The Russian aggression in Ukraine has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis. It has triggered the fastest forced population movement since the Second World War, as per an ILO report. Since 24 February 2022, a total of 5.23 million refugees have fled the hostilities to neighbouring countries, such as Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary and Slovakia. Meanwhile, more than than 1.48 million have moved onward to other countries.
Ukraine’s GDP is expected to suffer an enormous decline, ranging in the loss of 25 to 30% as per IMF calculations, while the World Bank estimates a loss of 45%.
The economic impact is severe. Ukraine’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to suffer an enormous decline, ranging in the loss of 25 to 30% as per IMF calculations, while the World Bank estimates a loss of 45%. “In the event of a continuing and widening protracted crisis, 90% of the population could face poverty or vulnerability to poverty a loss of 18 years of socio-economic achievements in Ukraine and a return to poverty levels last observed in 2004”, the report states.
‘30% of employment has been lost’
As a result of the crisis, the ILO estimates that around 30% of employment has been lost compared to the pre-conflict situation. Equalling a total of 4.8 million lost jobs. What happens next to Ukraine’s labour market revolves largely around what happens next. “If hostilities cease immediately, the recovery in employment could be rapid, with the return of as many as 3.4 million jobs, thus reducing the overall employment losses to 8.9%.”
In a scenario of further military escalation, employment losses would increase further to approximately 7 million, the ILO warns. “In response to these losses, the Government of Ukraine has so far made considerable efforts to keep the national social protection system operational by guaranteeing the payment of benefits. Including to internally displaced persons, through the utilisation of digital technologies to this effect.”
Impact on neighbouring countries
But it’s not just Ukraine’s labour market that is faced with unprecedented scenario’s. As many Ukrainians fled, Poland seemed a common destination. In total, the Polish labour market faces what the ILO calls the ‘largest integration challenge in sheer numbers’. “An estimated 410,000 previously employed refugees currently live in the country. Including 200,000 high-skilled, 146,000 medium-skilled and 64,000 low-skilled refugees who had been working in Ukraine before the conflict.”
The refugee population comprises more than 87% of people who were working full-time jobs, the ILO state. The great majority (88%) were employees of enterprises, and the remaining 12 per cent were self-employed. Nearly half (49%) were employed in high-skilled occupations; only 15% were in low-skilled occupations.
In Poland, it would result in the unemployment rate being raised to 5.3% (up from 3%).
A hypothetical scenario, in which the ILO added the number of refugees who were working before the conflict to the pre-crisis level of unemployment in the host countries, showcases what happens to important economic structures, such as the total unemployment rate. In Poland, it would result in the unemployment rate being raised to 5.3% (up from 3%). In Moldova, it would raise to 6.9% (up from 4.4%). Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic would all see an increase of more than 1%.
Some simply disappear when an offer comes through. Some evaporate after an initial screening call. In a scenario unbeknownst to many a couple of years ago, some candidates even vanish mid-interview. Candidate ghosting has become so common in talent acquisition procedures, that it is now the number one challenge, as cited by a Brazen and Talent Board report that surveyed hundreds of TA teams across the world.
The term was first coined in a slightly different sphere. Originating from the world of online dating, ghosting naturally occurs when someone simply disappears from an online relationship without any form of warning. A report by Indeed in February 2021 had warned of the ghosting trend evolving in TA. Amidst a global pandemic, 28% of job seekers said they had ghosted a prospective employer in the past 12 months — compared to 10% just a year before.
Ghosting a two-way street
But it wasn’t just candidates who were channeling their inner Amelia Earharts. According to Indeed, employers were guilty of ghosting too. 77% of job seekers said they had been ghosted by a prospective employer. With 10% reporting that an employer had ghosted them even after a verbal job offer was made.
Reasons for ghosting
Back to employees. At the time, the Indeed research delved into the exact reasons why job seekers decide to disappear from the recruiting process. 20% cite ‘another job offer’ as their reason why. 13% cite dissatisfaction with the offered salary. Finally, 15% simply decided it wasn’t the right job for them.
“We’ve seen jobs that do not post a salary or pay rate receive only about half the applicants compared to jobs that do.”
In a Forbes feature, Patrick O’Rahilly, CEO of manufacturing job board FactoryFix, suggested complete transparency as the primary way to reduce ghosting. “Hiring managers hold the cards too close to their chest”, he wrote. “I suggest complete transparency from the start. In fact, pay and salary rates should ideally be on the initial job posting. We’ve seen jobs that do not post a salary or pay rate receive only about half the applicants compared to jobs that do.”
Top five TA challenges
In terms of a talent attraction and sourcing challenges top five, engaging passive talent ranked second among participants, candidate diversity and application volume drop off rates ranked joint-second with 34%. Finding worthwhile sourcing channels and partners rounded off the top five with 30%.
“All five of these challenges have taken on greater levels of urgency in today’s highly competitive talent market.”
“While candidate ghosting/accepting other offers is a relatively newer trend, the rest are perennial challenges for TA teams”, the report added. “However, all five of these challenges have taken on greater levels of urgency in today’s highly competitive talent market. Left unaddressed, they can significantly erode an organisation’s ability to engage qualified candidates. And advance them efficiently into the hiring process.”
Fosway Group is Europe’s common number one HR industry analyst. Founded in 1996, Fosway Group works with Europe’s leading enterprises across every sector. They provide advisory and research support to organisations including HSBC, PwC, Shell, Vodafone, among others. With their 9-Grid, which has continually evolved since 2008, they provide a unique talent systems market analysis model that is used to understand the relative position of solutions and providers.
