In the first two decades of the 21st century, no industry has remained untouched by technological advancements - most notably the cloud and artificial intelligence - or the ways in which sales have changed.
In retail for instance, the rise of e-commerce has reshaped how brands approach everything from logistics and marketing to the management and protection of their online versus brick-and-mortar footprints. Similarly, the expansion of telehealth options in healthcare and introduction of virtual learning solutions at every level of education have forced companies in these sectors to adapt their processes to digitization and automation.
Deploying new tech solutions delivers quantifiable benefits for the business (i.e. greater visibility into operations, elimination of functional silos and cost savings) that enable organizations to maintain competitiveness. Innovative web-based products and services continue to come to market because of the efficiencies gained by adopting the latest customer relationship management (CRM) or enterprise resource management (ERP) software, and other industry-specific solutions. By the end of 2024, digital transformation investments are predicted to account for over half of all information and communications technology (ICT) investments.
For organizations, this means ensuring that they have the right talent in the IT department to drive the strategic vision forward while managing, developing and protecting enterprise networks. Employees working in other areas of organizations also need basic technical skills to do their jobs sufficiently. Instead of displacing workers entirely, as analysts previously anticipated would happen with the spread of automation, new IT jobs are being created.
To enable companies to leverage digital tools and innovative solutions, people are still needed to operate and maintain it. Humans are also finding a role in analyzing data points and developing market strategies from these insights. In a McKinsey survey, 17% of business leaders in the United States and Europe indicated that they expected their workforce to grow as a result of adopting automation and AI technology.
How are recruiters mobilizing to meet this tremendous need for technology talent? In what ways are recruiters integrating new hiring objectives with traditional systems and capabilities? Many recruitment organizations are adopting applicant tracking systems (ATS) with an industry-specific CRM to automate high-volume, repetitive processes and enhance hiring capabilities. Filling open jobs in multiple industries may also mean acquiring professionals with the same technical skills in recruitment organizations that their clients are seeking.
Which tech jobs are in high demand?
The jobs in demand today differ quite drastically from just a decade ago. In the early- to mid-2000s, there was little need for social media managers, cloud computing specialists, or data scientists - roles that are in high demand today. A few minutes scrolling through job listings will confirm the sheer number of employers seeking to fill these jobs. A combination of factors including: a global tech talent shortage, an acceleration of digitization projects during the pandemic, and more companies taking on digital solutions across the organization are making it more difficult to attract the most qualified candidates.
An increase in the job titles mentioned previously - among other key emerging areas of tech - are expected to continue in the next decade. According to Robert Half, tech industry recruiting has matched or exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Just a look at some of today’s top tech jobs confirms what the future needs of the workforce will be.
Software developers - for example - create, deploy, and maintain computer programs. As enterprises adopt solutions internally and introduce more digital services and solutions to customers, the need for professionals with these skills is growing. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 409,500 software development jobs will be added to the workforce between 2020 and 2030.
Professionals who do another top job - cybersecurity specialists - are tasked with protecting enterprise networks from breaches and data leakage in an evolving threat landscape. Potential threats increased as enterprise networks expanded beyond offices. For years, IT security professionals protected organizations by ensuring that corporate firewalls were not breached. Now, with the ability for employees to access sensitive information from home on mobile devices, hackers are shifting strategies and making cyber protection more complex. Cybersecurity Guide expects job opportunities in this area to grow 36% by 2024.
Lastly, data scientists collect, analyze, and model data to help organizations create plans and set strategies for the future. This position is crucial as business leaders seek to leverage insights that will deliver a competitive advantage. Jobs in this area are projected to increase by 22% between 2020 and 2030.
This hiring frenzy is also coinciding with large numbers of professionals reconsidering their current careers. Aside from better pay, people are seeking new opportunities, a change of pace or lifestyle, and a start to the next phase of their life. The Harvard Business Review described workers’ motivation through five factors that have contributed in varying degrees to the large-scale resignations (dubbed the Great Resignation in the United States): retirement in large numbers, relocation, reconsideration of work-life balance, reshuffling to other industries, and reluctance to return to offices.
How will demand for these jobs change?
No matter the reason that people are choosing new careers today, there will be an abundance of high-skilled tech jobs until enough of the workforce has the qualifications to fill more roles. Professionals switching from physical or manual jobs can enroll in continuing education courses to gain the right certifications and qualifications to the most in-demand tech jobs or participate in programs offered by their current employer.
A World Economic Forum report noted that nearly 50% of subject knowledge acquired during the first year of a four-year technical degree will be outdated by the time students graduate. This prediction underscores the scale of talent disruption and the potential gap in hard skills.
Additionally, McKinsey anticipates that the time spent using advanced technological skills will increase by 50% in the United States and 41% in Europe through 2030 with needs for advanced IT and programming skills growing the fastest. The workforce is expected to continue implementing easy-to-use technology in the meantime to address talent gaps in the short term.
Hiring today is easier said than done
New roles require a different set of hard and soft skills in the developing digital economy - and an engaged workforce with both types of capabilities to meet the needs of enterprises. Hard skills are generally the technical knowledge and training gained through work experience or education. These skills are fairly easy for recruiters to identify from a candidate’s resume.
On the other hand, assessing soft skills - like personality traits and habits that display how candidates work with others - requires more observation through interactions. To find candidates who possess both of these types of skills, technology recruitment has kicked into overdrive.
Recruitment trends such as the transition to online channels and access to a cloud-based ATS platform are helping recruiters to assess a larger number of candidates much quicker than with traditional tools. Narrowing down applicants takes much longer with traditional hiring tools and allows for great candidates to be missed.
