Swiping right or left: where have all the ‘Tinders of the job market’ gone?

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Yes, it’s how the media works. And, of course, we play our own part in it: spotting trends, drawing parallels, seeking analogies, looking for success formulas to be copied from other industries. As Uber and AirBnB revolutionised the driving and hotel industries respectively, the idea of meeting any form of significant other at a party swiftly disappeared due to the rise of Tinder. And as is the case for many societal trends, recruitment and HR surely couldn’t be left behind. And when you think of a scenario wherein candidates and companies thrive on speed: is quick swiping for jobs really such a bad idea?

Why wouldn’t they be successful? 

After all, “The average recruiter spends 5 seconds on a CV”, as per Yarden Tadmor, who uttered those words in an interview with The Washington Post in 2014. So why shouldn’t fast job-tinders stand a chance? However, in the grand scheme of things, reality dictates that expectations have not been met. Speed is important in recruitment, but swiping for a job hasn’t lived up to the hype. 

When you take stock in 2023, it is at least clear that looking for a job is still something very different from finding a date.

It also shows how fast things can move in the world of recruitment technology. When new initiatives emerge, the media — and we’re guilty of this ourselves — often queue up and hear the most beautiful scenarios, and it is hard not to let yourself get carried away with the hype. But when’s the last time you read an article about an app launch, versus an article about an app that has slowly ceased to exist? And so when you take stock in 2023, it is at least clear that looking for a job is still something very different from finding a date.

The 8 examples of ‘Tinders’ in the job market

But have any lived up to the hype? We must warn that it is difficult to determine exactly whether any of these apps has truly been successful or unsuccessful. However, a tentative first inventory gives the impression that they have not yet ‘disrupted’ the job market as much as Tinder has done in the dating market. We have, however gathered eight examples. Are any of them still downloaded onto your phone?

#1. Jobr

US-based Jobr was actually one of the first to describe itself as the ‘Tinder of the job market’ in 2014. The San Francisco-based company raised 2 million in growth money with their swipe option back then. But the fairy tale was short-lived, because not only did LinkedIn close the API that Jobr used, the company was also one of the first job tinders to be acquired: in 2016, by Monster. Since then, little has actually been heard of it. The technology has been integrated into the Monster platform, with the parent company also later acknowledging that the acquisition was mostly an acqui-hire.

#2. likewise.ly 

One of the youngest — and probably one of the better-known shoots on the tree of the Tinders of the job market is the so-called ‘Smart Job Dating’ app by Martijn Vermeulen. Since 2018, Likewise has helped employers find new personnel based on possible matches with company cultures. On the flip-side, it promises candidates no complicated letters or CVs, but simply swiping and liking what excites you. Certainly sounds promising, but with around 5,000 downloads, likewise.ly doesn’t quite come anywhere near the 430 million times Tinder has been downloaded globally. 

#3. JobSwipe

You can say what you like, but for the concept of job swiping, JobSwipe is as good of a name as any. After all, it promises exactly what it says on the tin: swipe for a job. But if you use the tool, and search for a job in the Netherlands, you will not come across any unique vacancies. Rather, it is filled with jobs from job boards such as Indeed and Monsterboard. As an aggregator, they may promise ‘more than 1 million vacancies’, but that’s not quite the real truth. It also then doesn’t quite make true on the idea of fast swiping is also quickly lost.

#4. JobTalk

‘Swiping’ for a new job. In 2015, it seemed to have a bright future. It’s the same year the app JobTalk came to exist. Two years later, more than 12,000 people were using the app, producing around 200 matches a month. But two mere years later, in 2019, our swiping desires had clearly vanished. After a period of 4 years of scaling up, JobTalk announced the discontinuation of its tinder-like app for the job market. “Finding a job is not a monthly activity for many”, the company stated. “As a result, the frequency with which jobseekers used the app was low. And once a job was found, the app was no longer used and often deleted.”

#5. Cocoon / CareerMatch

Another of the ‘Tinders of the job market’ that has not survived is CareerMatch, known as Cocoon as a start-up. The company started in 2014, but was acquired in 2017 by the company then known as Minescape, now known as RecruitNow. Today, the app is no longer found in the well-known app-stores, nor is the website responsive. All knowledge is now integrated in the ATS Cockpit.

#6. SelfieJobs

Sweden’s Selfiejobs was predicted to have a great future when it was launched over eight years ago. Founder Martin Tall, who already had some experience in the start-up scene, introduced an app that focused on job placement in the services and sales sector, as well as internships or jobs for students. A few keywords related to education and work experience were enough. Users — both employers and candidates — also had to upload their favourite Instagram photo or video, or take one with their smartphone. And thus the application was ready to be used. Swipe away!

When we look the company up now, its LinkedIn page now still reads: ‘The worlds fastest recruitment app! Relaunch planned for 2021.’ We somehow doubt it.

It sounded very promising — but the results were anything but. “We want to become Europe’s most popular job portal in 2018”, Tall said at the launch. But as the calendars turned to 2018, But Selfiejobs actually announced its own demise. Tall explained that the business was not making enough money and competition had become too fierce. He shifted his focus to launching security app Zfr. When we look the company up now, its LinkedIn page now still reads: ‘The worlds fastest recruitment app! Relaunch planned for 2021.’ We somehow doubt it.

#7. Switch

Back to 2015. Jobr’s biggest competitor Switch also raised $2 million and a total of $6.4 million, according to TechCrunch. But that money may not have resulted in any business results. When we tried visiting the Switch URL, you own’t find something resembling a Tinder for recruitment: you’ll find a page filled with bags and jewellery. Another link, found on the LinkedIn page, doesn’t even open at all.

Interviews from those early days are still plenty to be found, working websites unfortunately hardly at all.

So it seems Switch has suffered the same fate as other ‘Tinders of the job market’ from the early days. Similar to Jobr, Quickily and Workruit, which seem to have disappeared just as quickly as they emerged. Interviews from those early days are still plenty to be found, working websites unfortunately hardly at all. Nor are they found in Apple or Google’s app stores. Switch’s last sign of life stems from July 2021. According to LinkedIn page of the company’s founder, Yarden Tadmor, 2018 is when the company called it quits.