On the 9-Grid, all major European solutions are compared on several dimensions.
What makes Fosway’s 9-Grid unique is that it showcases the areas where certain solutions excel — and makes comparing them an awful lot easier. On the 9-Grid, all major European solutions are compared on several dimensions. It allows organisations to compare different solutions on five different variables: Performance, potential, market presence, total cost of ownership and future trajectories.
‘Talent acquisition is a red-hot market’
“Our research finds talent acquisition to be a red-hot market right now”, said David Wilson, CEO of Fosway Group. “Organisations face huge recruitment challenges, and it is great to see the innovation on offer from vendors to help buyers overcome these challenges. That said, this is a very busy, and rapidly evolving, marketplace. The onus is on buyers to really understand how to build an effective TA ecosystem that delivers real value and impact.”
Source: Fosway Group
Strategic leaders are being born
In the 2022 Fosway 9-Grid, we can see new strategic leaders being born. As little as two years ago, the grid did not showcase a single strategic leader within the talent acquisition systems market. Last year’s version saw Avature, SmartRecruiters and Phenom being promoted to strategic leaders. In 2022, two more have been added to the list: iCIMS and VONQ. Two companies that were viewed as potential leaders in the 2021 edition have also graduated into becoming strategic challengers: SAP and Symphony Talent.
#1: Avature
Avature is a pioneer of CRM technology for recruiting. The company is a highly-configurable enterprise SaaS platform for talent acquisition and talent management. Avature aims to empower the leading-edge HR strategies of over 650 enterprise-level customers, including 110 of Fortune 500 companies and 28 of the Forbes Global 100 companies.
Founded: 2005 CEO: Dimitri Boylan
#2: iCIMS
iCIMS is the talent cloud company that aims to empower organisations to attract, engage, hire, and advance the right talent that builds a diverse, winning workforce. iCIMS aims to accelerate transformation for a community of approximately 4,300 customers, including 40% of the Fortune 100.
Founded: 2000 CEO: Steve Lucas
#3: Phenom
Phenom’s Phenom Talent Experience Management (TXM) platform aims to transform the talent journey from interested candidates to thriving employees to enthusiastic brand advocates. Their TXM platform provides companies with a single-platform solution for Career Sites, CRM, CMS, Chatbot, SMS, Internal Mobility & Referrals, University Recruiting, Talent Analytics, and AI.
Founded: 2010 CEO: Mahe Bayireddi
#4: SmartRecruiters
SmartRecruiters’ Talent Acquisition Suite is used by high-performance organisations for making the best hires. It has full functionality for recruitment marketing and collaborative hiring built on a modern cloud platform with an open marketplace for third-party recruitment services.
Founded: 2010 CEO: Jerome Ternynck
#5: VONQ
VONQ is an expert in smart recruitment marketing. With the help of an advanced job marketing technology and smart employer branding solutions, VONQ aims to empower recruiters to turn active and passive target groups into qualified applicants.
The term ‘knowledge worker’ was first brought into existence by author Peter Drucker in his 1959 book The Landmarks of Tomorrow. Drucker defined knowledge workers as ‘high-level workers’ who apply theoretical and analytical knowledge to develop products and services. At the time, Drucker thought knowledge workers were destined as one of the most valuable assets of any 21st century organisation due to their high levels of creativity and productivity.
“A knowledge worker is someone who can learn and adapt to a shifting workplace.”
It turns out Drucker was right. In early 2020, Sébastien Ricard, Co-Founder and CEO of LumApps dubbed it ‘the year of the knowledge worker’ in a Forbes feature, describing them as people who ‘think’ for a living rather than performing physical tasks. “Knowledge workers use high-level communication skills to work independently and collaboratively in order to accomplish complex tasks, usually by using the latest technology. Most notably, a knowledge worker is someone who can learn and adapt to a shifting workplace.”
The international recruitment trend
At the risk of stating the obvious: knowledge workers haven’t been particularly easy to find in recent times. Simply put: Europe will face one of the largest talent shortages in history in coming years. Due to the vast amount of ageing within the continent, countries will struggle to find (yet alone attract) enough staff across several sectors.While some anticipate that the continent will look toward Africa to solve some of its talent issues, it is widely expected that European organisations will have to look abroad to solve shortages.
It is widely expected that European organisations will have to look abroad to solve shortages.
The Netherlands lags behind
The story in The Netherlands will likely be the same. As many companies are already struggling to attract enough staff and interested knowledge migrants, recruiting them from abroad will undoubtedly be one of its next steps. But who are they? And what drives them? That’s what a new report by Intelligence Group, European market leader in talent intelligence and Ravecruitment, a full-service ICT recruitment agency, aims to map out — in terms of their feelings, wishes and needs.
Source: Eurostat/CBS
Knowledge migrants only make up 4.2% of the entire Dutch working population.
In total, the two companies received answers from a total of 300 respondents from 60 nationalities. Surprisingly, on the basis of new research into international knowledge workers in 13 European countries, The Netherlands trails only Finland for last place. Amounting to a total number of 383.000 international knowledge workers, they only make up 4.2% of the entire Dutch working population. Luxemburg, for obvious financial banking-related reasons, ranks atop the list.
Source: Eurostat/CBS
Overall, the total number of knowledge migrants in Europe has pretty much doubled in Europe.
The total number of knowledge migrants in Europe has pretty much doubled. During 2003 and 2005, the total accumulative percentage of all 13 countries came down to 58%. In more recent years (2015 – 2018), however, that accumulative percentage has increased all the way to 115%. Of all 13 countries for which the data exists, Estonia is the sole country where the number of knowledge migrants has decreased.
