobility and skill development. Following the labor hoarding trend of 2023, organizations are emphasizing the transformation of existing workers’ skills to prepare for future needs. Career paths are becoming more fluid, moving away from traditional linear progression to cross-departmental moves, which requires hiring managers to evaluate candidates based on their overall organizational value rather than just role-specific fit. 

What We Saw:   

Internal mobility is on the rise as hiring rates stabilize. According to LinkedIn, internal mobility has increased 6% year-over-year as companies discover how leveraging internal hiring can accelerate organizational agility, employee engagement and retention, and career development. According to LinkedIn’s 2024 Workplace Learning Report, 41% of companies plan to fill more than 30% of their open roles with internal talent. Internal mobility does more than help employers fill critical gaps—93% of employees stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development, and internal hires reach competency 20% faster than external hires.  

Internal mobility programs are more successful when combined with upskilling and reskilling initiatives. As business needs evolve, internal mobility allows employees to move into new roles, and upskilling and reskilling provide the necessary training to close skills gaps and ensure employees are successful in their new roles. By offering these development opportunities, employers expand the pool of qualified internal candidates while boosting employee engagement. 
 
By effectively integrating upskilling and reskilling with internal mobility programs, companies can create a more engaged, agile and resilient workforce, helping them overcome current and future hiring challenges in a dynamic business environment. An RPO partner can help create a robust internal mobility program that leverages best practices to support continuous learning, career growth and workforce planning to retain top talent and swiftly adapt to changing business needs.  

3. AI Becomes a Reality…Slowly 

What We Said: 

While talent acquisition continues to evolve with the growth of new technologies like Generative AI (GenAI)—particularly in streamlining tasks from screening to interview scheduling—organizations are advised to take a measured, principled approach to AI implementation. The key is to start with small projects to identify where AI can add genuine value while maintaining human oversight—which remains central to recruitment processes. 

What We Saw:  

Following the widespread discussion tools like ChatGPT, we thought we’d see organizations move beyond ethical debates to actively integrate GenAI into their talent acquisition strategies. Indeed, eight in 10 global executives see at least one way GenAI will help their employees, yet only one in 10 organizations have “broad leadership alignment, comprehensive tools and strong processes in place for GenAI adoption.” 

While adoption rates vary, AI is transforming talent acquisition. We’ve seen increased use of AI tools for résumé screening and initial candidate assessment, driving recruiter efficiencies, reducing potential unconscious bias and improving quality of hire. Natural language processing tools can ingest thousands of résumés and CVs, and analyze the content, context and trends across the talent pool within seconds. AI tools can be trained to recognize specific skills, experiences and competencies that are required for open roles and then score and rank applicants automatically. 

Some employers have integrated AI-powered chatbots into their recruitment process to create a conversational experience for candidates using natural language processing, offering candidates support 24/7. These mobile-friendly, text interview tools automatically screen candidates using predetermined questions that gauge their interest and qualifications. Based on the responses, the chatbot can instantly determine the next step for each specific candidate. This frees up recruiters to focus on more strategic tasks. 

Adoption of AI-powered skills assessment platforms has also increased, providing an objective and accurate evaluation of candidates’ abilities through data-driven insights. New tech platforms test and measure candidates for skills mastery, personality traits and cognitive abilities. As with all AI-powered efficiencies, the tech-enabled assessments should augment, not replace human expertise.  

Partnering with an RPO provider is an excellent way to ensure careful, diligent and compliant use of AI tools throughout your recruitment process. Above all, AI should not be seen as a replacement for the talent acquisition strategy you’ve already built, but rather a set of tools to make your teams better at tasks both mundane and meaningful. 

4. Business Transformation Impacts Workforce Planning 

What We Said: 

The demand for new types of jobs, particularly in areas like data analytics, software development and green skills (which saw a 677% increase from 2019 to 2023), has grown significantly, with McKinsey noting that one-third of new U.S. jobs created in the past 25 years were previously non-existent roles. While this transformation creates exciting opportunities, organizations face a critical challenge as workforce development systems struggle to keep pace with rapidly changing skill requirements, resulting in a shortage of qualified talent. To address this gap, talent acquisition leaders must focus on proactive workforce planning and employee development.  