Marco Boomsma (Bullhorn): ‘I expect that we will soon reach 2 billion automated processes for our customers’

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Digital transformation is the top priority for recruitment agencies in the Benelux, according to a new report by Bullhorn. Bullhorn’s research, among more than 2,000 recruitment professionals in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, creates a picture of the stages of transformation in which recruitment agencies find themselves.

The full focus of agencies in the Benelux is on both talent and technology.

This makes the Benelux a unique region, Bullhorn observes. In fact, it is the only region surveyed by Bullhorn that did not list generating new clients as a top three priority; the full focus is on talent as well as technology. Digital transformation thus ranks first (39%). Improving the candidate experience (35%) at two. And candidate acquisition (27%) at three.

Benelux leading by example 

The Benelux is leading by example, says Marco Boomsma, Sales Director EMEA at Bullhorn. “This year’s research showed a strong link between business success and technology adoption by recruitment agencies, with the Benelux leading by example in both areas”, said Marco Boomsma, Sales Director EMEA at Bullhorn. “In today’s challenging economy and job market, it remains difficult to find top quality talent, but by applying best practices to actually involve talent in the recruitment process, agencies will be able to achieve success.”

But what makes the Benelux stand out? “Innovations are picked up relatively quickly in this part of the world”, Boomsma notes. “This has also happened in the temporary employment and recruitment sector. I think that is primarily due to the best online facilities in the region. In addition, there is a commitment to guiding and describing processes. People may sometimes think that this is not the case, but compared to some other regions, it is in the culture to address this.”

14% are not engaged in a digital transformation strategy

There’s still work to be done, however, the Bullhorn report shows. Just 14% of respondents of the Recruitment Trends, Insights and Data Industry Report 2023 state that no digital transformation strategy is currently implemented. 50% say they are at an early stage of adoption, while 36% state they are ‘advanced’. Room for improvement, argues Bullhorn.

Sourcing and reporting (both 34%) appear to be the processes most automated at agencies in the Benelux.

“Especially in automation lies a great potential that currently remains untapped at most recruitment agencies”, Bullhorn states. Sourcing and reporting (both 34%) appear to be the processes most automated at agencies in the Benelux. Screening and validation (33%) scores marginally less, while communication with candidate after the assignment (20%) lags a little behind.

‘Automation has a negative connotation for a group of people’

So what’s behind the low adoption scores for automation? According to Boomsma, it’s all about the connotation. “I think the connotation around automation been quite negative, for a group of people. I regularly hear that personal contact should not be lost — but that’s precisely what automation enables: activities that add no value at all for the candidate, colleague or customer can be automated.”

Boomsma sees a number of clear examples. “Whether it’s changing the status of a candidate, forwarding data in a process, requesting data to update or request permission, scheduling meetings or setting reminders — they’re all enabling more time for personal contact. Agencies that have emphasised automation generally generate 55% more candidates, do so 49% faster, and have a 33% higher fill rate. Regardless of necessity, personnel is becoming scarce and as long as 70% of the candidates stop a process because it is taking too long, strategic alternatives will have to be sought.”

More growth through digitisation of data

Bullhorn saw top performers digitising as much data as possible in their organisations. “Top performers are doubling down on their digital transformation initiatives and recruitment software adoption,” the report states. The fastest-growing agencies of 2022 frequently used recruitment technology to be successful in today’s challenging environment.”

Self-service software, such as chatbots, is used by 27% to streamline processes.

When Bullhorn next looks at how recruitment agencies are using technology to transform their organisation, data digitisation (30%) is the number one. Self-service software, such as chatbots, is additionally used by 27% to streamline processes. Automation of various processes is mentioned third, at 19%.

“Companies that prioritise providing a modern, seamless, and well-connected candidate experience will stand out from the competition.”

“Organisations from the Benelux are placing particular emphasis this year on accelerating digital transformation”, Boomsma said. “And this is also key to winning the war on talent. Companies that prioritise providing a modern, seamless, and well-connected candidate experience will stand out from the competition and become the first choice for both candidates and clients.”

‘Don’t be afraid to make mistakes’

But back to the priority side of things. While recruitment agencies are clear about their intentions, acting on them requires something else. “Purchasing a tool is just the beginning”, Boomsma says. But it’s necessary that the responsible executive is actively involved in the process and embraces the change. I see that teams enjoy automating processes and encourage each other to come up with new ideas. The recruiters are an active part of the change there. I think it’s important for agencies, and those responsible for the tech, not to be afraid to make mistakes. To test what works and what doesn’t. They have to be prepared to include automation as a continuous element in their thinking. Where I see success, this is the most important basic mindset.”

“I think it’s important for agencies, and those responsible for the tech, not to be afraid to make mistakes.”

In all, Boomsma sees that Bullhorn customers have automated nearly 900,000 processes in 2022. “In 2019, there were only 87,000”, he adds. “I expect that we will soon reach 2 billion automated processes for our customers. All aimed at increasing productivity, engagement with clients and candidates and improving data quality. Organisations that are successful in this area hire people who are analytical and, in many cases, have marketing knowledge. The added value of that can’t be underestimated.”

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Neurodiversity a ‘top priority’ for digital leaders, but awareness not yet translating into action

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Neurodiversity was first coined by Australian sociologist Judy Singer in the late 1990s. In her book, Neurodiversity: The birth of an idea, she explored the concept of biodiversity and how it applied to the neurocognitive variability found in humans. Singer’s interest in the subject was personal, as she herself came from a family of neurodivergent. She believed that by reducing stigmas associated with it, businesses, and indeed society as a whole, would benefit greatly.

Neurodivergence is the term for when someone’s brain processes, learns, and/or behaves differently from what is considered typical.

In a nutshell, for those not completely familiar with the concept of neurodiversity: neurodivergence is the term for when someone’s brain processes, learns, and/or behaves differently from what is considered typical. There’s different types of neurodiversity, but they include autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), Learning disabilities and many more.

Jobboard for neurodivergent

Among those who were neurodiverse? Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Alan Turing and Bill Gates — just to name a few. But unemployment among the neurodiverse population runs as high as 80%, as per the HBR. It prompted Jobs for Humanity, an international movement aiming to connect historically underrepresented talent to employers, to come up with its own jobboard for the neurodivergent: Jobs for the Neurodivergent.