‘Overall living and work experience is largely positive’
Overall, the research was able to find that knowledge migrants are pretty content with their experience in the Netherlands. 81% say they’re ‘happy’ in the Netherlands, while 73% plan to stay in the country for a longer duration of time or even permanently. Moreover, 83% say their experience of living in the Netherlands helped them grow as a person.
Knowledge migrants scored the ‘how likely are you to recommend working and living in the Netherlands’ question with an 8,3.
As far as the work goes, 90% say they have a good relationship with their colleagues. 84% say they feel included by their colleagues and 83% feel welcome overall in the organisation. The downside lies with the financial side of things, as only 60% feel satisfied about their net income. Overall though, knowledge migrants seem happy. They scored the ‘how likely are you to recommend working and living in the Netherlands’ question with an 8,3.
The differences between Non-EU and EU nationals
Finally, the report delves into differences between Non-EU and EU nationals. Naturally, the two vary quite significantly when it comes to future plans. The vast majority of Non-EU nationals (77%) indicate their intentions of applying for a Dutch citizenship in the future. However, only one-fourth (25%) of EU nationals see any reason for it — likely due to their EU status. While both work and education in the country has trended to more English, knowledge migrants seem split about their intention to learn the Dutch language. While 64% of Non-EU nationals are keen to learn the language, only 43% of their EU national counterparts have any intention of learning Dutch.
Want to know more?
The full ‘Highly Skilled Migrant Research 2022’ report by Intelligence Group and Ravecruitment is available through Nadina Bricic (Intelligence Group), Rob van Elburg or Delijah Waccary (Ravecruitment).
Active jobseekers in France very much rely on search engines, research from labour market data company Intelligence Group shows. Their 2022 study on the France’s most-used orientation channels shows that search engines (30.8%) rank highest. France has upheld some of its traditional job-searching methods, the research also illustrates. Window and in-store advertisements (30.1%) are the country’s second most-used orientation channel. Job sites (27.4%) round off the top three.
Ranking
Orientation channel
2020
2021
1.
Search engines
33,5%
30,8%
2.
Window, in-store ads
32,6%
30,1%
3.
Job sites/job boards
29,4%
27,5%
4.
Network/referrals
29,2%
27,2%
5.
Company sites
27,1%
26,1%
6.
Social media
26,0%
25,5%
7.
Uploading CV in job site database
21,7%
20,9%
8.
Application apps
21,5%
20,1%
9.
Internal job ads
19,5%
19,7%
10.
Open application
19,0%
17,9%
Source: Intelligence Group
Indeed leads, LinkedIn and Monster follow
As far as where active job seekers look, Intelligence Group research found that Indeed is the absolute number one job board in the France. Similar to results in the United Kingdom, Indeed is named by approximately 68,4% of active job seekers in France. In a job board related context, to come up with any sort of ranking, international labour market research and data company Intelligence Group poses a relatively simple question: ‘which job board and/or social media would you use to search for a job?’.
LinkedIn(21,9%)ranks second on the list. Monster (11.4%) comes in third. The rest of the top 10 is closely knitted together. Apec (9,1%) is the nation’s fourth-favourite job board. Leboncoin (9%) is fifth. Cadremploi (6,7%) is sixth. Meteojob (5,9%) is seventh. Manpower (3,2%) is eighth. Adecco (2,6%) is ninth. Hellowork (2,4%) rounds off the top 10.
1. Indeed
Launched in 2004, Indeed functions as both a job search engine and all-in-one hiring platform. It aggregates job listings from thousands of sources across the internet, including job boards, company career sites, local news sites, staffing agencies and recruiter listings.
Job seekers who named the site in France: 68,4%
2. LinkedIn
While originally (or officially) a social network, LinkedIn does in fact work as a job board in the sense that it allows free and paid options for job postings.
Job seekers who named the site in France: 21,9%
3. Monster
Monsteris a global employment website owned and operated by Monster Worldwide, Inc. It was created in 1999 through the merger of The Monster Board (TMB) and Online Career Center (OCC). It offers the option to browse jobs and career advice for candidates, while helping organisations find and attract candidates through their employer products.
Job seekers who named the site in France: 11,4%
4. Apec
Apec is the nation’s official job board for executive search. It offers its servies to both recruiters and jobseekers in the hope of improving employment as a whole.
Job seekers who named the site in France: 9,1%
5. Leboncoin
Leboncoin is a bit of an odd one on this list, as it would be France’s version of eBay. But due to its popularity as a whole, it is quite commonly used by both companies, recruiters and job seekers for job search.
Job seekers who named the site in France: 9%
6. Cadremploi
Cadremploi is France’s first private job board for executives and management positions. The job board was launched in 1996. Their close collaboration with national and local press results in permanent communications activities on TV, on the radio, in the press and on the web through their new web TV show.
Job seekers who named the site in France: 8,9%
7. CleverConnect (formerly Meteojob)
CleverConnect, formerly known as Meteojob, is a generalist jobboard. The company provides a full web application to publish jobs, and subsequently matches them with profiles using algorithms and process applications.
Job seekers who named the site in France: 5,9%
8. Manpower
Not one of the typical job boards on the list, ManpowerGroup is a leading company in workforce solutions. ManpowerGroup serves both large and small organisations across all industry sectors through various brands and offerings: Manpower, Experis and Talent Solutions.
Job seekers who named the site in France: 3,2%
9. Adecco
Less of a job board, more of an agency for organisations looking for a strategic collaboration built around work. Adecco Group offers workforce, talent and technology solutions. Its primary service, Adecco, is all about flexible work solutions.
