Post on 27-Feb-2018
4th Annual Report
2015 US Staffing Trends
Build, engage, and recruit more by staying ahead of these industry changes
Introduction
To win in 2015, search & staffing leaders need to stay
ahead of the latest trends. Technology advancements have
begun to disrupt the staffing industry, setting the stage for
a dynamic and exciting future.
About this survey We surveyed 1,993 staffing leaders in 19 countries to
understand what’s keeping them up at night and where
they see the industry headed in 2015. Get a head start on
2015: tap into our insights and chart your course for
success.
02 Introduction
03 Executive summary
04 Part 1: The staffing industry in 2015
08 Part 2: Sourcing
14 Part 3: Brand
18 Part 4: The future of staffing
2 US Staffing Trends
Executive summary: 2015 US staffing trends
Build, engage, and recruit more by staying ahead of these industry changes
1 Sources of placements: Social
professional networks have grown over
4 years to become the #1 source of
quality hires for US staffing firms.
2 Brand sentiment: Most firms
prioritize the need to build their brand.
Now their actions are beginning to catch
up.
“Think about the key quality hires that your
organization placed in the past 12 months.
Which of the following were the most
important sources for those key positions?”
68%
58%
46%
33%
Our brand has asignificant impact onour ability to grow our
business
My company has abrand strategy
Those responsible forour brand have enoughresources to do it well
We regularly measurethe health of our brandin a quantifiable way
% Agree
“Please indicate the extent to which you agree
or disagree with the following statements as
they relate to your firm's brand.”
3 Brand channels: Online
professional networks become the top
channel for promoting a firm’s brand as
firm websites and job boards decline.
3 US Staffing Trends
42%
55%
63% 64%
10%
30%
50%
70%
2011 2012 2013 2014
Social professional networks
Internet job boards
Your ATS/internal candidate database
Internet resume databases
Employee referral programs
47%
56%
66%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2012 2013 2014
Online professional networks
Our firm's website
Friends/family, word of mouth
Traditional Job Boards
“Which channels or tools have you found
most effective in promoting your business?”
Placement volumes grow rapidly while budgets
straggle and competitive threats abound US placement volume continues strong growth
while budgets straggle
A whopping 84% of US staffing leaders project a placement
volume increase. The gap between US hiring volumes and
budgets remains wide. Staffing leaders must scale and invest
wisely.
“Considering only full and part-time professional employees, how do
you expect the volume of candidates placed by your organization to
change this year?”
“How has your organization's budget for recruiting / talent acquisition
solutions changed from 2013 to 2014?”
Part 1: The Recruiting Industry in 2015
87%
79% 84% 84%
64%
53% 51% 53%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2011 2012 2013 2014
Hiring Budget
Hiring Volume
% with increase
“What are the things that your competitors have done or may plan on
doing that would make you most nervous?”
25%
30%
28%
26%
29%
34%
Improve the clientexperience
Learn to use socialnetworking and social
media effectively
Build strong talent poolsor pipelines
US Global
Talent pipelining, social media, and client
experience are the top competitive threats
Significantly more US companies are concerned about
talent pipelining than global companies are.
5 US Staffing Trends
Priorities: Top firm priorities are growing new client
base and being a strategic partner
Client business development and being a
strategic partner to clients are top priorities
US staffing firms prioritize passive candidate recruiting and
recruiting highly skilled talent significantly more than global
staffing firms do.
Boutique and large firms differ globally
Small staffing agencies are significantly more likely to
prioritize new clients and recruiting passive talent. We define
small agencies as organizations with fewer than 10
recruiters.
“Think about your firm’s top priorities for the next 12 months.
Which of the following choices would you consider to be the most
important and least important areas of interest for your
organization?”
“Think about your firm’s top priorities for the next 12 months.
Which of the following choices would you consider to be the
most important and least important areas of interest for your
organization?”