What We Saw:  

The demand for tech talent, particularly in areas like AI, machine learning, cybersecurity and software development continued to outpace supply in 2024. The transition to sustainable practices and renewable energy sources also fuelled growth of green jobs in areas like environmental engineering, sustainable agriculture and renewable energy technologies. Across industries, the ability to collect, analyze and interpret data became critical for decision-making, leading to higher demand for data analysts, scientists and engineers.  

The World Economic Forum predicts that 23% of global jobs will change in the next five years due to industry transformation, including AI. According to LinkedIn, employees skilled at using GAI are 5x more likely than others to develop skills like creative ideation, design thinking and emotional intelligence. So, with 79% of CEOs accelerating their post-crisis business strategy, the pressure is on HR leaders to achieve the vision of a tech savvy workforce.  

HR leaders must take an active approach in the C-Suite to achieve strategic business outcomes with an edge in human capital by assessing the current state of the workforce and developing a roadmap for optimizing employee value and identifying hidden potential to close skills gaps. Yet, according to Gartner, while 87% of HR leaders agree that shifting business needs requires continuous HR transformation, only 28% say that the HR strategic planning process is fully integrated with the business planning process. 

Collaboration between the C-Suite and HR is essential for successful talent acquisition in today’s dynamic business environment. HR must be deeply involved in business discussions to understand the organization’s goals to anticipate future needs, identify potential skills gaps and develop proactive strategies to attract and grow the right talent. 

5. Growth in Skills-Based Practices  

What We Said: 

Organizations are adopting a comprehensive approach to workforce adaptation by investing in upskilling programs and partnering with RPO providers to secure talent with future-proof skills. The trend is moving towards skills-based recruitment, with companies like Google leading the way by eliminating degree requirements, which not only expands candidate pools but also promotes workplace diversity and inclusion. Companies are shifting their assessment practices to focus on actual skills rather than traditional credentials, recognizing this as a more effective way to identify qualified candidates in today’s evolving job market. 

What We Saw:  

In adapting to the changing skills landscape, employers are rightly focusing on specific skills rather than traditional credentials and talent leaders are increasingly recognizing the value of experience and learnability over degrees. Alternative credentials like certifications, badges, micro-credentials and other qualifications earned outside of traditional degree programs are also gaining acceptance, as they often focus on specific skills or knowledge areas, a natural fit for skills-based hiring strategies. Recognizing these credentials helps employers expand their talent pools, hire faster and improve quality of hire.  

Recent estimates of the impact of large language models (LLMs) by the International Labour Organization estimate that 24% of clerical tasks should be considered highly exposed to automation effects with an additional 58% having medium-level exposure, while another report suggests that 80% of U.S. workers could see at least 10% of their tasks automated. The International Monetary Fund estimates that AI would affect 40% of jobs and worsen inequality, while Goldman Sachs predicts that up to 25% of the work currently done by humans could soon be automated by generative AI.  

As AI increasingly takes on the less complex, more repeatable tasks being done by the workforce, companies will need to hire talent with broader, uniquely human skills. Skills like problem-solving, adaptability, and collaboration—all skills that spur organizational agility—will continue to rise in demand. In fact, 69% of U.S. executives say they plan to prioritize hiring candidates with soft skills, especially transferrable skills that will allow candidates to move nimbly across roles. 

While making the shift to skills-based hiring practices takes time and effort, an RPO provider can accelerate your transition by offering strategic guidance around talent assessment design to embed skills at the core of your talent practice and build a future-fit workforce. 

6. Stalled Momentum in HR Tech Upgrades  

What We Said: 

As the HR technology market grows ever bigger, 2024 is set to be a pivotal year for recruitment technology upgrades, with organizations increasingly leveraging AI-powered features to automate routine tasks and enhance the candidate experience. Talent acquisition leaders are focusing on using technology to augment human interactions and analyze data for more agile resource management, while simultaneously proving their ability to deliver digital transformation and demonstrate clear ROI on these investments. This push towards technological advancement presents an opportunity for TA leaders to dispel past criticisms about HR’s ability to drive meaningful technological change. 