Job seekers who named the site in France: 2,6%
10. HelloWork (formerly Regionsjob)
The work of HelloWork, formerly known as RegionsJob, is spread across several regional job sites. It is all about proximity, through which it hopes to make it easier for job seekers to find work close to home.
Europe has long been known for its engagement issues. In 2021, Gallup research measured engagement numbers which showed that Western Europe has the worst employee engagement levels in the entire world. Among European countries, Iceland, Malta and Denmark were the only ones to score the worldwide median of 20%. Every other country, ranging from Sweden to France, from Belgium to Spain, scored below the median.
The People Unboxed Report depicts a near equal divide in reasons why people want to go to work.
Now ADP, in partnership with Circle Research, conducted an online survey into the state of happiness and satisfaction at work today. In an attempt to understand engagement as a whole, The People Unboxed Reportdepicts a near equal divide in reasons why people want to go to work. The survey was completed by more than 2,500 people across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK.
The equal divide
While motivators always vary greatly from person to person, getting ‘motivation’ down to a basic reason to go to work can be particularly helpful in business and recruiting strategies. “One of the first things you’ll notice is the clear divide between financial and non-financial motivators”, the research states. “As many as 51% of respondents go to work to pay for things they need and want. While 48% primarily go to work for more personal reasons. Like personal development, personal fulfilment, or happiness.”
Source: ADP
‘Leaders still have a long way to go’
Positive relationships with colleagues generally go a long way toward employees being happy at work. ADP’s survey estimates that 69% of employees have a positive relationship with their employees. “Whether that’s higher or lower than you expected, one thing is clear: great colleague relationships lead to great work and engagement.”
A staggering 46% feel their employer does not understand them or their potential.
But having a good relationship with colleagues can only get you so far as an organisation. The onus is, and always will be, on leadership to make the difference. ADP’s survey found that 65% of people feel that leaders support them. But 10% state have no faith in their leadership at all. Moreover, a staggering 46% feel their employer does not understand them or their potential.
“Practically, there is a big difference between someone who takes a false sick day every few months, and someone who is truly disengaged.”
ADP’s research, in turn, delves into how those who are truly thinking of leaving can be separated from employees who may just have a bad week. “Practically, there is a big difference between someone who takes a false sick day every few months, and someone who is truly disengaged. Our survey found that 21% of people think it’s acceptable to take a sick day just to be away from work once a year. But not all of those people are truly disengaged or in need of HR intervention.”
“Our survey confirmed a major link between financial reward and thoughts about quitting.”
But when an employee takes multiple sick days, dispersed throughout the year — and shows a lack of satisfaction with current levels of financial reward, then that person becomes a true flight risk. “If you can’t identify who they are, and what’s causing their dissatisfaction, you’ll be powerless to keep hold of them long-term or keep them productive. Finally, our survey confirmed a major link between financial reward and thoughts about quitting.”
2022, by all means, looks destined to be the year of the freelancer. After all, 71% of human capital and C-Suite leaders plan to shift roles to contingent, project or contract. As freelancers slowly gain more of an important role in organisational context, that notion seems true for most European countries except for one: Germany.
Germany is projected to have a continent-leading worker gap of 7 million by 2050.
To understand Germany’s labour market, look no further than its current statistics on ageing. Germany is projected to have a continent-leading worker gap of 7 million by 2050, according to CGDEV and United Nations studies. While labour shortages, or worker gaps, will be a common denominator in Europe’s labour markets, Germany’s version comes paired with another worrisome trend.
The number of freelancers in Germany is dropping rapidly
As its neighbouring countries look to make things easier for freelancers, Germany lags behind. In 2011, France introduced a new, simplified system with which freelancers were able to get a registration number in less than 48 hours. Germany, meanwhile, stuck to its own labour law called the Scheinselbstständigkeit.Which translates to false, or bogus self-employment.
The Scheinselbstständigkeit, often referred to as a ‘monster law’, aims to ensure no false self-employment occurs. German tax authorities take the law very seriously as a form of social security fraud — and the law has subsequently resulted in the total number of freelancers in Germany dropping rapidly. According to Eurostat, Germany’s total number of self-employed workers has decreased by 16.8% over the past 10 years. France, meanwhile, has seen a 16% increase.
‘The law encourages freelancers to work from beyond Germany’s borders’
Now Germany’s new government appears to have pivoted through the introduction of a new law. But on the outset, the new regulation on the inquiry proceeding of freelancers (Statusfestellungsverfahren) once more appears to be too complex, the German Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo Deutschland) warns. “While the aim is to have a reliable status determination procedure that provides legal certainty for all parties involved in the contract, this is unlikely to be the case in many instances”, said André Sola, Managing Director of APSCo Deutschland.
“The law only applies to where the work is conducted, encouraging freelancers to work from beyond Germany’s borders.”
Sola sees several issues with the regulation, including the lack of viable digital processes which slows down any determination timeframe. But one of his key concerns is that the changes encourage freelancers to work from beyond German borders. “The law only applies to where the work is conducted, encouraging freelancers to work from beyond Germany’s borders. We are working with policy makers to ensure the regulation is amended further to ensure freelance compliance law is more straightforward. And supports the creation of a dynamic workforce.”
‘Independent freelancers should be defines as business-to-business’
Under current legislation, freelancers in Germany are viewed as dependent employees who provide personal service under direction and control. According to Tania Bowers, Global Public Policy Director at APSCo, that should be changed. “Independent freelancers should be defined as business to business, as opposed to dependent employees who provide personal service under direction and control”, she said.