Like other business functions, HR departments are looking to the latest technology to improve the effectiveness of hiring campaigns. Modern ATS solutions have allowed many recruitment agencies and HR departments to create more efficient operations that contribute meaningfully to the strategic objectives of organizations.
Hiring qualified talent to fill these jobs is easier said than done. Recruiters and HR organizations must contend with talent shortages and intense competition across industries for the same limited pool of applicants.
This gap between the amount of job vacancies and the number of active, qualified job seekers has given professionals the upper hand in the hiring process. Although salary remains an important consideration, factors like corporate reputation, values, and culture are playing an even bigger role in an individual’s decision to accept a job offer or not. HR leaders must work with business leaders to craft educational programs that re-train current employees as well as motivate and retain high-performers.
Increasingly, the key to beating out other employers for the candidates with “in demand” tech skills is to adopt a more targeted approach to sourcing talent. This means that companies need to consider where they are listing job vacancies in addition to their benefits packages and salary offerings.
Simply posting jobs on the corporate career page alone is insufficient if the goal is to attract the best candidates. Online recruitment sites like LinkedIn and Indeed as well as social networks have emerged as prominent hiring channels. Analysts from The Insight Partners say that online recruiting will grow at a CAGR of 7.1% between 2021–2028. Recruiter chatbots and other AI-powered features are driving the growth of this market. In order to ensure that these tools are successful, recruiters need to adapt their candidate sourcing tactics and relationship management skills to the new landscape.
Learn more about virtual hiring and other recruitment best practices here.
In addition to recruitment teams filling job vacancies faster, HR leaders also need to educate other functional leaders about what it will take to fill their organizations with professionals who have the skills required for today - and tomorrow.
For some organizations that will mean revising employee policies to build in more flexibility, enable hybrid working models, and cover employees’ career development expenses. Every company should also consider adopting recruitment technology solutions - with a qualified team to use it - to optimize hiring and attract top talent who want to advance their careers and develop new skills
Fighting for top talent in recruitment - and across the workforce
Recruitment teams are also not immune to hiring trends and the need to acquire talent with modern skills such as database management, CRM, and digital communications. Hiring top recruitment talent who also have the skills to utilize new technology can deliver significant benefits. In recruitment as well as other business functions, the pandemic proved that teams could operate productively from remote locations - with the right support from leadership, training, and technology. Delivering the best fit for organizations contributes to strategic goals and helps recruitment leaders build a positive workplace environment with motivated professionals.
The role of the HR function is being elevated from simply being a support function as leaders keep the organization’s values, vision and culture in focus. While business strategy is directed to customer products and services, people play an equally important role in motivating employees and mobilizing their support.
There is no shortage of articles about how serious it can be for organizations if they select the wrong solutions for their needs and employees are not united in the goal of implementing a new solution. The organizations that will win out through this period of intense competition for the most qualified candidates are those that focus on a few key factors.
- Integrating technology and work processes to align with business objectives
- Being transparent - and communicating regularly - about job expectations and workplace culture with employees and applicants
- Offering progressive and attractive employment policies, salary, and perks
- Involving employees in rolling out new technologies to help them get their work done more efficiently from anywhere
- Providing career education and advancement opportunities.
The impact of job seekers transitioning into higher-skilled technology careers will be felt across the employment market for some time. Reshaping organizations to prepare for today’s realities and rapidly adjust to changes over time is essential if they plan to retain high-performers and attract professionals with the most coveted skills.
How recruitment technology tools are boosting talent searches
As the complexity in the hiring process grows, recruitment technology is allowing teams to streamline processes, eliminate human errors, and optimize the talent acquisition process from end to end.
With an ATS, automation is enabling recruiters to source candidates faster so they can focus on observing soft skills and ensuring positive candidate experiences. The most advanced solutions on the market today identify the best candidates for each role in minutes using select, customizable keywords. During the hiring process, an ATS can also keep recruitment teams organized so that candidates have consistent and positive interview experiences.
Manatal users can customize their hiring pipeline to smooth processes and keep track of candidates’ progress. Once a candidate accepts a job offer, an ATS solution can centrally track new hires and customize onboarding to suit your organization’s process and assessment metrics.
Read more about how to standardize candidate onboarding and employee training throughout their employment here.
Recruitment leaders gain powerful insight into their team’s activities and the effectiveness of hiring campaigns with customizable dashboards that allow them to see important details including candidate data, the performance of each job posting channel, and the progress on hiring for the positions the team is working on.
Modern recruiting tools mix the ATS with a recruitment CRM, which unifies recruitment activities to help agencies strengthen relationships with candidates and clients.
Attracting the best and brightest in tech
There is little room for error in the quest to fill organizations with talent who are equipped to bring innovation and growth. Taking a candidate-centric approach to hiring will show applicants that their wellbeing and career development are as important as the bottom line.
Focusing on delivering positive candidate experiences consistently will increase acceptances of job offers - and increase the possibilities of happy, motivated employees.
It will also help your organization stand out in the highly competitive job market to attract the most qualified professionals. The competition for tech talent is not only with other companies in your industry, but also with any other company that is on the digital transformation journey.
Advanced technology is now capable of supporting talent acquisition and helping recruiters meet strategic goals. The best solutions on the market are optimizing processes and enabling companies to streamline operations for employees. However, no technology can be effective if employees are unable to take full advantage of its capabilities due to insufficient skills.
Companies can quickly deploy Manatal and see changes in the organization. Recruitment teams will also find the tool easy to use, which will make the implementation process even simpler.
Sign up for a free 14-day trial with Manatal to see how our powerful, AI-powered ATS can help you source and hire talent for the most sought-after tech jobs.
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