What We Saw:   

Economic uncertainty impacted our predictions for HR tech upgrades in 2024. While the drive for technological advancements in HR remained strong, budgetary constraints and cautious spending impacted the pace of adoption. According to Gartner, when asked about priorities and expected challenges in 2025, 55% of HR leaders say their current technology solutions do not cover current and future business needs. HR leaders are increasingly seeking tools to gather and analyze data to inform their talent strategies and enhance the candidate experience. Uncertainty about the economic outlook led some companies to postpone major HR tech implementation, opting for smaller-scale upgrades or maximizing the value of existing systems.  

The shift to cloud-based HR systems continued, offering scalability and flexibility despite budget constraints. Companies also focused on integrating their existing HR systems to improve data flow and drive efficiencies. Under budget scrutiny, a greater emphasis was placed on demonstrated ROI of HR tech solutions.  

A Gartner survey identified HR technology as the top priority for HR investment for three consecutive years. So, while economic challenges may persist, there’s reason to be optimistic that HR tech investments will increase in 2025 as companies recognize the long-term benefits of building the ultimate tech stack. One of the biggest value-adds an RPO partnership brings is experience with and access to the latest in talent technology. An RPO provider can help you assess your current solutions, show you how emerging technologies like AI, machine learning and predictive analytics can boost your ability to attract top talent and customize a technology ecosystem to meet your needs now and into the future.  

7. Employee Expectations of Work Have Changed 

What We Said:

Talent acquisition leaders must act as strategic market listeners, continuously adapting their employer value proposition (EVP) to align with evolving candidate expectations. As employees increasingly demand more personalized experiences, organizations need to move beyond traditional one-size-fits-all EVP approaches to embrace a human-centric strategy that acknowledges employees’ full personhood. This more holistic approach, focusing on creating exceptional life experiences and positive emotional connections, will be crucial for both attracting top talent and improving retention rates in 2024. 

What We Saw:   

2024 saw a significant shift in how employees view their work, requiring employers to adapt. While compensation remains important, employees are increasingly prioritizing work-life balance, flexibility, purpose and wellbeing, and are seeking employers with a demonstrated concern for their employees—The Executive Development Network reports that 86% of employees would leave their current job if there was no obvious support for employee wellbeing.  

While many companies expanded flexible work options, including remote work, hybrid models and flexible schedules, return-to-office mandates were still prevalent with the likes of Amazon doubling down on their in-person stance. The power play between employers and employees is expected continue into 2025, and not just regarding hybrid work. Employers will continue to face increased pressure to integrate wellbeing into the workplace, as 62% of candidates say they only apply for jobs that meet the majority of their EVP requirements according to Gartner’s Q2 2024 Voice of the Candidate Survey.  

To attract and retain top talent, employers will need to actively listen to their employees’ needs and preferences to create a human-centric workplace and prioritize authenticity and transparency in communicating their values with candidates and employees. As the relationship between employers and employees will continue to evolve, organizations can benefit from leveraging data and analytics to understand employee behavior to tailor their experiences, and utilizing technology to support flexible work, personalize benefits and offer wellbeing programs. 

8. Data Remains Key 

What We Said:

The labor market faces significant challenges due to Baby Boomers’ retirement creating a brain drain, coupled with a smaller upcoming workforce that lacks certain soft skills and the growing impact of long-term illness, including COVID-19 complications, which has sidelined over 2.5 million people in the UK alone. To combat this talent scarcity, organizations must focus on attracting and training Gen Z while leveraging data analytics as a strategic tool. Talent acquisition leaders need to elevate talent intelligence to the C-Suite level, using data-driven insights to understand talent pools and optimize recruitment and retention strategies for maximum ROI. 

What We Saw:   

Effective use of data remains crucial in navigating talent scarcity and building a future-ready workforce. Savvy talent leaders are using real-time market intelligence such as salary trends, skills demand and competitor activity to make informed decisions about their recruitment and retention strategies.  

With increased adoption of AI tools across the recruitment process, machine learning models are providing predictive and prescriptive hiring insights. AI can assess candidate interest, motivations, likelihood to accept an offer and even predicted tenure, empowering recruiters to prioritize and personalize their outreach efforts. When it comes to early careers recruitment, data revealing the preferences, values and career aspirations of Gen Z is essential in developing recruitment strategies that resonate with these jobseekers.  

A key benefit to partnering with an RPO provider is the comprehensive reporting tools and data insights they can provide. PeopleScout’s Affinix® Analytics business intelligence suite offers a holistic view into the recruiting process—from job seeker data and operational metrics to campaign analytics and market intelligence.   