“We believe that citizenship laws and skilled immigration legislation need to be modernised to support wider skills attraction.”
Finally, APSCo has called on policy makers to simplify the recognition process of foreign qualifications and professional registrations. “We believe that citizenship laws and skilled immigration legislation need to be modernised to support wider skills attraction. Where talent can’t be brought in to fill skills gaps, federal and state investment needs to be channelled to support educational, training and employer led programmes to build the technical skills needed to meet the challenges of the 4th industrial revolution.”
Job boards are still the place to be if you’re looking for a job, research conducted by labour market data company Intelligence Group shows. Their 2022 study on the United Kingdom’s most-used orientation channels shows that job boards (41.2%) are still very much the top dog. Search engines rank second (41.0%) among orientation channels, while career sites (35.2%) round off the top three. Remarkably, newspapers, which rarely still have a place as a job orientation channel in other countries, still ranks tenth in the UK.
Indeed ranks supreme, LinkedIn and Reed follow
As far as where active job seekers look, Intelligence Group research found that Indeed is the absolute number one job board in the UK — as it is for quite a few European countries. With a market share of approximately 77.5%, nearly 8 in every 10 active jobseekers named Indeed as their favourite job board. Intelligence Group is one of Europe’s leading recruitment and labour market data collectors. In total, they amass thousands of respondents every year.
To come up with any sort of ranking, they ask a relatively simple question: ‘which job board and/or social media would you use to search for a job?’
In a job board related context, to come up with any sort of ranking, they ask a relatively simple question: ‘which job board and/or social media would you use to search for a job?’ LinkedIn (15%)ranks second on the list among active job seekers. Reed (11.3%) gets the bronze prize, coming in third. Not far behind in fourth place came Totaljobs (11%). In fifth place: CV-library (9.6%). Monster (8.9%) finished sixth, while Glassdoor (5.7%), Fish4Jobs (2.2%), CharityJob (1.5%) and Hays (1.4%) round off the full top 10.
1. Indeed
Launched in 2004, Indeed functions as both a job search engine and all-in-one hiring platform. It aggregates job listings from thousands of sources across the internet, including job boards, company career sites, local news sites, staffing agencies and recruiter listings.
Job seekers who named the site in UK: 77.5%
2. LinkedIn
While originally (or officially) a social network, LinkedIn does in fact work as a job board in the sense that it allows free and paid options for job postings.
Job seekers who named the site in UK: 15%
3. Reed.co.uk
Reed prides itself on its extremely large database with more than 250,000 vacancies promoted to its more than 1.7 million users. Founded in 1995, Reed.co.uk was the first online employment site in the UK. It is, in essence, a true career marketplace — offering jobs, courses and career advice.
Job seekers who named the site in UK: 11.3%
4. Totaljobs
Totaljobs offers employers of all shapes and sizes access to the Totaljobs network. With a mix of generalist and specialist job boards, it aims to cross the breadth and depth of the UK workforce. Founded in 1999, it describes itself as the leading tech job board for the UK.
Job seekers who named the site in UK: 11.3%
5. CV-library
Founded in 2000, and with the BBC as one of its first clients, CV-Library aims to make true on their goal to make it quick and easy for companies to connect with the right candidates. It is said to have approximately 17+ million unique CV’s in its database, and 9K+ companies relying on their service.
Job seekers who named the site in UK: 9.6%
6. Monster
Monsteris a global employment website owned and operated by Monster Worldwide, Inc. It was created in 1999 through the merger of The Monster Board (TMB) and Online Career Center (OCC). It offers the option to browse jobs and career advice for candidates, while helping organisations find and attract candidates through their employer products.
Job seekers who named the site in UK: 8.9%
7. Glassdoor
Glassdoor has built its business on a different premise than most of the others on this list: increasing workplace transparency. The company offers insights into the employee experience powered by millions of company ratings and reviews, CEO approval ratings, salary reports, interview reviews and questions, benefits reviews, office photos and more, combined with the latest jobs.
Job seekers who named the site in UK: 5.7%
8. Fish4
Fish4 specialises in matching candidates with local jobs. As the official website of Reach Plc’s network of regional and national news brands including the Daily Mirror, the Liverpool Echo, the Birmingham Mail and more, they offer jobs that seemingly aren’t on offer anywhere else.
Job seekers who named the site in UK:2.2%
9. CharityJob
CharityJob connects not-for-profit organisations with candidates in the charity sector. Founded in 1999, CharityJob has already served approximately 18,000 not-for-profit organisations.
Job seekers who named the site in UK: 1.5%
10. Hays
Not quite a job board — though clearly still used by some as such — Hays is a leading global specialist recruitment group. They are experts in recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people across a wide range of specialised industries and professions.
When Garrett Lord, Ben Christensen and Scott Ringwelski founded Handshake in 2013 — they initially did it to help close the ‘glaring inequality’ in career opportunities for students. Rather than basing job opportunities on who you knew, they aimed to base it on what you know. Nearly ten years later, their company has become a platform for 9 million plus active users. Approximately 650k employers and 1,400 universities have also signed up as official partners of the Handshake network.
“We wanted to solve the job problem by building a platform that helps all students receive the same level of opportunities as if they were to go to one of the Ivy League schools.”
All in all, their idea has rapidly grown into a company valued at $3.5 billion, after successful funding rounds in the summer of 2021 and in early 2022. “We realised that the hiring market is just not fair at all”, co-founder Garrett Lord told Forbes. “We wanted to solve the job problem by building a platform that helps all students receive the same level of opportunities as if they were to go to one of the Ivy League schools.”