“On average, almost 1 billion people are neurodivergent.”

“On average, almost 1 billion people are neurodivergent”, Roy Baladi, the founder of Jobs for Humanity, commented. “It is a term that refers to a variation in brain composition that affects things like learning, sociability and mood. Beyond a platform for jobs, we offer online and expert coaches covering the knowledge gap between talent and employers. It covers top blind spots and challenges, how to interview to look for skills and potential, reasonable accommodations and assistive technologies, how to keep supporting if you do not hire the candidate and how to onboard and support long term if you do hire.”

Stigmas around neurodiversity remain 

Despite efforts from many, we’re nearly at the thirty-year mark after Singer’s first attempt at coining the term. While neurodiversity has gained popularity across the globe, the stigmas still largely persist. Employers are excluding neurodiverse individuals. That’s how the executive summary of the 2023 EqualTech report conducted by Sparta Global starts. In 2022, the research company surveyed more than 500 individuals across almost every industry sector to try to gain a better understanding as to why the exclusion still persists. 

“The neurodiverse community offers a mass of untapped potential with fresh thinkers who bring unique and powerful perspectives to our industry.”

Purnima Sen

“In an industry such as technology where there is a significant skills gap, and employers are crying out for innovative talent. The neurodiverse community offers a mass of untapped potential with fresh thinkers who bring unique and powerful perspectives to our industry”, Purnima Sen, Chief People and ED&I Officer Sparta Global commented. “So why are companies in this sector still failing to take positive action?”

Awareness not yet translating into action

In their survey, Sparta Global found that 87% of digital leaders believe neurodiversity will be a ‘top priority’ for their companies in 2023. “This signals that digitally driven businesses are increasingly aware of the importance of neurodiversity, which is viewed as a strategic objective for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I).” But saying and doing are two different things, the report sees. While awareness may be on the rise, that doesn’t mean it translates into action. 68% of digital leaders said that they don’t think their organisation is currently doing enough to remove barriers to entry for neurodiverse talent.

Five simple tips for recruiting

When it comes to recruiting neurodiverse talent, there’s plenty of easy fixes. Particularly in job ads, which tend to be full of long lists and avoidable jargon, the research points out. We’ve accumulated all five of them below. 

1. Be specific

Most job ad writers do love a long list of skills, which may or may not be necessary in order to succeed in any given role. Time to stop that, the report says. “Avoid a long list of skills if they are not necessary for the role. Instead, be specific: indicate which ones are “must-haves” and which ones are “nice to haves”. Focus on what is important and required for the job.”

2. Get rid of the superlatives

Superlatives and exaggerated terms are usually avoidable. And even more so when it comes to the recruiting of neurodiverse talent. “Stop using “world-class”, “industry-leading”, “coding wizard”, and “tech guru”. Instead, aim to spell out exactly which competencies are needed and their relevance within the specific context of the job you are advertising.”

3. Avoid ‘flexible’ and ‘dynamic’

While there’s a much larger debate around the usage of words that leave room for interpretation — or don’t really mean anything at all, Sparta Global sees reason to avoid using words that may be difficult to interpret. “Words such as “flexible” or “dynamic”. Instead, be clear about what is intended: what do “flexibility” or “dynamism” mean in practice?”

4. Choose consistent colours

Something being readable is always good. But particularly for neurodivergent candidates, which can be more sensitive to sensory stimulation, it’s important to consider readability. “This includes fonts, colours, and paragraphs. Choosing a consistent colour scheme with a good contrast ratio and avoiding pictures obscuring the words can drastically improve the readability of your job ads. It also helps to break your text into shorter paragraphs and bullet points to draw attention to important information.”

5. Show you’re committed 

Again: saying and doing are two different things, but stating your intentions goes a long way, the report notes. “Take the opportunity to clearly state that you care about neurodiversity. For example, you could explain that your company is committed to digital equality and that it encourages and values applications from neurodivergent thinkers.”

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What is talent intelligence and how can Europe’s talent leaders benefit from it?

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Talent data intelligence is the use of data and analytics to inform talent acquisition decisions. This can include everything from sourcing candidates to making hiring decisions. The concept allows talent acquisition leaders to make data-driven decisions about hiring, which can lead to improved hiring outcomes. By leveraging data and analytics, talent acquisition leaders can better understand their hiring process, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions about which candidates to hire.

It’s all about data and analytics

But — what is it exactly? At its core, talent data intelligence is about using data and analytics to improve a number of different phases and elements of the talent acquisition process. Talent intelligence can be used to identify the best channels for sourcing candidates, for example. Through a thorough analysis of past hires, TA leaders can identify which channels have been most successful in attracting qualified candidates. It then gives you an option to double-down on that channel.

It’s important to see talent intelligence as something which be used throughout the entire employee lifecycle.

Whenever a candidate becomes a serious candidate, companies can use talent intelligence to assess candidates more effectively. Through an analysis of candidate skills, experience, qualifications — as well as predictive analytics, it creates the best available opportunity for the recruiting team or hiring manager to identify candidates who will most likely be successful in the specific role. It’s important to see talent intelligence as something which be used throughout the entire employee lifecycle. For retention purposes, analyse just why people leave your organisation. If you’re able to identify factors that contribute to high turnover rates — you can take subsequent steps to address them. 

One of the biggest trends

Renowned recruiting and technology expert Kevin Wheeler dubbed it one of the branche’s biggest trends. “Talent intelligence refers to the process where companies use AI to collect and analyse data regarding the talent and skills they need now and in the future”, Wheeler said. “It helps you keep a hold of where the talent we need is working, what specific skills they have and what might entice them to work for you?”

“Talent intelligence refers to the process where companies use AI to collect and analyse data regarding the talent and skills they need now and in the future.”

That’s the type of information recruiters need, according to Wheeler. In a nutshell, talent intelligence is compiled out of target group, recruitment and labour market data — all external sources. In contrast to the internal data, such as Hotjar, Google Analytics and internal ATS data, that is currently the go-to data among recruiters. Talent intelligence solutions include features to focus on recruiting, talent management, or both. AI interactions allow businesses, HR personnel, and recruiters alike to further define the solution based on their business’ needs.