These insights will remain paramount in 2025—armed with the right data, employers can proactively identify and attract top talent ahead of their competitors and drive business outcomes. 

The Future is Bright with the Right Talent Partner  

The future of work holds exciting potential, but also some uncertainty. However, while individual trends are difficult to predict, TA leaders that embrace agility, skills practices and tech innovation will find themselves in a strong position to prove their value in driving business performance. As your talent partner, PeopleScout will be ready to support, challenge and inspire you for whatever lies ahead.  

By staying on top of key shifts like these and working with an expert talent solutions provider like PeopleScout, companies can build workforces with the skills, mindsets and diversity of experiences to thrive in the next era of business. 

Home Health Staffing: Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent

Posted on by akessler

The home healthcare sector is experiencing unprecedented growth, driven by an aging population and a growing preference for receiving medical care in the comfort of one’s own home. As the demand for home healthcare continues to surge, so does the need for qualified and compassionate healthcare professionals to provide these essential services. However, home health staffing presents unique challenges that require innovative and effective strategies to overcome. 

In this article, we will explore comprehensive strategies for successful home health hiring. By addressing these challenges head-on and implementing innovative solutions, organizations can meet their staffing needs and improve the quality of care provided to patients in their homes. 

Understanding the Home Health Recruiting Landscape 

The home healthcare landscape is diverse, encompassing a wide range of roles from home health aides and personal care assistants to skilled nurses and therapists. The nature of home healthcare work—which often involves working remotely and independently in patients’ homes—requires trust, reliability and adaptability.  

Home health recruiting is about more than filling positions; it’s about finding individuals who can rise to these ideals, maintaining professional standards and contributing to the overall well-being of patients.  

Several trends within home healthcare are impacting recruitment within the sector, including: 

  • Rapid Growth: The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment in home healthcare services will grow by 33% by 2030, making home health staffing shortages a challenge for the sector. 
  • Shift from Institutional Care: There’s a growing preference for receiving care at home rather than in hospitals or nursing homes, which is driving demand for home healthcare services. 
  • Technology is Changing Skill Sets: The adoption of telehealth and remote monitoring technologies is changing the skill sets required for home healthcare workers. 
  • Focus on Specialized Care: There’s a growing need for home healthcare workers with complex medical conditions. Recruiting home healthcare aides will become more complicated as the need to upskill to keep pace with modern healthcare requirements becomes more crucial. 
  • Cultural Competence: There’s an increasing demand for care workers who represent their diverse community and who can communicate effectively with patients from various backgrounds. 

Given these trends, the need for qualified home healthcare professionals is expected to continue growing. However, with high turnover rates and competition from other healthcare sectors, recruiters are struggling to reach the right talent. Next, we’ll explore how to identify ideal candidates for home healthcare roles. 

5 Strategies to Overcome Home Health Staffing Challenges 

By addressing home health recruiting issues head-on, organizations can improve their recruitment outcomes and build a more stable workforce. 

1. Create Competitive Offers 

While the opportunity for meaningful one-on-one patient care and diverse experiences will attract talent for home health hiring, home healthcare providers must differentiate their positions to compete with other healthcare sectors for talent. Leverage market intelligence to understand which organizations in your area are hiring for similar skills and average salary ranges by experience level to craft offers that will entice quality talent.  

Remember, not all parts of an offer are material. Flexible scheduling options, including part-time and job-sharing arrangements, are sought-after in the healthcare sector because they provide better work-life balance compared to traditional hospital settings.  

2. Address High Turnover in Home Healthcare 

High turnover is putting pressure on healthcare recruitment and home health is no exception. There are strategies organizations can use in the recruitment phase to find candidates who are likely to thrive in these roles long-term. Predictive analytics tools use historical data to predict which candidates are most likely to succeed in specific roles. 

You can also use the recruitment process to showcase your organization’s commitment to employee development, highlighting real-life examples of career advancement paths and recognition programs that reward exceptional performance. By emphasizing these retention-focused initiatives upfront, you can attract candidates with the temperament and intrinsic motivations that align with the unique demands of home healthcare, building a more stable and engaged workforce to provide outstanding patient care. 