Part 1: The Recruiting Industry in 2015
22%
24%
30%
46%
53%
30%
33%
33%
41%
49%
Recruiting passive talent
Recruiting/sourcing highly-skilled talent for my firm
Improving sourcingtechniques
Being a strategic partner tomy clients
Growing our base of newclients
US Global
50%
19%
56%
25%
Growing our base ofnew clients
Recruiting passivetalent
Large agencies Small agencies
6 US Staffing Trends
Obstacles: Biggest obstacle in 2015 is availability
of quality talent
Availability of quality talent is #1 obstacle
Offers made by firm clients and competition follow closely
as top obstacles to recruiting talent.
Competition is a bigger obstacle for large
firms globally
“What are your firm's biggest obstacles to recruiting talent?”
Part 1: The Recruiting Industry in 2015
“What are your firm's biggest obstacles to recruiting talent?”
45%
41%
60%
39%
41%
61%
Competition
Offer made by my client(includes compensation,
role, location, etc)
Availability of quality talent
US Global
42%
49%
Competition
Large agencies Small agencies
7 US Staffing Trends
Top source for quality hires: Professional networks
Social professional networks rise to become
the top source for quality hires in US Social professional networks are the most important and
fastest growing source of quality placements, doubling over
the past 4 years. Other sources remain relatively flat, with
referral programs making a comeback.
“Think about the key quality hires that your organization placed in the
past 12 months. Which of the following were the most important
sources for those key positions?”
Large and small staffing agencies are equally
reliant on social recruiting globally Large agencies are more apt to use internet resume databases
to place high quality talent with their clients. Boutique agencies
are likely seeking more cost-effective sourcing channels.
“Think about the key quality hires that your organization placed in the past
12 months. Which of the following were the most important sources for
those key positions?”
Part 2: Sourcing
42%
55%
63% 64%
10%
30%
50%
70%
2011 2012 2013 2014
Social professional networks
Internet job boards
Your ATS/internal candidate database
Internet resume databases
Referral programs
9 US Staffing Trends
68%
36%
67%
30%
Social professionalnetworks
Internet resumedatabases
Large agencies Small agencies
Top source for quantity: Professional networks
Social professional networks grow to become top source for quantity of hires in US
ATSes / internal candidate databases and internet resume databases are on the decline, potentially because these databases
are static whereas social professional networks are not.
“How significant were each of the
following as a source of white collar
professional candidates placed by your
organization in the past 12 months?”
(>15% quantity of hires)
Part 2: Sourcing
37%
52%
55% 57%
25%
50%
75%
2011 2012 2013 2014
Social professional networks
Internet job boards
Your ATS/ internal candidate database
Internet resume databases10 US Staffing Trends
Sourcing: Social professional networks and
job boards provide best quality and quantity
“How significant were each of the following as a source of white collar professional
candidates placed by your organization in the past 12 months?” (>15% quantity of hires)
5 sources of hire for quality and quantity globally
“Think about the key quality hires that your organization placed in the past 12 months.
Which of the following were the most important sources for those key positions?”
54%
of global staffing leaders believe
they’re not doing a good job
tracking return on investment on
sources of placements. There’s
lots of room for improvement.
As the gap between hiring
volume and budgets widens, it’s
time to invest in and optimize the
sources that return both the best
quality and quantity of
candidates.
Part 2: Sourcing
Company career
website Company
CRM system
Employee referral
programs
General career fairs
General social media
Job boards Internet resume
databases
Other Print
Social professional
networks
ATS/ internal candidate database
Best quality & quantity
11 US Staffing Trends
Qualit
y
Quantity
Passive candidate recruiting: US above average
A large majority of staffing firms recruit passive
candidates. The US is above average. Why passive candidate recruiting works
Globally, 75% of professionals consider themselves “Passive.”
Because availability of quality talent is the #1 obstacle to hiring,
it’s important to consider this large passive talent pool. Use
different sources to target passive versus active candidates,
and have a different message for warm outreach.
75% Passive
25% Active
Global Candidate Breakdown
Active candidate definition:
Actively looking
Casually looking a few times a week
Passive candidate definition:
Reaching out to personal network
Open to talking to a recruiter
Completely satisfied; Don’t want to move
“How would you describe your job search status?”
