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Market trends in Human Resources
There is keen competition for candidates in several HR specialisms:
As companies recognise the importance of developing and retaining their high-flyers and senior talent, HR professionals skilled in talent management and succession planning are in great demand. There is also growing demand in HR information systems, especially to support implementations of Workday, which is still one of the most widely used HR systems.
In contrast:
Demand for mobility specialists to help manage international assignments is very low at present, while in another critical field – talent acquisition – the trend is to offer assignments of limited duration, typically a one-year contract, and to source staff through a partner agency. Overall, the pool of suitably qualified HR talent is limited. Despite this, clients are still very discerning when recruiting. In a risk-averse climate, candidates face an ever more extended recruitment process, with multiple telephone interviews, face-to-face interviews, case study work, personality tests and so on, as employers attempt to ensure the right candidate is brought on-board.
The candidate's wish-list
What are candidates’ expectations in the current market? The flexibility to work part-time or from a home office continues to be a factor in applying for and accepting a position. HR specialists also welcome having longer term projects that they can ‘own’, to complement their to-do list of generalist tasks. At more senior levels, HR professionals want to be regarded as key members of the executive team, with HR being a business partner rather than a purely administrative back-room function.
