As the demand for talent gains back momentum, it is bound to put pressure on talent acquisition teams and staffing agencies. It’s vital to understand the key trends that will shape the hiring processes in 2021 and plan to adapt to these changes.

The year 2020 has been nothing like anyone expected. Across the globe, the pandemic disrupted our personal and professional lives deeply. While the world still waits for a vaccine and healthcare remains the focus, the business world seems to have picked up momentum after the initial slowdown.

Organizations are now looking forward to embracing the ‘New Normal’. According to a survey by CareerNet Technologies, it is expected that more than 50% of organizations expect hiring to become fully active after January 2021. With the introduction of reforms by the Government of India, the IT/ITeS/ BPO industry now has the leverage to allow its employees to ‘work from home’ or ‘work from anywhere’.Companies are enabling new employees to work remotely by shipping assets and using technology-enabled collaboration and productivity tools. – The workplaces are going remote.

As the demand for talent gains back momentum, it is bound to put pressure on talent acquisition teams and staffing agencies. It’s vital to understand the key trends that will shape the hiring processes in 2021 and plan to adapt to these changes. If you are looking to optimize your hiring processes and maximize output, here are some top trends you must know:

1. Change in Working Patterns

The criteria of location for a job has become less important. It gives more options to employers to look for the right talent beyond the city, state our century.

With remote working, many organizations have clocked better output and efficiency and many employees are enjoying the flexibility of time and not having to travel daily to work.

Work from home supported by robust communication technology and clear actionable can lift physical barriers between good employers and a quality workforce. It’s boosting global hiring and helping companies to improve their deliverables to clients. Many expansion programs that were shelved due to the non-availability of the desired talent are now possible because we just realized it can all be digitized. Organizations quick in adopting the advanced HR-Tech are the biggest beneficiary of this emerging trend.

2. Data-Driven Recruitment by use of AI

Another trend that hiring professionals must keep an eye on is data-driven recruitment. With more pressure to hire the right people, both cost and time-effectively, many organizations have turned to data to help them make smarter hiring decisions; and avoid unconscious bias.

With the help of AI, the traditional hiring process will get upgraded through complete automation of employee verification and onboarding practices.

AI-powered chatbots will also become commonplace as companies begin to use them for the first phases of applicant screening before scheduling candidates for person-to-person interviews.

Furthermore, organizations now move from traditional descriptive analytics to predictive people analytics. By maximizing previous and current metrics, they can predict upcoming trends that they can utilize to improve HR and recruitment operations.

3. Complete digital experience for candidates

Technology for the Human Resource fraternity has been a key point of discussion across organizations for quite some time now. The rise of remote hiring has given a thrust to these discussions and in the coming year, HR would like to focus on a smooth digital employee experience.

HR has been using technology for payrolls, attendance, and even video interviews as a part of their process, but with changing times, HR will focus on the use of technology to provide an effortless onboarding experience. 2021 will experience a rise in the adoption of technology for paperless and contactless onboarding including employee authentication. This will help organizations mitigate the risk of hiring employees with dubious backgrounds, provide genuine employees with a great onboarding experience and employers will enjoy a quick TAT while hiring new employees.

4. Rise in Freelance and Project-based hiring

The 2020 pandemic has changed the way organisations work. Companies will move towards project-based or freelance hiring since work from home is the new normal and employers are free to hire the best of the talent across the globe. Moreover, this will also provide opportunities to domain experts in taking up projects on short-term basis. The trend is expected to continue for the entire 2021, and with improved productivity of employees working from home, who knows this can be the new normal too.

5. Focus on Retention

High attrition is never good for an organization. When an employee resigns, the employer needs to pay exit costs and benefits. Then, the company needs to invest in recruiting and training a new employee. And in difficult times, it is better to have people who know the work, company, and share its vision.

The new developments are expected to affect retention strategies of companies like employee benefits, health insurance, leave structure, and performance evaluation. An employer with a good reputation increases the chance of recruiting candidates that are looking for long-term employment.

The unprecedented crisis of Covid-19 did put Organisations under pressure and forced them to change the way they work. Employers had to ensure that their existing employees were in the right frame of mindset and ensure a smooth hiring process while onboarding new employees. The second half of 2020 has seen a rise in employment and the year 2021 will be the year where HR managers will have to relook at their hiring and onboarding policies which will be essential for a smooth transition and sustainable growth.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house