Spreading their wings
In 2020, Handshake had already spread its wings to Europe, where it opened its UK headquarters. The company has since partnered with several prestigious UK universities, such as the University of Cambridge and the University of Liverpool. “They’ve been a tremendously valuable partner”, said David Ainscough, Deputy Director, University of Cambridge Careers Service. “Support, positive influence, encouragement, reliability, all of those words can genuinely be applied to the Handshake team.”
Aiming for continental Europe
Now Handshake is aiming for bigger and better things, through its first acquisition ever: Talentspace, a German-based European platform for managing career fairs, both online and in-person. The company was founded in 2017 by Jason Reich, Marco Eylert and Markus Duecker, after the trio had grown frustrated with their own job hunting experiences. So they had a simple aim: improve the recruiting experience and make opportunities accessible for everyone. Today, Talentspace has approximately 200 thousand users.
“Together, we can help job seekers build relationships with employers and skills that translate to better career outcomes and economic mobility.”
“As Handshake’s first-ever acquisition, Talentspace will strengthen our suite of virtual event offerings and accelerate our entry beyond our UK office and into the larger continental Europe”, Garrett Lord, founder and CEO of Handshake said in a press release. “Together, we can help job seekers build relationships with employers and skills that translate to better career outcomes and economic mobility.”
Research from the Institute for the Future shows that 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t been invented yet. Skills are gradually becoming the universal language for growth and success for most organisations, as they all have the same aim to be flexible and future-proof in every sense of the word. But how do you know whether your workforce possesses the skills you require, on both a short and long-term basis?
Learning from hiring freezes
Hiring freezes typically come with a fairly negative connotation. But when the World Bank Group called upon its own version of it in 2019, the outcome wasn’t. As the organisation faced a tremendous amount of external pressure and a leadership crisis to boot, it called for a reset. Executives set a hiring freeze to get their arms around the biggest priorities and stem further losses.
When the crisis and the subsequent hiring freeze passed, the plan was to disband the marketplace. However, due to popular demand from the workforce, it was left intact.
But work still needed to be done. So the talent team put together a rudimentary, homegrown marketplace as a temporary measure to allow managers to post internal needs and employees could respond to them if they had the availability and skills necessary to do the job. When the crisis and the subsequent hiring freeze passed, the plan was to disband the marketplace. However, due to popular demand from the workforce, it was left intact.
Enthusiasm for an internal marketplace
It comes down to a simple question: why was there so much demand for an internal marketplace? Particularly when talent initiatives usually aren’t met with much enthusiasm or support. That’s a question a Lighthouse Research & Advisory study, in collaboration with Cornerstone, poses. Lighthouse conducted a study of more than 1,000 employers and thousands of workers. They also held executive interviews with talent and business leaders from around the world.
If we do not know […] how to tap into their hidden talents, we’re going to miss that opportunity to create a deep, meaningful connection with our people.”
“In multiple facets of our ongoing research efforts at Lighthouse, we see that the workforce has a clear interest in seeing their skills put to work, and an employer that acknowledges and leverages those skills creates opportunities to support and engage those employees on a regular basis. But if we do not know what those skills are, where their strengths lie, or how to tap into their hidden talents, we’re going to miss that opportunity to create a deep, meaningful connection with our people.”
‘An entire universe of skills’
That’s where skill intelligence comes in, Lighthouse and Cornerstone say. “One of the biggest challenges facing leaders today is the ability to effectively gather and utilise skills data in order to understand, develop, and provision talent to dynamically meet the needs of the organisation”, the report states. “Organisations might consider asking employees directly. When considering the wide variety of different responses that might exist, you begin to realise an entire universe of skills exists.”
Through the right application of machine learning and AI tech, employers have the opportunity to not just track skills — but to use it as a foundation of action-oriented talent practices, the report states. “A clear theme has emerged for our team that indicates the best way to share and explore a new type of technology is to associate it with real, existing problems that it can solve. That takes the conversation from theoretical and abstract to concrete and tangible.”
“Our research indicates that workers, management teams, and executive leaders are all struggling with how to adapt and respond to the fast-paced environment that exists today.”
The tangible aspect, in this instance, being the notion that AI can help upskill and reskill entire workforces in a more efficient way. “Our research indicates that workers, management teams, and executive leaders are all struggling with how to adapt and respond to the fast-paced environment that exists today. But the data also indicate that this must be a shared responsibility in order to succeed.”
Three musts for skill intelligence
Lighthouse and Cornerstone see three common denominators of a potentially successful working environment. “The workforce must be able to share not only their skills, but their aspirations and interests as well”, they say. “One piece of research we gathered in the last 24 months showed that when learners can indicate their interests and preferences, they are more likely to participate in training and consume learning content.”
“Evidence indicates that managers are responsible for the vast majority of a person’s satisfaction on the job.”
The second emphasis lies with managers. “Managers have to not only be open to conversations about worker skills and mobility, but they must champion this concept. Evidence indicates that managers are responsible for the vast majority of a person’s satisfaction on the job. Playing a more supportive, coaching role can drive better skill outcomes and engagement as well.” Thirdly, business leaders are called upon to take charge of creating and sharing a culture of skill-based growth. “This kind of culture is not only more fair and equitable. It also helps to build a tangible vision for where the organisation is headed. And what skills are necessary to get there.”