Half of Europe relies on data analytics for TA decisions

In Europe, talent acquisition leaders are already starting to embrace talent data intelligence — but perhaps not at the scale that you would expect. According to a survey conducted by HR and payroll service provider SD Worx, approximately six out of ten companies today use HR and people analytics to gain insights into areas such as staff shortages, absenteeism or employee turnover. Within the continent, organisations from Austria (66%), Sweden (66%) and Germany (65%) currently lead the way.

“The figures confirm a positive trend in which companies are open to using the full potential of HR and people analytics.”

The majority of European companies (56%) believe in the added value of HR and people analytics. Companies in the Netherlands lead the way in that mindset (67%), followed by companies from Ireland and Spain (66%), and Italy and the United Kingdom (61%). “The figures confirm a positive trend in which companies are open to using the full potential of HR and people analytics”, said Jurgen De Jonghe, Data Portfolio Manager at SD Worx. “However, some companies remain cautious, which is a shame.”

How to take advantage of talent intelligence?

To take advantage of the benefits of talent data intelligence, talent acquisition leaders in Europe should focus on the following:

1. Invest in the right tools 

To effectively leverage data and analytics, talent acquisition leaders need access to the right tools. This may include applicant tracking systems (ATS), candidate relationship management tools, and predictive analytics software. 

2. Integrate external labour market data

The pool of recruitment-related data can be tough to navigate — but there are several companies excelling at providing clear-cut, external labour market data on a vast number of countries, such as Textkernel and Intelligence Group. Whether that’s recruitment feasibility for a specific target group in any European company — or broader data about push — and pull factors for a country as a whole. Integrating external labour market data can go a long way towards knowing who your target group is, where to find them and just how hard you’ll have to work to find them. 

3. Build a data-driven culture

To truly embrace talent intelligence, companies need to build a culture that values data-driven decision-making. That sounds wonderfully easy — but it starts with training and encouraging employees to use data to inform their decisions. Backing decisions up with data eliminates any option of taling solely about gut decisions. 

4. Collaborate with other departments 

Talent acquisition is just one piece of the puzzle. When it comes to building a successful business, you need to work together. To truly leverage talent data intelligence, talent acquisition leaders need to collaborate with HR, finance, and operations, to identify areas where data can be used to improve business outcomes.

Want to know more?

Join hundreds of talent acquisition, recruiting and HR leaders in subscribing to the ToTalent newsletter (for free!) to learn more about all things European talent acquisition, talent intelligence and more. In the next article specifically about talent intelligence, we’ll look at 10 European suppliers of talent intelligence. 

How Brainport Eindhoven works together as a region and recruits IT and tech talent from all over the world

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Treat others how you want to be treated. It was one of the first lessons Nicole Zwetsloot learned at home, in the small village in the south of the Netherlands where she grew up. But along the way, she learned that it may not have been such a good lesson at all. You shouldn’t treat others the way you want to be treated, but the way they want to be treated. In other words: you have to get to know your target group. And then address them in the way that appeals most to them. And that, according to Zwetsloot, can be quite different from the way you want to be addressed.

“We have more vacancies than we have people. And that’s been the case for quite a while.”

It is one of life’s lessons that comes in handy now that she is Project Manager of the Brainport Talent Attraction Programme, a programme to attract coordinated and collaborative international tech and IT talent to numerous companies and organisations in the Brainport region of Eindhoven, renowned for being known as the ‘smartest region in the world’. The need is great among most of the participants, Zwetsloot recently told the people in attendance at the very first Congress on the Internationalisation of the Labour Market, held in the Netherlands. “We have more vacancies than we have people. And that’s been the case for quite a while.”

Talent as fuel

“Talent is the fuel for our technological engine”, she told the audience. And it has been the case in  the Eindhoven region for more than a hundred years — as Philips has recruited talent from other regions for a number of years. But there’s more history behind the way Brainport has operated as a location for cooperation. “It originates from the poor land in the region”, Zwetsloot explains. “As a result, cooperation was necessary to survive. It’s all about joining forces and doing together what you cannot do alone. That’s the basis for what we do now in terms of talent attraction.”

Nicole Zwetsloot

“We have to make sure we have all hands on deck in all talent functions. All the way from intake to ensure people are promoted, retained and developed.”

The forecast, however, is quite gloomy. For the forthcoming seven years, leading up to 2030, Brainport Eindhoven expects to have 72,000 jobs that need to be filled. “We’ve seen an increase in vacancies versus a decrease in the available workforce”, Zwetsloot says. “So we have to make sure we have all hands on deck in all talent functions. Both qualitatively and quantitively. All the way from intake to ensure people are promoted, retained and developed.” 

And that starts with being in constant contact with all companies Zwetsloot works for. “And that’s not just limited to large enterprises”, she argues. “That’s a common misconception; that it’s only interesting for them. But SMEs and start-ups shouldn’t be forgotten. If you’re eyeing a similar project, make sure you involve a representative group of employers in your region. You have to look broadly, to the whole ecosystem — rather than at individual business interests.”

A three-step plan

Knowing who you are looking for is part one of the equation. That answer is quite simple, according to Zwetsloot: “Techies and IT people.” Then the following question beckons: where do you get them from? “For that, in addition to input from employers and inflow figures, Brainport relies on benchmarks and research. “We look at the number of graduates, push and pull factors, employment and unemployment numbers and the quality of education.”

“Together, we come up with groundbreaking innovations with which we solve global social issues.”

Based on all of the data, Brainport accumulated a list of 30 countries to focus on. Then came the third step: with what to reach them? For this, Zwetsloot and Brainport devised a pay-off in 2020: The Home of Pioneers. “It fits nicely with our core values: human and groundbreaking. Home of pioneers, on the one hand, tells the story of our human character. Everyone should be able to feel at home. On the other hand, we also tell the story of pioneering. Together, we come up with groundbreaking innovations with which we solve global social issues.”

Regional Value Proposition

Whereas most employers formulate a so-called Employer Value Proposition, Zwetsloot focused on a Regional Value Proposition for the entire Brainport Eindhoven. “So you look for the international profile of the region, its attractiveness as a place of business for international talent.” In other words: what exactly are the region’s distinguishing factors that would appeal to tech and IT talent? And standing out from others is not only becoming increasingly important, she says, but also increasingly difficult.