3. Showcase Your Support Systems 

Turnover in the healthcare sector has been primarily driven by employee burnout since the start of the pandemic. Caring for patients who are sick, elderly or even dying can take an emotional toll on home health workers. Plus, home healthcare workers often work alone in patients’ homes, which can present safety concerns and feelings of isolation.  

Showing candidates that you have well-established safety protocols for various situations they might encounter in the role will reassure them you have their best interest in mind. Recruitment content should emphasize the support structures you have in place from regular supervisor check-ins to mentorship programs and peer support groups where employees share experiences and receive advice.  

4. Leverage Technology in Home Health Staffing 

Talent technology can significantly enhance home health recruiting efforts, especially when it comes to creating a mobile-first candidate experience. This is crucial for recruiting home health aides who work “on the road” visiting various patients. Another tech-enabled process enhancement to consider is recorded video interviews, in which candidates record responses to preset questions. For talent with variable schedules and movable workplaces, this lets them record at their convenience, reducing drop off rates. 

AI-powered candidate sourcing and matching tools can further streamline the process, automatically surfacing the most suitable talent based on their profiles and job requirements. However, it’s crucial that organizations strike the right balance, using technology to enhance but not replace the human elements of recruitment. Assessing soft skills and establishing personal connections remain vital, especially in a field as inherently people-oriented as home healthcare. 

5. Partnering with an RPO for Home Health Recruiting 

Partnering with a recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) provider can be a game-changer for home healthcare organizations seeking the right talent. RPO partners bring specialized expertise and access to a wider talent pool that can be difficult for individual organizations to match on their own. By tapping into an RPO partner’s advanced recruitment technology, data-driven insights and dedicated sourcing teams, home healthcare providers can elevate their recruitment capabilities, fill open roles fast, and build a more stable, engaged workforce primed to deliver exceptional patient care. 

Critically, an RPO partner will understand the unique challenges of home health staffing and can customize their approach to address high turnover, competition from other healthcare organizations, and the need for flexible, remote-friendly hiring. With an RPO partner serving as an extension of your organization, internal talent teams are free to focus on assessing cultural fit and building meaningful relationships with employees.  

Conclusion 

The ability to attract and retain qualified, compassionate professionals has become mission-critical for the home healthcare sector. By addressing common home health staffing challenges head-on, leveraging the power of technology and forging strategic RPO partnerships, home healthcare providers can build a stable, engaged workforce prepared to deliver exceptional patient care. Ultimately, hiring decisions made today will shape the quality of care and quality of life for countless individuals seeking medical support in the comfort of their own homes. 

Aged Care Recruitment: 5 Strategies for Building a Compassionate Workforce 

Posted on by akessler

The aged care sector stands at a critical juncture, facing unprecedented demand as global populations continue to age. According to the United Nations, the proportion of individuals aged 65 and over is expected to increase from 10% in 2022 to 16% by 2050. This demographic shift has placed immense pressure on aged care services, highlighting the urgent need for effective aged care recruitment strategies to meet the growing demand for qualified caregivers. 

The challenges in aged care recruitment are multifaceted, ranging from a shortage of skilled workers to high turnover rates and a competitive job market. This article aims to explore these challenges and provide actionable strategies for improving recruitment in the aged care sector. By addressing these issues head-on, you can ensure high-quality care for the elderly in your community while creating rewarding career opportunities for caregivers. 

Understanding the Aged Care Sector 

Before delving into aged care recruitment strategies, it’s crucial to understand the diverse landscape of the aged care workforce. The sector encompasses a wide range of care options, including: 

  • Residential aged care facilities (nursing homes) 
  • Home care services 
  • Assisted living communities 
  • Respite care centers
  • Palliative care services 

Within these various settings, comprehensive care requires a variety of essential roles, from nurses to physiotherapists to administrative staff. Whether it’s for nursing home hiring or home health recruiting, each role requires a unique set of skills and qualifications. While some positions, such as RNs, demand extensive formal education and licensing, others like activity coordinators may not require certification. Regardless of the specific role, recruiters must assess all aged care workers for interpersonal skills, empathy, patience and a genuine passion for working with older adults. 