The European Space Agency (ESA) was born in 1975 when Western Europe’s two space agencies, ELDO (European Launcher Development Organisation) and ESRO (European Space Research Organisation), merged. ESA has a unique setup. It represents 22 member states, 3 associate states and 1 cooperating state. Which makes it the world’s only true international space agency and the only one operating for purely peaceful purposes.
“Even though we draw parallels to NASA for obvious reasons — the way we operate is more like the European Union itself.”
But it’s not just astronauts ESA is after. With a workforce of roughly 2500, and only 7 active astronauts, ESA is quite literally recruiting across all sectors. The European Space Agency’s position within Europe’s labour market is an interesting phenomenon. “We’re in a pretty unique role”, Lucy van der Tas, ESA’s head of TA, tells ToTalent in an exclusive interview. “We’re not a multinational, nor are we a commercial organisation. Even though we draw parallels to NASA for obvious reasons — the way we operate is more like the European Union itself. I see European cooperation at its very best on a daily basis.”
ESA’s recruitment is diverse by nature — as it recruits, partly mandatory, in every single member, associate and cooperating state.
ESA’s recruitment is diverse by nature — as it recruits, partly mandatory, in every single member, associate and cooperating state. Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK — all as ESA Member States. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia are listed as Associate Members with Slovakia in the final stages of obtaining Associate Membership. Finally, Canada is listed as a Cooperating State.
The first ever Head of TA
Lucy van der Tas
After spending 30+ years in the organisation’s HR department and the last 10 years as a recruiter, Lucy van der Tas became the European Space Agency’s first-ever Talent Acquisition leader in October 2020. “Of course we were doing talent acquisition in all those years prior, but we called it HR marketing. Job fairs, advertising, that sort of thing. Then we decided to pull it together to become more strategic and focus on the areas we needed to develop further.”
“If you are able to identify good candidates up front, then as soon as a vacancy is identified, you can plug that person into the process.”
“Part of it is finding the people with the right technical competencies. Some of which are very new, while also ensuring that all member states are represented across the organisation”, Van der Tas says. “But I think the biggest thing for the TA side of things is the time-to-hire. I think that’s where talent acquisition can have its biggest impact. If you are able to identify good candidates up front, then as soon as a vacancy is identified, you can plug that person into the process.”
Six behavioural competencies for recruitment
ESA has defined its key principles of recruitment as fivefold. 1: to employ highly qualified staff to enable ESA to achieve its objectives and deliver outstanding results for the Agency. 2: to give primary consideration to qualifications, knowledge, skills and personal qualities, including the capacity to adapt and evolve over the longer term. 3: to ensure that all staffing decisions are fair, equitable and transparent. 4: to give due weight to diversity. 5: to consider the short-term need for flexibility and internal mobility without losing sight of possible long-term requirements for organisational change and the development of career potential.
“You can be the most brilliant speaker, but if you don’t know the subject you’re not going to provide much value.”
Moreover, ESA’s recruitment relies on six behavioural competencies: result orientation, operational efficiency, fostering cooperation, relationship management, continuous improvement and forward-thinking. “For us, most of it relies on recruiting for the technical competency first and then we look at the soft skills”, Van der Tas adds. “You can be the most brilliant speaker, but if you don’t know the subject you’re not going to provide much value.”
‘Riding the wave of the astronaut selection’
Following the announcement of ESA’s latest astronaut selection last year, recent applications have, unsurprisingly, been very astronaut-heavy. And as a whole, ESA hasn’t been short of applicants. “We had roughly 23.000 applications to become an astronaut for ESA. While we are looking for 4-6 career astronauts plus 20 on the reserve”, she says. “All together we had more than 80,000 applications last year. Which came to about a 300% increase of applications compared to the previous year. I’ve never seen a number that high before. We’re clearly riding the wave as a result of the high profile of the ongoing astronaut selection.”
“We see serial applicants who quite literally apply for everything we put out there.”
But as the number of applicants rose to unprecedented heights, Van der Tas still sees plenty of work to be done to ensure the quality of the candidates is there. “We see serial applicants who quite literally apply for everything we put out there”, she says. “Some positions are more attractive than others, but that’s one area we need to work on. Particularly IT roles are where we face challenges, because they largely want to work anywhere, anytime. But that’s something we simply can’t offer due to our legal and constitutional framework.”
Top of the food chain for space engineers
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for ESA to implement new remote working policies. And while Van der Tas expects a much higher portion of the organisation to work remotely than in the past, the struggle lies with the engineering side of it. “One of the biggest challenges is the need for people to relocate”, she says. “Here in the Netherlands, where roughly 60% of our workforce is located, we have state-of-the-art labs and a state-of-the-art satellite test centre. These aren’t things you can do remotely.”
“For many space engineers, ESA is the end goal. From that point-of-view, we really are the top of the food chain.”
While relocation may be an issue for some roles, ESA generally hasn’t encountered stiff competition for space engineers. “In the ten years that I’ve recruited for ESA, I recruited primarily space engineers. For them, ESA is the end goal. From that point-of-view, we really are the top of the food chain and .our people typically find the work extremely motivating. It’s the non-space engineering, such as IT, and some science jobs where we need to raise the profile of ESA as being somewhere people can apply. And as many of our member states are faced with a diminishing engineering talent pool, ESA will need to cast its net wider, beyond the space engineering community.”
‘By 2030, we expect 44% of our workforce to retire’
As organisations across all sectors face stiff competition for talent, ESA’s challenges revolve around an ongoing retirement wave. “Between 2020 until 2030, we expect roughly 44% of our workforce to retire”, Van der Tas says. “We’ve known it for some time, and have emphasised knowledge management and transfer. The implementation of a TA role was one of the concrete actions based on this issue.”