“Don’t forget that in many cases talent will move to your region, sometimes with their partner and their children. A job ad that simply conveys a nice job, pleasant colleagues and good working conditions just isn’t enough.”

“Other regions also profile themselves as a region with a good work/life balance, an innovative ecosystem and green surroundings. So beyond a distinctive message, we need to start being more specific, and: we need to deliver. Don’t forget that in many cases talent will move to your region, sometimes with their partner and their children. Keeping that in mind, a job ad that simply conveys a nice job, pleasant colleagues and good working conditions just isn’t enough.”

Pioneering technologies

To formulate an RVP properly, Zwetsloot not only hired an international content writer for Brainport Eindhoven, but also set up a sounding board group with internationals living and working in the region. “With them, we started specifying our message more and more. Resulting in, among other things, the definition of a number of ‘breakthrough key technologies’ such as photonics, A.I. and micro- and nanotechnology.”

“You will have to choose not to lose.”

Specifics became a key word in the South of the Netherlands. “What we are actually going to do is get more specific, focus even more on the technologies of the future. Techniques that may be present at a few fewer companies now, but which we know will be further integrated into our ecosystem. It all stems from the idea: you will have to choose not to lose.”

“Based on those technologies, we mapped the required competences (soft and hard skills) per technology through labour market data, including talent intelligence from Intelligence Group. We then compiled a set of keywords and filtered on the curricula of English-language training programmes around the world. Finally, we looked at which countries where talent who are interested in learning these skills come from, and started looking at their international mobility after completing their studies. With this data, we can move on to the new phase of talent attraction, and start again at step one.”

The playground for talent

Attracting international employees can not only fill a need when vacancies cannot be filled in the Netherlands, it can also contribute to cultural diversity, and thus to the innovative power of organisations, according to development company Brainport Development. Zwetsloot, who comes from the employment and reintegration sector, has been working on it for more than three years now. But she prefers not to speak about a war for talent. “Let’s have less war”, she says. That is why she prefers: the playground for talent.

And in doing so, Brainport Eindhoven also throws other values into the fray in comparison to a few years ago. “In 2017, we researched the customer journey. Back then, it mainly showed that they want to do something significant, work on societal challenges and high-quality innovations. The drivers were mainly career-related. Last year, we repeated that survey, and now the work content turned out to be more of a norm. They can now get that anywhere in the world. Why they choose our region now appears to be more the social character as well as the good work/life balance. So that’s what we’ve opted for in everything we show: on our websites, and in every campaign we run.”

‘In it together’

The success of Brainport Eindhoven is often attributed to the so-called ‘Triple Helix model’, in other words: the good cooperation between industry, knowledge institutes and governments in the region. But Zwetsloot prefers even to talk about a ‘Quadriple Helix’. “Because we also involve residents and internationals in our programmes.” Which brings her back to that ‘unique propensity for cooperation in the region’.

“In our region, we all rely on each other to survive. We have to be in it together.”

“We get delegations coming to us from all over the world”, she says. “They all want to know our secret. But there is no secret at all. Because we owe everything to Philips. We still understand the art of cooperation. It is deeply rooted in our DNA. We’re all about: what can we do for you? Sometimes the interests differ between large and small organisations, for example. But then, soon enough, we’ll sit down and come out of it stronger and with that sense of togetherness. Because in our region, we all rely on each other to survive. We have to be in it together.”

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Airbus registers biggest headcount growth in 10 years, looks to hire 13,000 more in 2023

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The airline industry is slowly bouncing back. The proof lies in The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expecting a return to profitability for the global airline industry in 2023, as airlines continue to cut losses stemming from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to their business in 2022. In 2023, airlines are expected to post a small net profit of $4.7 billion: a 0.6% net profit margin. It would be the first profit since 2019 when industry net profits were $26.4 billion (3.1% net profit margin). 

The biggest headcount growth in 10 years

For Airbus, one of Europe’s largest aerospace corporations, it certainly hasn’t been a quiet 2022. The company has three divisions: Commercial Aircraft (Airbus S.A.S.), Defence and Space, and Helicopters. Initially, at the beginning of 2022, Airbus announced its desire to hire 6,000 employees worldwide across the entire group.

And in 2022, the company has grown its total number of employees to 134,267, which is a 6,1% increase compared to the 2021 statistics, when the total number was 126,495. It is, by quite a lengthy margin, the most positive year-over-year headcount growth the company has seen in 10 years.

Lofty goals for 2023

Thierry Baril

In 2022, Airbus welcomed a total of 13,000 new employees — and is looking to repeat that number in 2023. “[We did so] in a complex environment which tested our resilience and attractiveness as a global employer”, said Thierry Baril, chief human resources and workplace officer of Airbus. “Following the success of our recruitment last year, we will hire over 13,000 employees again in 2023. We call on talented individuals from all over the world to join us in our journey to make sustainable aerospace a reality and to help us build a better, more diverse and inclusive workplace for all our employees.”

“Following the success of our recruitment last year, we will hire over 13,000 employees again in 2023.”

9,000 jobs for Europe

Predominately active in European spheres, Airbus announced 9,000 of the 13,000 new desired posts will be located in Europe. The remaining 4,000 jobs will be spread throughout the rest of Airbus’ global network. “This new recruitment drive will be worldwide, with emphasis on technical and manufacturing profiles. As well as acquisition of new skills supporting the company’s long term vision, in areas such as new energies, cyber and digital”, the company added.

Starting them young

Airbus has also emphasised starting young — citing the career path example of Justin Möhlmann, an industrial security plant analyst in Hamburg who started a company-sponsored work/study programme — before turning into a full-time employee. “It enabled him to earn a Batchelors’ degree, and then join Airbus full-time”, the company stated. With Airbus’ support, he subsequently resumed his studies to obtain a Master’s degree in Information Systems, rejoining Airbus full-time in 2021.

Photo credit: © Airbus SAS 2017 – All rights reserved.

The 8 biggest learnings from the world’s largest survey among job seekers

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Are cutting-edge digital solutions are attractive to candidates? Do candidates want to see the money on the table before committing to a job? From August through October 2022, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network, a global alliance of recruitment websites, undertook a survey dedicated to exploring job seekers’ recruitment preferences. In total, more than 90,000 people participated, making it the largest-ever study of its kind. 