Current Aged Care Recruitment Challenges 

The aged care sector faces several significant recruitment challenges: 

  • Shortage of Qualified Staff: Many countries are experiencing a severe shortage of trained aged care workers and home healthcare workers. This shortage is exacerbated by growing demand for health services, including home health services, long-term care and aged care. 
  • High Turnover Rates: The aged care sector struggles with high turnover rates, often due to burnout, emotional stress and physically demanding work conditions. This level of churn creates a cycle of recruitment and training that strains resources. 
  • Competitive Job Market: With the expansion of healthcare services, aged care providers often find themselves competing for talent with hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities that may offer more attractive compensation packages or work environments. 
  • Changing Demographics of the Aged Care Workforce: As the current workforce ages, there’s a need to attract younger generations to aged care roles. However, many younger workers have different career expectations and may not initially consider aged care as a viable career path. 

5 Strategies for Effective Aged Care Recruitment 

To address these challenges, aged care providers must adopt innovative and comprehensive recruitment strategies. 

1. Develop a Strong Employer Brand 

Creating a compelling employer brand is crucial for attracting top talent for aged care staffing. This involves crafting a narrative that highlights your organization’s mission, values and the meaningful impact of aged care work on individuals and communities. Use various channels such as your website, social media and recruitment advertising to help your organization stand out as an employer of choice. 

To attract younger workers, develop a strong social media presence that showcases success stories of real employees, emphasizing personal growth, job satisfaction and the rewarding nature of caring for older adults through engaging content such as videos, employee testimonials and facility tours. Highlight career progression opportunities within your organization, demonstrating that aged care can offer long-term, fulfilling career paths.  

2. Update Recruitment Technology Platforms 

In today’s digital age, investing in your recruitment tech stack is essential for reaching a wide pool of potential candidates in aged care recruitment. Yet, many aged care providers are grappling with outdated recruitment systems that are ill-equipped to meet the demands of modern recruitment. Updating your tech stack can significantly enhance agility, streamline processes and provide the seamless candidate experience that today’s aged care professionals have come to expect.  

AI-powered sourcing tools can swiftly identify the most promising talent for various aged care roles, from nurses to physiotherapists, in a matter of minutes. Furthermore, advanced analytics equip recruitment teams with valuable data to refine strategies, allowing you to target the right candidates more effectively and improve retention rates in the challenging aged care sector.  

3. Implement Employee Referral Programs 

Employee referral programs can be a powerful tool for recruiting high-quality candidates to your aged care roles. When employees refer qualified friends, family members or professional contacts to open positions, hiring processes are often faster, recruitment costs are lower and retention rates are higher, as referred employees tend to have a more realistic understanding of the job and organization before joining. 

When implementing an employee referral program, it’s important to communicate the details of the program clearly to all employees and make the referral process as simple and straightforward as possible. Offer incentives for successful referrals, such as monetary bonuses, extra paid time off or other perks. Plan ways to regularly celebrate successful referrals to maintain enthusiasm for the program.  

4. Offer Competitive Compensation and Benefits 

Offering competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits packages is crucial for attracting and retaining top talent in this competitive space. Develop a comprehensive benefits package that addresses the diverse needs of your workforce, including health insurance, retirement plans and paid time off. Consider adding perks that can set you apart as an employer. Flexible scheduling options, wellness programs, professional development opportunities or tuition reimbursement for continuing education can go a long way to enticing talent to aged care. 

Regularly benchmark your salary offerings against industry standards to ensure you remain competitive. Beyond base salary, consider offering bonuses to motivate and reward exceptional performance. Remember that investing in your employees through competitive compensation and benefits can lead to higher job satisfaction, improved performance and lower turnover rates in the long run. 

5. Engage an RPO Partner for Aged Care Recruitment 

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) has emerged as a strategic aged care staffing solution for providers facing persistent recruitment challenges. For aged care organizations, RPO leads to faster hiring times, improved quality of hires and a more streamlined recruitment process overall.  

One of the key advantages of RPO in aged care recruitment is its scalability and flexibility, allowing organizations to quickly ramp up or down their recruitment efforts as needed. RPO providers in healthcare often bring a data-driven approach, offering valuable insights into recruitment metrics and market trends specific to the aged care sector. An RPO partner can also help develop your employer brand strategy, ensuring that your values and culture are effectively communicated to potential candidates. 

