According to the OECD, German economic growth in 2024 will be lower than in most other industrialized countries. With forecast growth of just 0.6%, Germany is well below the average of 1.4%. These figures are also reflected in company forecasts. In a survey, the German Economic Institute found that 35% of the companies surveyed expect a negative development for the coming year, while only 25% are optimistic. Why is this important to know before we look at the recruiting trends of 2024?
The uncertain economic situation has a direct impact on recruiting. The shortage of labor is one of the main reasons. The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce estimates that the German economy has lost around 90 billion euros in revenue due to unfilled vacancies.
Given these developments, the recruiting department is facing new challenges. It is therefore important for recruiters to stay up to date to find the best talent for the company despite the difficult situation.
Here are some of the key trends that will shape recruiting in 2024:
- Using artificial intelligence (AI)
- Employer branding is becoming more important than ever
- Diversity and inclusion are being prioritized
- Active sourcing remains “active” this year too
- Soft skills are gaining in importance
- Social media recruiting
Let’s now look at the individual trends in detail:
1. Using artificial intelligence (AI)
In 2024, artificial intelligence (AI) will play an essential role in recruiting. By using AI, recruiters will be able to work more efficiently and focus on strategic tasks. Here are a few ideas on how AI can be used in recruiting:
- Automated candidate selection: AI can help recruiters automatically sift through applications and select those candidates who are the best fit for the company. This saves them a lot of time as they do not have to check each application individually.
- Personalized applicant approach: AI can be used to send personalized messages to potential candidates. Using data from applicants’ CVs and online presences, AI can automatically create personalized messages tailored to candidates’ interests and skills. This enables recruiters to communicate more effectively with potential applicants and increase their interest in the company.
- Chatbots for applicant communication: AI-supported chatbots can help applicants with questions and guide them through the application process. This relieves the workload on recruiters and allows them to focus on more strategic tasks instead of having to answer every inquiry in person.
2. Employer branding is becoming more important than ever
In 2024, maintaining a positive employer brand will become increasingly important for recruiters. A strong employer brand is crucial for attracting highly qualified personnel to your company. Applicants are paying more attention to a company’s image and reputation. Therefore, this is an important recruiting trend for 2024.
It is crucial for recruiters to create a positive external perception of the company. This requires careful design of messages that emphasize the attractiveness of the company as a place to work. For example, job advertisements should be attractively worded and the company website should communicate why talented people should work for you. In addition, the company should be active on the most important social platforms and strive for good ratings on platforms such as Kununu. Overall, the employer brand will be particularly important in 2024, as it plays a key role in attracting the best talent to the company.
3. Diversity and inclusion are being prioritized
In 2024, it will be crucial for recruiters to focus on new target groups. The shortage of skilled workers threatens to further limit the pool of potential candidates. A special focus should be placed on applicant groups that have often been overlooked in recruiting to date. These include, for example, candidates who can only work part-time due to family commitments, older people who want to reorient themselves professionally, career changers, and international specialists.
Although the demand for workers is high, the bureaucratic hurdles for recruitment from third countries are often very high. Nevertheless, there are good opportunities to recruit internationally and to get support from agencies. We have created a blog post with a guide to recruiting international specialists. Flexibility in terms of working hours and location as well as individual support services for new employees are important steps. An open corporate culture that encourages diversity and supports employees from different backgrounds is also crucial. This can also mean making internal communication multilingual and helping with the integration of foreign employees.
4. Active sourcing remains “active” this year too
In 2024, the labor market will remain a candidate market. This means that qualified professionals often have a choice of where they want to work. As many of them are already employed, recruiters must become active to reach this target group. Active sourcing is the right approach here. It is about standing out from the mass of job offers and catching the attention of candidates.
It is important to be creative. For example, the use of personalized video messages can help to appeal to potential candidates. Active sourcing is a particularly promising method in the IT sector. However, choosing the right platform is crucial. While social networks such as LinkedIn and Xing are often the first port of call, searching there can be time-consuming. At this point, it can also be helpful to work with a recruiting agency that has access to a larger talent pool and can help you target the right talent faster.
If you are looking for a modern and owner-managed agency, we would be happy to introduce you to our services. With us, you bear zero risk.
5. Soft skills are gaining in importance
In 2024, soft skills such as communication skills, teamwork, and problem-solving skills will become even more important in recruiting. It is essential that candidates also fit well into the team and have the necessary social skills.
Recruiters play a crucial role in taking these soft skills into account when assessing applicants. They need to focus on assessing not only candidates’ technical qualifications, but also their ability to collaborate, communicate constructively, and solve problems. To do this, they can ask behavior-based interview questions, use role plays, or conduct personality tests and assessments. By focusing on soft skills, they enable companies to hire candidates who can develop easily. This can expand the talent pool as you can recruit for potential and not just for existing expertise.
6. Social media recruiting
Social media recruiting remains an indispensable recruiting trend in 2024. Many highly qualified professionals who are not actively looking for new career opportunities are nevertheless present on social networking platforms. LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook are becoming increasingly important recruiting channels.
This trend began in 2019 and has intensified since then. In the IT sectorr in particular, recruiting could now even be extended to new platforms. For example, gaming platforms such as Discord or Twitch are becoming very important, as many IT experts might also be passionate gamers. This underlines the importance of looking at new channels to effectively target and reach potential candidates. If you’re looking for ideas to improve your social media recruiting, we recommend reading this short blog post on the topic.
Recruiting trends in 2024: an overview
In 2024, recruiters will face a variety of challenges due to the uncertain economic situation and the shortage of skilled workers. The importance of artificial intelligence in recruiting will continue to grow, while employer branding, diversity and inclusion as well as soft skills will become more important. Active sourcing and social media recruiting will continue to be important tools for approaching and attracting qualified specialists. Recruiters must adapt to these trends and use innovative methods to find the best talent for their companies. By acting flexibly, tapping into new target groups, and taking into account the individual needs of applicants, they can successfully meet the challenges of 2024 and make a valuable contribution to strengthening their organizations.
If you want to find the best talent in 2024 and want to be accompanied by a professional agency, take a look at our website. We look forward to helping you hire the best experts.