BCG and The Network had one simple aim: seeking the truth behind what job seekers actually want. “Part of the problem lies in the recruitment process”, the report states. “How employers and candidates connect, communicate, set expectations, and make decisions. Or how they don’t. Often, employers don’t know what policies and actions will attract potential employees—or deter them. Sometimes, they may even be uncertain about how to find and recruit them.”

1: Job seekers place experience before salary

The first myth debunked by job seekers revolves around the offer versus experience debate. According to the BCG and The Network report, 52% of respondents would refuse an otherwise attractive job offer if they had a negative experience during the recruitment process. In other words: roughly half of all job seekers places the experience before the prospective salary. Doubling down on that notion, a further 66% said that a timely, smooth process is the number one way for an employer to stand out during recruitment.

52% of respondents would refuse an otherwise attractive job offer if they had a negative experience during the recruitment process

2: The majority of job seekers just want good work-life balance

You’ve heard of the work to live rather than live to work approach. It is one of the first myths that isn’t necessarily debunked by the research. Instead, 69% of respondents say they ‘dream of a stable job with a good work-life balance’. It is by far the most popular response when respondents are asked to envision their ideal careers. 

3: Candidates aren’t fine being interviewed by AI

While new tech is being born every day in an attempt to speed up and enhance the recruitment process, the research illustrates a less positive image on the side of job seekers. According to the survey, most respondents, even people in digital fields and members of younger generations, prefer in-person application and selection channels. 77% of job seekers don’t prefer a form of an AI-led automated interview. 

Most respondents, even people in digital fields and members of younger generations, prefer in-person application and selection channels.

On the other hand, personal (face-to-face) interviews with future managers (57%) and personal interviews with recruiters (56%) are by far the highest scorers when job seekers were asked about their preferences along the recruitment journey. Online or phone interviews (49%) with future managers and recruiters (48%) also do relatively well. Asking candidates to prepare an intro video of themselves, meanwhile, seems very much counterproductive. A mere 20% prefers any type of homemade video selection method.  

4: It is all about the money

No, we’re not re-debunking the first recruitment myth on the list — job seekers do want to see money on the table. Insufficient financial compensation  is widely regarded as the number one dealbreaker among job seekers deicing whether to accept or refuse a job offer. Moreover, it may be wise to use 2023 as the year to integrate salary transparency on all job ads. According to the survey, information about salary range is the first thing respondents look for in a job ad. 

5: Start following-up on offers

You’ve conducted three interviews and you’ve made up your mind. You’ve decided to extend an offer to a job seeker. Now all you can do is wait. Wrong. Among candidates, 59% expects some openness to negotiate conditions after receiving an offer. Moreover, more than 45% say they appreciate further outreach from their prospective employer to be able to help them make a decision.

6: Most job seekers want a traditional 5-day work-week

While many companies are potentially currently operating on the idea that traditional jobs are no longer the way to attract job seekers — the survey completely debunks that notion. For the majority of job seekers, part-time gigs, side-projects or freelancing isn’t their preferred way to work. In all, the research found that 75% of job seekers still want a traditional five-day workweek. As far as their preferred work location goes, a hybrid model seems to be the most popular choice. 54% look for a hybrid model, wherein they work a few days at home, and a few days at the office. 35% prefers a fully on-side model, while 11% prefers a fully remote model. 

The research found that 75% of job seekers still want a traditional five-day workweek.

7: The company website is still the way to go

Whether candidates are looking for jobs or actively seeking more information on a prospective employer after a job listing caught their attention, company websites are still the way to go. 65% of job seekers uses company websites when looking for a job. And when they want to amass more information, 65% of job seekers uses the company website to find out more about the job that caught their interest. Funnily enough, only 13% said they found their job directly through a company website. 

8: Friend recommendations trump recruiter outreach

To catch the interest of passive job seekers, a company needs to make a strong impression. This usually has to come through someone they know — a recommendation from a friend (50%) or someone from their personal network (44%) are the most popular ways of catching a passive job seeker’s attention. Cold outreach from a recruiter (38%) doesn’t score too bad either. 

Six key actions to maximise attractiveness 

BCG and The Network see six key effective steps with which employers can maximise their attractiveness to desirable job candidates. 

  1. Divide your strategy to target various target personas. Consider job seekers as customers and tailor your recruiting strategy to fit their different needs — and adjust the approach accordingly.
  1. Revamp your recruitment process to create a personal experience. Our research indicates that the impression job applicants have during the hiring process can heavily impact their decisions. However, many companies continue to treat recruitment as a corporate process that prioritises administrative requirements and outdated systems rather than crafting an appealing and convincing experience for potential employees.
  1. Expand your talent pool by overcoming biases. The larger the pool of potential candidates, the more likely you are to find the right fit. To expand your pool, you can consider more than just traditional hiring requirements. Instead, you can focus on skills, motivations, and potential rather than degrees or years of experience.
  1. Leverage digital tools to your advantage, but use them selectively. This doesn’t mean that companies should abandon physical processes. Digital tools can help with behind-the-scenes HR tasks such as applicant tracking or AI-aided resume screening. They can also improve certain candidate-facing aspects of the process such as automatic interview updates or app-based preparation tips. In some cases, an efficiency gain may come at the expense of candidate satisfaction, but digital tools can aid in meeting prospective employees’ expectations for prompt responses, clear communication, and well-defined timing.
  1. Establish a strong culture foundation. While a higher salary or seniority may attract candidates, they also seek work-life balance and flexibility in the long run. Offering hybrid work models, flexible hours, and family support services can satisfy these needs and attract candidates.
  1. Re-recruit your current employees. Often, people seek new jobs to further their careers and opportunities. If their current employer offers these things, they may consider staying. In a competitive talent market, retaining current talent is crucial. Employers should maximise their existing talent’s potential and consider former employees and freelancers.

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Out of major European markets, France has the least relative IT vacancies

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If you’re a data engineer or software developer located in the San Francisco region, there’s an off-chance you’ve had a rough couple of weeks. In the past few weeks, all of Silicon Valley’s major tech companies ended up in the news for firing techies. So much so that the website designated to tracking layoffs in the tech industry, found approximately 85,000 lay-offs across 256 tech companies in just Q1 alone. 