Choose an RPO partner with a deep understanding of the aged care sector’s unique challenges and requirements. When considering RPO, think about the level of outsourcing that best suits your needs, whether it’s a full-scale solution or a project-based approach for specific roles. With clear communication and well-defined performance metrics, RPO can be a powerful tool for aged care providers to enhance their recruitment capabilities and ensure they have the skilled workforce needed to provide high-quality care. 

Conclusion 

Effective aged care recruitment is not just about filling positions; it’s about building a sustainable, skilled and passionate workforce capable of providing high-quality care to our aging population. By implementing comprehensive recruitment strategies, embracing tech innovations, and collaborating with an RPO partner, you can address the current challenges and prepare for future demands. By embracing these strategies, aged care organizations can elevate the perception of aged care work, attract talented individuals to the field, and ensure that our elderly receive the compassionate, skilled care they deserve.  

Redeployment Revolution: AI-Driven Internal Mobility for an APAC Government Agency

Posted on by akessler
Redeployment Revolution: AI-Driven Internal Mobility for an APAC Government Agency

Internal Mobility by PeopleScout

Redeployment Revolution: AI-Driven Internal Mobility for an APAC Government Agency

A massive redeployment initiative with this long-term government client demanded a new approach to identifying, developing and mobilizing internal talent. We implemented our tech-powered Internal Mobility solution and in doing so, deepened our partnership, transforming our role from technology provider to a trusted talent advisor.

66,000 + employees empowered to find internal opportunities across 40 departments
800 employees within a healthcare department successfully redeployed
5,000 candidates added to talent pools

Situation 

This federal government organization has been a PeopleScout client for more than ten years. Until recently, we served primarily as a talent technology partner—the client leveraged our total talent suite Affinix® to manage the job posting and application process for positions within their healthcare arm.

Because the government and public sector client had no visibility of the skills and talent across departments, talent scarcity issues—due to rapid technology advancements, widening skills gaps and shifting demographics—were exacerbated. Without a central view of the workforce, each department was managing their talent acquisition activities independently, some with the support of recruitment technology, and some without. Additionally, employees lacked visibility into cross-department opportunities with no easy way to explore openings.

To support an immediate need, the client asked PeopleScout to develop a redeployment solution within two weeks for 800 healthcare employees. In addition, they asked us to create a long-term internal mobility program to support ongoing talent initiatives.

Solution 

PeopleScout’s Internal Mobility solution leverages AI to automatically match employees with open positions, tapping into a talent pool of qualified and engaged candidates to expedite hiring and create a culture of growth and retention. Leveraging their Affinix suite, we helped streamline the client’s internal sourcing processes and created a comprehensive view of employee skills and competencies to effectively redeploy 800 employees within the healthcare department.

We also developed an internal mobility portal to proactively support ongoing redeployment across the entire government organization, thereby creating a more agile workforce where employees can quickly and seamlessly be reassigned to areas of greatest need. Our custom solution included four key modules:

  • Internal Career Portal: We created a Workforce Mobility Hub to support surge, temporary and long-term redeployments. This custom branded, user-friendly platform enables employees to search for cross-department opportunities, self-manage their professional profiles and sign up for custom job alerts.
  • Employee Expression of Interest: Candidates who want to be considered for short- or long-term internal opportunities complete expression of interest forms, which automatically adds them to talent pools.
  • AI Matching and Search: Affinix AI technology automatically searches the employee database to match candidates to roles based on their skills, experience and preferences. Hiring managers use our AI-talent matching tool to create talent pools of workers which they then target directly using automated email campaigns in Affinix. Since its inception, over 5,000 employees have been added to a talent pool. 
  • Skills-Based Assessments: Affinix integrates with best-in-breed screening and assessment platforms to evaluate employees’ skills and experience against the requirements of the role, ensuring candidate fit and promoting long-term career growth.

Results 

Our tech-powered Internal Mobility solution successfully supported not only the redeployment of 800 healthcare employees, but it also supports ongoing internal mobility initiatives across the entire organization. In fact, we empower their 66,0000 full-time employees to mobilize across 40 departments, future-proofing the organization with a skilled and agile workforce.

At a Glance

  • COMPANY
    Federal government agency in APAC
  • INDUSTRY
    Government & Public Sector
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Affinix
  • ANNUAL HIRES
    66,000+ employees empowered with Internal Mobility, powered by Affinix®
Let’s Connect!