Source: LinkedIn’s Talent Trends 2014 study
“To what extent does your recruiting organization focus on reaching
out to passive talent?” To some extent or very much so.
Part 2: Sourcing
United Kingdom 95%
China 94%
United States 91%
Canada 89%
Southeast Asia 88%
Australia 87%
India 87%
Brazil 84%
France 84%
Nordics 82%
Netherlands 72%
87% Global
average
12 US Staffing Trends
Number of placements is most valuable metric for staffing firms in US
Client satisfaction and quality of placement aren’t far
behind in importance.
“What is the single most valuable metric that you use to track your
team’s recruiting performance today?”
Part 2: Sourcing
18%
28%
29%
15%
23%
36%
Quality ofplacement
Clientsatisfaction
Number ofplacements
US Global
13 US Staffing Trends
Extract value from top ROI sources in 2015
Next steps for your strategic planning
1. Arm yourself with data to stay competitive. Use LinkedIn’s free Talent Pool reports on SlideShare to size your target market and understand talent supply & demand.
2. Consider different search tactics for passive vs active candidates (i.e. Boolean search strings, indirect search, conceptual search).
3. Craft tailored messages to target candidates so you can attract them after you find them. Understand what would motivate them to switch jobs.
4. Define what ROI means for your firm and measure it across your sources of placements.
Brand: It’s a priority and top reasons to invest
Most firms value brand but only some invest
in, manage, and measure it
Most US staffing leaders agree that brand is a priority. Brand
resourcing and measurement are still catching up.
Companies can get ahead by funding a proactive brand
strategy and tracking its success.
“Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the
following statements as they relate to your firm’s brand.”
Part 3: Talent Brand
68%
58%
46%
33%
Our brand has asignificant impact on our
ability to grow ourbusiness
My company has a brandstrategy
Those responsible for ourbrand have enough
resources to do it well
We regularly measure thehealth of our brand in a
quantifiable way
% Agree
Top 5 reasons agencies invest in their brand
The number one reason US agencies invest in their brand is due
to an increase in client demand. US agencies are more likely to
cite this as a reason than global companies. Global companies
are more likely to invest due to increased competition.
“For what reasons are you spending more on your firm’s brand this year?”
Directed to leaders who report spending more on brand this year.
40%
36%
46%
51%
46%
33%
34%
51%
51%
60%
Increased competition
Movement into newgeographies or sectors
where you haven't…
Increased belief in the impactof our firm's brand
Need to raise generalawareness
Increase in client demand
US Global
15 US Staffing Trends
Brand: Top 4 channels for promoting it
Small agencies globally rely on word of mouth
Small agencies globally tend to take the friends and family
approach to promoting their brand likely due to its cost
effectiveness. Large agencies are 2X more likely to rely on
public recognition awards.
Professional networks & word of mouth
grow as top channels for promoting brand
Firm websites and traditional job boards are steadily
declining as effective sources for promoting firm brands.
“Which channels or tools have you found most effective in promoting
your business?”
Part 3: Talent Brand
47%
56%
66%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2012 2013 2014
Online professional networks (e.g., LinkedIn)
Our firm's website
Friends/family, word of mouth
Traditional Job Boards
“Which channels or tools have you found most effective in promoting
your business?”
30%
16%
43%
8%
Friends/family, word ofmouth
Publicrecognition/awards
Large agencies Small agencies
16 US Staffing Trends
Brand: US firms are below average in prioritizing
and acting on their brand
US firms can remain competitive by
investing in and managing their brand
Southeast Asian and Indian firms lead the way in
agency branding. US firms have an opportunity to
amplify their brand by:
Articulating your competitive advantage so
clients and candidates know why you’re the
best firm for their industry, function, career, etc.
Using cost-effective social channels to make
your brand known. Start with free LinkedIn tools
like individual recruiter profiles, your company
page, and attracting followers.
Benchmarking your brand budget against
other investments — is your brand funded in
line with other priorities?
Measuring your brand using metrics like Net
Promoter Score (NPS) of your clients and
placements, company followers, # recruiters
with updated LinkedIn profiles.