Overhiring or… something else?

Google leads the list with 12,000 laid off employees, while Meta (11,000), Amazon and Microsoft (both 10000) are in striking distance of first place. According to layoffs.fyi, Q1 of 2023 is already proving to be the largest single quarter of layoffs since the site began tracking them in 2020. 

Source: layoffs.fyi

“To match and fuel that growth, we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today.”

The question beckons: why are these tech companies firing their techies at such velocity? After all, aren’t techies the ones that are hardest to find? Aren’t techies the toughest fill? “Over the past two years we’ve seen periods of dramatic growth”, Google boss Sundar Pichai said in an email announcing the layoffs. “To match and fuel that growth, we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today.”

Did Apple cause the layoffs?

In large part, Google cited the company’s core digital ad business’ turndown and recession fears — which caused the layoffs. Instead, Google will refocus its core business as well as invest early in artificial intelligence. “These are important moments to sharpen our focus, reengineer our cost base, and direct our talent and capital to our highest priorities”, Pichai said. 

Zuckerberg: “Unfortunately, this did not play out the way I expected.”

Similarly, Meta and Zuckerberg cited disappointment at the lack of digital acceleration. “At the start of Covid, the world rapidly moved online and the surge of e-commerce led to outsized revenue growth”, Zuckerberg wrote in an e-mail. “Unfortunately, this did not play out the way I expected. Not only has online commerce returned to prior trends, but the macroeconomic downturn, increased competition, and ads signal loss have caused our revenue to be much lower than I’d expected. I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”

In November 2022, Apple introduced a new privacy feature: App Tracking Transparency (ATT), which makes it harder for app-makers and advertisers to track user behaviour.

A change in Apple’s privacy features may have caused the disappointed ad returns — and the subsequent need for layoffs. In November 2022, Apple introduced a new privacy feature: App Tracking Transparency (ATT), which makes it harder for app-makers and advertisers to track user behaviour. It meant that social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and others are now losing revenue, due to the stronger privacy wall that reduces their ability to collect data on users for personalised advertising.

Some perspective… 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, most tech companies have largely enjoyed hiring sprees. Amazon, in particular, managed to grow its headcount by nearly three quarters of a million. According to a Yahoo! Finance graph, some perspective is clearly needed on the overhiring front. Because companies have simply overhired — and grown its headcount by large numbers. 

Back to Europe

Meanwhile, on European shores, the same thing seems to be happening. In the Netherlands, Phillips laid off 10,000 people in the past three months — while Booking also fired 4,375 people, which represents 25% of its global employee base. German enterprise software firm SAP also cut 3,000 jobs, while OLX Group cut 1,500 jobs. In other words: this trend isn’t solely a US trend.

On average, 4.5% of every job is an ICT specialist.

In fact, could Europe’s — and indeed the world’s — tech market finally be in decline? The number of ICT specialists in the EU has grown by 50.5% from 2012 to 2021, almost 8 times as high as the increase (6.3%) for total employment. On average, 4.5% of every job is an ICT specialist. ICT specialists are defined as persons who have the ability to develop, operate and maintain ICT systems and for whom ICTs constitute the main part of their job.

The European Commission set the 2030 target at a population of 20 million ICT Specialists.

In Sweden, the total is a continent-high 8%, while Finland (7.5%), Luxembourg (6.7%) and the Netherlands (6.7%) aren’t far behind. The European Commission set the 2030 target at a population of 20 million ICT Specialists, which would mean an 11 million increase compared to the 2021 statistics. So the need is clear, yet most recruitment-related reports say the same: the IT talent is scarce.

Are IT specialists scarce?

PwC reports that executives have been voicing their concerns over the lack of tech skills for over a decade, going from 56% in 2011 to a whopping 79% in 2019. So, just how hard is it to find these techies to come and work for you? Data from Intelligence Group’s (IG) Giant shows that programmers, for example, are a tough get on average in many of Europe’s labour markets in pretty much every country. 

On average, programmers are very difficult to recruit.

IG’s dashboard shows that even in countries with plenty of IT people, the job market activity for a programmer lies at 12% in Finland. At 17% in France. 5% in the Netherlands. And 13% in Germany. And at 23% in the United Kingdom. When taking job market activity, job changes and approach frequency into account, on average, programmers are very difficult to recruit.

France has the least relative IT vacancies

But as usually the case for labour market trends, the truth lies in the vacancies. So we asked another Dutch company, Textkernel, to delve into the total number of IT vacancies for some of Europe’s biggest markets: France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK — and then compare that to the overall number of vacancies. “That number best shows if there’s been any relative change”, Ton Sluiter of Textkernel says.

According to Sluiter and Textkernel’s analysis, the total number of IT vacancies is indeed cooling off slightly across European markets. The UK’s numbers show a 10% decrease in IT jobs in Q4 of 2022 compared to a year earlier. France’s numbers are up, but clearly not rising as hard as they had been since early 2021 (+11% in Q4, 2022 compared to Q4 2021). While the Netherlands’ numbers also have stagnated slightly (+3% in Q4, 2022 compared to Q4 2021). 

Of all vacancies in Germany, renowned for its continent-leading number of open vacancies, 10% are IT related.

Germany is best off with a net positive percentage of 36% in Q4, 2022 compared to Q4 2021. Of all vacancies in Germany, renowned for its continent-leading number of open vacancies, 10% are IT related. In the United Kingdom, the number lies at 9%, while in the Netherlands it is 7%. France has the least relative number of IT vacancies, with 6%.

‘A blip in the market’

Looking forward to 2023, the need for IT will likely remain. “Every company needs IT personnel”, Sluiter argues. “We expect the growth that we’ve seen to continue its course. There may be a blip in the market due to overhiring, but it is just that: a blip. That is particularly true when you look at the development overtime of the total number of IT vacancies. Throughout most of Western Europe, they’ve remained steady. That tells me we can’t really read too much into the current layoffs that are currently happening in the tech industry.”

Source: Textkernel

Could ChatGPT be a game-changer for the IT industry?