5 Signs Your Organization Needs RPO 

Posted on by akessler

Your workforce is crucial for organizational success. However, many companies find themselves struggling with the complexities and challenges of modern recruitment. That’s where Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) comes in—a strategic solution that can transform how organizations approach hiring.  

So, is RPO is right for your company?  

This article explores five key indicators that it’s time to consider RPO, and why it could be a game-changer for your talent acquisition strategy. 

1. You Lack Internal Recruiting Expertise 

Many organizations, especially small to medium-sized businesses or those in niche industries, may not have the luxury of a full-fledged, experienced recruiting team. This gap in expertise can lead to longer time-to-fill rates and potential mismatches between candidates and roles.  

RPO providers bring a wealth of recruiting knowledge gained across various industries and job functions. They stay up to date with the latest labor market trends, recruiting tools and techniques, and best practices.  

This expertise extends beyond just finding candidates. It includes employer branding, talent consulting, internal mobility and more. By tapping into this external expertise, you can elevate your entire recruitment function without the need to build and maintain this capability in-house.  

2. Your Recruitment Tech Stack is Lacking or Outdated 

If your organization is still relying on manual processes, spreadsheets or legacy talent technology, you’re falling behind. These outdated methods not only slow down your hiring process but also limit your reach and ability to engage with candidates.  

Modern candidates expect a seamless, digital-first experience throughout their recruitment journey, and failing to provide this can result in candidate drop-off and a damaged employer brand. Additionally, the lack of advanced analytics and reporting capabilities in older systems makes it difficult to gain insights into your recruitment performance and make data-driven decisions. 

Leading RPO providers offer a suite of cutting-edge recruitment technologies that can revolutionize your hiring process. These may include AI-powered candidate matching, automated screening tools and comprehensive analytics. By partnering with an RPO, you gain access to these technologies without the need for significant upfront investment or ongoing maintenance costs. This technological upgrade can lead to faster time-to-hire, improved candidate quality, and a more efficient overall recruitment process.  

3. Your Hiring Processes are Inconsistent or Inefficient  

A disjointed or inconsistent recruitment process can be a significant drain on an organization’s resources and effectiveness. It you’re struggling with long time-to-fill rates, high candidate drop-off rates or frequent complaints from hiring managers about the recruitment process, RPO can help.  

Your RPO partner can help you to implement standardized, streamlined processes that address these issues. They bring tried-and-tested methodologies that can be customized to fit your organization’s unique needs. This might include implementing consistent interview structures, standardizing assessment methods, or creating automated workflows through new technologies. This also has the knock-on effect of boosting fairness in your recruitment process. 

4. You’re Struggling to Remain Agile 

Many businesses experience significant fluctuations in their hiring needs, whether due to seasonal variations, project-based work or unpredictable market conditions. These fluctuations can make it challenging to maintain an appropriately sized in-house recruiting team. During peak periods, the team may be overwhelmed, leading to delays and potentially missed opportunities. Conversely, during slower periods, the team may be underutilized, representing an unnecessary fixed cost.  

One of the most significant benefits of RPO is its scalability. RPO providers can quickly ramp up resources during high-demand periods and scale back during lulls, ensuring that the recruitment capabilities match the needs of the business. With this kind of flexibility, you maintain hiring efficiency and quality regardless of volume. Plus, you optimize costs by only paying for the resources you actually need.  

5. Your Recruitment Costs are Too High 

Recruitment can be a significant expense for many organizations, especially when considering the full cost of maintaining an in-house team—including salaries, benefits, training—and technology investments. Additional costs can come from agency fees for hard-to-fill positions, job board subscriptions and employer branding initiatives. When these costs start to balloon, it’s a strong indicator that RPO might be a more cost-effective solution.  

RPO providers can often achieve economies of scale by spreading costs across multiple clients and leveraging their existing infrastructure and relationships. They may have preferential rates with job boards and assessment providers, and their efficient processes can reduce time-to-fill, thereby lowering your overall cost per hire.  

Ready to Explore RPO? 

If you recognize one or more of these signs in your company, why not explore RPO? Effective recruitment is not just about filling positions; it’s about finding the right talent to drive your organization forward. By leveraging the expertise, resources and flexibility of an RPO provider, you can turn your recruitment function from a challenge into a competitive advantage. 

If you’re ready to explore how RPO can help your business, let’s connect!