Part 3: Talent Brand
Brand is a top priority for our organization
My c
om
pan
y h
as a
bra
nd
str
ate
gy
US UK
Australia India
Nordics
Brazil
Southeast Asia
China
Netherlands
France
Canada
17 US Staffing Trends
The future of staffing: Sourcing passive candidates
& improved candidate & job matching Passive candidate recruiting and social
professional networks are here to stay
Global and US staffing leaders agree that passive candidate
recruiting and social professional networks are long-term
trends.
Trend spotting: Improved candidate and job
matching
Candidate and job matching could reshape the staffing and
recruiting industry.
“What do you consider to be the three most essential and long-
lasting trends in recruiting for professional roles?”
“Which of the following new and upcoming trends do you think will play
a significant role in shaping the recruiting industry for the next 5 to 10
years?”
Part 4: Predicting the Future of
Recruiting
67%
66%
34%
33%
59%
65%
38%
32%
Finding better ways tosource passive
candidates
Utilizing social andprofessional networks
Using an internaldatabase to manage
talent leads
Boosting referralprograms
US Global
57%
38%
35%
34%
33%
51%
30%
31%
33%
35%
Improved candidate andjob matching
Remote workforce options
Focusing on referrals as aprimary source of talent
Recruiting becoming morelike marketing
Expanding into emergingmarkets
US Global
19 US Staffing Trends
Survey sampling and methodology
Data Comparisons
Global comparisons are reported as un-weighted averages from the noted countries
Historical data comparisons are taken from 2011, 2012 and 2013 Global Recruiting Trends research, which had similar sampling criteria and methodology to 2014:
– 2014 survey fielded August-September 2014 with 202 US respondents
– 2013 survey fielded April-May 2013 with 292 US respondents – 2012 survey fielded May-July 2012 with 416 US respondents – 2011 survey fielded April-June 2011 with 376 US respondents
Survey Sample
Survey respondents are talent acquisition professionals who: – Work for a staffing firm – Represent an even mix of small, medium, and large
firms – Have at least some authority in determining their
company’s recruitment solutions budget – Focus exclusively on recruiting professional hires for
clients Survey respondents are members of LinkedIn who have
opted to participate in research studies. They were selected based on information in their LinkedIn profile and contacted via email.
Brazil: 185
USA: 202
Canada: 201
UK: 201 China: 100
Southeast Asia: 201 India: 202
Australia: 200
Nordics: 100
France: 200
Netherlands: 201
20 US Staffing Trends
About LinkedIn
Talent Solutions
LinkedIn Talent Solutions offers
a full range of recruiting
solutions to help organizations
of all sizes find, engage, and
attract the best talent.
Founded in 2003, LinkedIn
connects the world’s
professionals to make them
more productive and successful.
With over 300 million members
worldwide, including executives
from every Fortune 500
company, LinkedIn is the world’s
largest professional network.
Subscribe to our Blog: talent.linkedin.com/blog/
Follow us on Slideshare: slideshare.net/linkedin-talent-solutions
Follow us on Twitter: @hireonlinkedin
Follow us on You Tube: youtube.com/user/LITalentSolutions
Discover additional insights: LinkedIn for staffing agencies
Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1337
21 US Staffing Trends
About the authors
Sam Gager Research Consultant,
LinkedIn Talent
Solutions
Sam is an experienced
researcher on
LinkedIn’s Insights
team. He and his
colleagues uncover
data-driven insights
from LinkedIn’s
proprietary data.
Rachel Bowley Research Associate,
LinkedIn Talent
Solutions
Rachel is a statistically
savvy number cruncher
and researcher. She
powers the insights
LinkedIn generates from
its data.
Esther Cruz Insights and Content
Marketing Manager,
LinkedIn Talent
Solutions
Esther is passionate
about connecting
people and
opportunities. She
enjoys creating
content and disruptive
thought leadership for
the talent industry.
Ryan Batty Director of Marketing,
LinkedIn Talent
Solutions
Ryan believes in the
power of great
storytelling to convey
meaningful ideas. He
leads a team of
marketers capturing
and sharing insights,
ideas and stories to
serve the talent
industry.
22 US Staffing Trends