2017 Recruiting Trends

Since 2017 is just getting underway, we want to take this opportunity to cover the trends that are going to define the recruiting landscape over the next twelve months. Based on the data that's been collected and analyzed about current recruiting trends, it’s clear that talent leaders are aware of their team’s importance. This is reflected in the confidence being displayed by those who are helping drive business decisions at the C-level. On the other hand, it's also apparent that the same individuals are struggling with the lack of resources and investing in the most strategic projects. So with that context in mind, here are four notable trends that will drive recruiting this year:

1. Talent Acquisition

More than 75% of recently surveyed recruiters said that talent is the top priority at their company. Even though recruiting departments aren't responsible for creating innovative products or driving revenue, leaders across a broad spectrum of industries recognize the importance of what recruiting does.

2. Busier Than Ever

Because organizations of all sizes are placing more weight on recruiting, these teams will be busier than ever. The majority of recruiting departments that have been recently surveyed expect to hire even more people in 2017 than they did last year. In terms of what positions will be the focus of these hiring efforts, engineering, operations and sales talent are at the top of the list.

3. Branding Gets a Bigger Budget Share

One of the best ways to really understand how recruiting teams are thinking and what changes they're planning to make is to analyze their budgets. Currently, teams spend more than half of their budget on recruitment agencies and job boards. The next biggest area of spending is on technology. This type of technology is used to automate workflows and improve operations by creating leverage in other areas.

Another interesting topic in this area is that employee referrals continue to be a top source of quality hires. However, most teams put very little of their budget towards referral programs. A similarly notable data point and trend indicator is teams said their top pick for any spending involving long-term strategic plays would be on employer branding.

4. Data and Diversity

Two more issues that will play a key role in recruiting throughout the upcoming year are data and diversity. With data, the spread of big data means the focus is no longer so much on being able to collect data in an efficient way. Instead, those tasked with hiring are looking for solutions to take all the data they're already collecting and use it in smart ways to optimize hiring choices.

A big part of optimizing hiring choices is ensuring potentially great employees aren't accidentally filtered out during this process. That ties into an emphasis on diversity, which study after study has confirmed to be highly beneficial for workplaces.