While at this rate, Europe will likely struggle to meet its 2023 goals — it would be hard to call the market one that is ‘in decline’, based on the current Textkernel data. The landscape of those that code and develop tech could soon change, however. “I think everyone’s looking at ChatGPT as something that could help with writing”, Sluiter says. “But there’s about 30 useful solutions within it that I view as game-changers moving forward.”

“Since the mid-18th and 19th centuries, we’ve had endless arguments over whether people could be replaced by tech. I just don’t see it happening.”

Sluiter points at coding and developing as two major examples of things that could potentially be done easier and quicker with OpenAI’s newest toy. “That won’t mean it will replace those working within IT — I just see it as something that could help them do their jobs quicker and more efficiently. Since the mid-18th and 19th centuries, we’ve had endless arguments over whether people could be replaced by tech. I just don’t see it happening.”

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DESI: Finland and The Netherlands lead Europe in basic digital skills, but work to be done

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Digital transformation has to be one of the most-used words of the past ten to twenty years — but there’s a reason behind it, a report from the European Commission states. In the summer of 2022, the European Commission released the new results of the 2022 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), which tracks Europe’s digital performance and the progress made by the EU countries every year — ranking countries based on four different elements: Human Capital, Connectivity, Integration of Digital Technology and, finally, Digital Public Services. 

The 26% gap

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the index showcases big differences among EU member states. The data of the 2022 DESI report show that only 54% of Europeans aged between 16 -74 have at least basic digital skills. Meanwhile, the European Commission’s Digital Decade target is set at ‘at least 80% of citizens by 2030’. That means that Europe will have to bridge a continent-wide 26% gap within the next seven years.

Finland and the Netherlands lead the way

Delving into ‘at least basic digital skills’, Finland, the Netherlands are the clear leaders, scoring approximately 79%. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Bulgaria and Romania’s score lie around 31% and 28% — meaning they’d to more than double their current digital skills in seven years to even come close to the desired 80% by 2030.

“Even there the adoption of cutting-edge digital technologies is still around 30%, which is well behind the objective of 75%.”

While the report notes Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden as frontrunners — even those countries have much to do if they want to meet another objective based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data. “Even there the adoption of cutting-edge digital technologies, such as AI and Big Data, is still around 30%, which is well behind the objective of 75% set for the 2030 Digital Decade. This is also partly due to the significant skill shortages, which impede overall advancement and result in digital exclusion.”

‘It requires a decisive step’

In other words, there’s work to be done all around the continent. “A true digital transformation requires a decisive step forward in the acquisition of digital skills by citizens”, the report states. “People without the necessary digital skills run the risk of falling behind as digital technologies become a necessary component of daily life and participation in society.”

“The EU continue to improve its level of digitalisation, and the Member States that began at lower levels are gradually catching up by expanding more quickly.”

But it’s not all bad news. The report notes that the majority of member states are actually making process in their digital transformation. “The EU continue to improve its level of digitalisation, and the Member States that began at lower levels are gradually catching up by expanding more quickly. In particular, Italy, Poland, and Greece significantly raised their DESI ratings over the previous five years, by making consistent investments and sharpening their political focus on digital technology, which were also supported by European funding.”

AI knowledge gap: ‘Only 20% of HR professionals has a clear understanding of AI in hiring technology’

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t tWhile it appears every talent acquisition-related article is somehow about Artificial Intelligence, there’s a good reason for it. According to research by Modern Hire, lead by Aptitude Research’s Madeline Laurano, 45% of companies worldwide are currently using AI to improve recruiting AI. While the concept of intelligence demonstrated by machine has come a long way since the first mentions in the 1940s through the work of cyberneticians Warren Sturgis McCulloch and Walter Pitts — it comes paired with a good amount of scrutiny. 

Artificial intelligence regulations 

While any potential continued success of artificial intelligence in hiring tools and practices will likely come down to how it is regulated — we’re not too far away from a scenario wherein Europe-based companies may require independent audits and other forms of control through the European Union’s proposed Artificial Intelligence Act. If the act were to be approved, it would have serious implications for companies inside and outside the EU. It may also stimulate similar laws in the U.S. and China.

We’re not too far away from a scenario wherein Europe-based companies may require independent audits and other forms of control through the European Union’s proposed Artificial Intelligence Act.

Since 2019, lawmakers, particularly in the United States, have set up regulations to ensure the technology being used is transparent, fair and non-discriminatory. Illinois became the first US state in 2019 to implement an Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act. The act requires employers who use AI for video interviews to report, be transparent and allow consent from interviewees. While in New York City, employers will be banned from using artificial intelligence-based tools to screen candidates that haven’t been ‘bias audited’.

It would be a sweeping law that would classify AI systems according to risk and establish rules for trustworthy behaviour, use and monitoring of the systems.

In October 2022, the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights was introduced to protect individuals. By laying out five “common sense” protections for the design, development and deployment of AI and other automated technologies. Meanwhile, in Europe, the debate still continues about the expected on the proposed act. It would be a sweeping law that would classify AI systems according to risk and establish rules for trustworthy behaviour, use and monitoring of the systems.

HR professionals don’t understand AI

But whatever happens on the regulatory side, Modern Hire’s research showcases a clear knowledge gap among HR professionals when it comes to artificial intelligence. So much so that only 20% of HR professionals surveyed ‘have a clear understanding when they are using AI’. The report cites the need for HR to take the lead when it comes to AI integrations — but are they able to when the majority doesn’t understand when their hiring technology actually uses AI to evaluate candidates?

Source: Modern Hire’s 2023 Hiring Trends report

Only 20% of HR professionals surveyed ‘have a clear understanding when they are using AI’.

In all, 46% of HR professionals say they don’t know when they’re using AI. 26% of HR professionals say they’re not always clear on when they’re using AI. Leaving just 20% that say they have a ‘clear understanding’. 4% said they did not have a clear stance on the subject. Therein lies an important chance for change, the report states. “AI has an important place in the ideal hiring practice, but HR leaders must be prepared to carefully manage it to prevent potentially harmful consequences and should also rely on vendors who know the difference.”

‘AI can help us understand complicated data’

Nevertheless, the report expects a renewed focus on the usage of AI for both internal corporate users and candidates. In other news: it’s here to stay. “This will include making it easier to conduct effective, efficient, ethical, and engaging interviews”, