How will the Coronavirus affect the recruitment industry?

The coronavirus continues to spread across the UK, causing chaos and confusion to families, communities, businesses and employment.

How is the Coronavirus impacting the recruitment industry?

For many organisations, the global pandemic has brought recruiting new talent to a halt. The UK lockdown has been extended for a minimum of three additional weeks and with very little light at the end of the tunnel, businesses prepare for the possibilities of job losses, implementation of the furlough scheme and hiring freezes.

As most businesses promote that ‘it’s business as usual’, there is no hiding from the fact that most UK businesses will incur some type of cost from the outbreak. Therefore, the majority of organisations will most likely freeze all non-essential role hiring.

Are some organisations still recruiting?

In some circumstances businesses will continue to recruit and will need to do so in order to maintain a positive status. Some industries, although operating slightly differently, remain consistent, so consequently, businesses within these industries may continue to recruit albeit on a temporary basis. Industries such as supermarkets, delivery drivers and carers have seen a sharp rise in recruiting short-term/temporary staff during the UK lockdown. At the end of March, supermarket giant Tesco announced that it would be recruiting 20,000 people across the UK in order to cope with high demand. Direct competitor, Morrisons, has also planned to create 3,500 new jobs and expand their home delivery operation.

Workforces may decrease due to noticeably more employees taking sick leave during the peak of the global pandemic. The organisations affected may need to recruit new employees in order to sustain their workforce. For some businesses, the financial fall-out and repercussions may be noticeable imminently but for others it may be longer term in which their recruitment needs shift.

How are organisations carrying out the recruitment process during the lockdown?

For the organisations continuing to recruit, Absolute Personnel have seen an increase in the amount of virtual methods used to recruit new staff. It is important to ensure all virtual interviews are carried out professionally and effectively, allowing businesses to extend their talent search and find quality candidates who are suitable for the job role. For more information, Absolute Personnel have written a detailed blog on how to conduct effective video or virtual interviews: https://www.absolutepersonnel.co.uk/how-to-conduct-effective-video-or-virtual-interviews/.

Will there be employment opportunities once the lockdown is lifted?

The outbreak of the coronavirus has led to businesses migrating to remote working, meaning that video interviews are a necessity. Not only are virtual interviews necessary, they are more convenient for employers and could impact the way in which recruiters hire in the future. All businesses have been adapting to the new ways of working as a result of the Coronavirus. Will these recruiting trends continue, and change the recruitment process for the better, once the UK returns to a state on normality?