“ESA currently can’t recruit from outside its European member states, but there is lots of expertise in India and China.”
As many European organisations face a similar fate in terms of a widespread talent shortage, it may force them to look across European boarders. “I’d say it’s true for most European industries as a whole”, Van der Tas says. “I’d be interested to see what happens with recruitment from outside the EU, and new member states. ESA currently can’t recruit from outside its European member states, but there is lots of expertise in India and China.”
“If Europe doesn’t have the numbers, or can’t generate the financial benefit it needs, we have to rethink what we do and how we do it.”
“European industry as a whole may need to look at new sources as many countries are struggling to find sufficient STEM talent. Birth rates have gone down in European countries while many Chinese or Indian students study at European universities. We listen, we hear the demographic challenges and look at our own challenges. If Europe as a whole doesn’t have the numbers, or it can’t generate the financial benefit it needs to, we have to rethink what we do and how we do it.”
New and earlier outreach programs
To combat the retirement wave, ESA has extended its current entry level and young graduate programs. This has led to the creation of a new junior professional program. Where those who are selected are given three-year contracts, a tailor-made development program and permanent job at the end of it. “We had a focus on new competencies we needed, like quantum, AI and cybersecurity. I think it will bring us a lot of good moving forward.”
“Our new junior professional program will bring us a lot of good moving forward.”
But Van der Tas is aware of the role ESA’s education program can play in getting young people interested in careers at ESA. “Our education office does a lot of outreach in schools”, she says. “The talent acquisition process usually starts at a student level, at universities. But we also know that people’s choices of study and the direction they go in starts much earlier. And, even though many people may be interested in becoming an astronaut, the chances to make it through the selection process are very small. I hope they will remember that we still have a lot of other great jobs on offer for them.”
This interview with Lucy van der Tas, Head of Talent Acquisition at the European Space Agency (ESA), is part of an in-depth interview series with talent leaders of some of Europe’s leading organisations. Subscribe to our newsletter for more exclusive interviews.
The research found that only only 1 in 4 employers design jobs with clear opportunities for skill development and variety, to attract and retain talent.
Despite the urgency on every recruiter’s part, something’s still amiss in the way businesses act on worker shortages. The research found that only only 1 in 4 employers design jobs with clear opportunities for skill development and variety, to attract and retain talent. Meanwhile, only 11% of companies promote a culture of internal mobility. Finally, only 8% actively recruit from under-represented groups.
The end of ‘post and pray’
Based on dozens of interviews and following over 600 responses from HR professionals around the world, the research found that over-reliance on old-style job posting, advertising, and traditional interviewing are among the least impactful recruitment practices in today’s competitive labor market.
“In industries like healthcare, retail, hospitality, and distribution, hiring has almost become a source of operational crisis.”
“This research shows that traditional ‘post and pray’ recruitment simply no longer works”, Bersin added in a press statement. “Job seekers are very discriminating, forcing employers to totally rethink their game. And in industries like healthcare, retail, hospitality, and distribution, hiring has almost become a source of operational crisis.”
‘For every ten new jobs created, only six are getting filled’
The study is naturally centred around the United States — who seem to be the frontrunners when it comes to a widespread scarcity of talent. The ‘Fill Rate’, as calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, illustrates the percentage of jobs filled versus the total amount of jobs posted. That number is at an all-time low. “For every ten new jobs created, only six are getting filled”, Bersin adds.
Five practical solutions for TA success
When things go wrong, there’s also usually a right to delve into. The report found that companies that have pivoted their recruitment strategies to a ‘total employment value proposition’, subsequently become high-performing. “It’s based on support for better internal mobility, training and supporting recruiters, and use of the most modern HR technology to hire and grow”, the report states. In total, the research identified five practical solutions for TA success.
#1: A holistic, appealing, and authentic employer brand
“A complete and integrated EVP (Employee Value Proposition) should be the number one area of focus for TA success”, the research states. “When the company’s employment brand is strong, candidates feel a sense of purpose, and the organisation listens to its workforce, companies are: 5.4 times more likely to exceed financial targets, 6.1 times more likely to delight customers, and 7.4 times more likely to innovate effectively.”
#2: Focus on the expertise of recruiters.
“The second secret of effective TA today is to focus on recruiters”, it adds. “Companies must find and support expert recruiters, train the recruiting team, and connect the recruiters to the entire HR strategy. Companies that invest in their recruiting team are 3.9 times more likely to be leaders in innovation, and 4.5 times more likely to achieve high levels of customer retention. Recruiters are now among the most valued roles in business.
#3: Recruit internally as well as externally
“Internal mobility strategies, including temporary roles, project work, rotational assignments, and mentoring should all be included within the recruitment process”, the research states. “When companies encourage a culture of movement and growth, they are 3.7 times more likely to see innovation rise. And nearly 5 times more likely to be recognised as a great place to work.”
#4: Focus on a wide range of capabilities, not just technical skills
“The data shows that companies need to put skills and capabilities at the absolute center of their talent acquisition strategy. Technical skills are not enough. The study shows that when companies hire for behavioural skills in addition to technical expertise, there’s a notable performance improvement. Companies bringing these capabilities into their workforce are 5.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders.”
#5: Invest in modern recruiting technology
“Technology is key to recruiting success. Companies that employ AI throughout their recruitment processes are 4 times more likely to boast a strong candidate pipeline. Those who leverage a variety of digital-hiring solutions, such as online assessments, virtual interview platforms, and pre-hire chatbots, are twice as likely to attract and recruit the right talent.”
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