There’s much ongoing discussion about the impacts of Covid in the UK, especially when it comes to jobs and the economy. While we may have dodged a much larger unemployment bullet in the short term, thanks to some aspects of the Job Retention Scheme. It’s clear that rough seas lie ahead. Here our partners, JobLookUp, share their thoughts on how ‘Generation Covid’ workforce gaps could affect next gen recruitment.
High Unemployment
High unemployment is a major concern. There’s no doubt about that, but there is another issue looming under the surface that will compound the problem even further. The education gap left in the wake of the lockdowns. Huge numbers of children and young adults have paid the cost of Covid with their education, and with that, perhaps their futures too.
A Gap between Wealth and Technology
It would be easy to blame the policy of lockdown itself for this, but it’s not that simple. Lockdown hasn’t caused these issues . The gap in wealth and access to technology are the real culprits here.
It is estimated that the poorest children in the UK to be about 11 months behind their better-off peers before they even start at school. Home learning environments are also just not viable for many disadvantaged families. 34% of parents with children aged 5-16 said the kids don’t have access to a computer or tablet to access the internet for educational purposes.
The Implications
This has some pretty bleak implications. Firstly, given the fact tech roles are going to be increasingly important in the coming years. Secondly, that most entry-level or low-income jobs that young people use to help fund higher education, or get a foot in the door career-wise, are vanishing (or have already vanished). The stage is set for a huge skills gap in the next-gen workforce. The icing on the cake, of course, is that we already have a skills gap problem in the UK costing us over £6 billion. That’s ignoring whatever impacts we have from Brexit, and the lasting effects of COVID on the economy.
Creating some serious implications for recruiters. How are agencies going to meet the hiring needs of businesses? Much of the next-generation workforce has had their educational, professional and skills development opportunities so severely hampered.
Offering In-House Training
Offering essential training as part of a recruitment service could be one option. Online courses and training programs could be offered to candidates when they register. Which would not only help level up applicants, it would also give recruiters extra confidence in their candidates.
We can see this in its infancy on LinkedIn to some extent. There are a number of courses that users can undertake to increase their employability while showcasing their skills. Properly accredited courses could add tremendous value to an agency’s candidate roster. Helping to make both the agency and their candidates much more attractive to clients.
Delivering International Recruiting
Another option could be placing more of a focus on delivering international candidates. While this won’t be helped by Brexit, remote work could potentially circumvent any complications – we know it’s a viable option now for many businesses, and the last year has shown it’s perfectly achievable to onboard candidates remotely as well.
Drawing from an international talent pool is nothing new. It’s been driving the gig economy for years – but more mainstream adoption of this idea by UK businesses and recruiters might be essential in near future.
Hiring Purely on Potential
Given that it will leave many young people without solid educational and career development foundations, businesses and recruiters may have to change strategy. Hiring based on a candidate’s potential, rather than track record, could become more important.
Hiring for potential is already something that is talked about a lot. In most cases, experience, qualifications and a proven track record still win out. This is entirely understandable. That said, businesses and recruiters might have little choice but to invest in the techniques and technology. To quickly identify those applicants that have the potential to succeed, then train them. There might simply be no other way to find suitable candidates, if we doggedly stick with the current hiring traditions.
Whether through gamification, a more individualised recruitment process, or both. It’s an approach that could help tap into unrealised and easy to miss candidate potential in a skill starved climate.
Valuing Experienced Candidates
It’s safe to say that experienced candidates are valuable at the best of times, and this value could snowball in the coming years. Highly skilled and experienced professionals are certain to be in even higher demand than they are today. Not least because they will synergise well with younger candidates that are full of potential and willing to learn.
It could be wise for recruiters to keep in regular contact with these kinds of applicants over the long term.
Embracing Change
Overall, none of the above strategies are especially new. Small steps have been made in these areas for years, but they may now need to become major strides. Good businesses adapt quickly. The recruiters that lead the way in the coming years could well be the ones that adopt some, or all, of the approaches touched on above.
As with almost everything this year, Covid has forced a re-evaluation of how we do things. Forcing us to do better. That surely has to be one of the few positives we can take from the situation. The businesses that truly take this onboard have the potential to thrive in the post-Corona landscape. That’s no less true for recruiters.
Author biography:
Simon Marshall, Head of Content and Communications at JobLookup.
Simon is a technology enthusiast, with an interest in how the application of science, philosophy, ethics, and psychology can benefit us in both the workplace and wider society.
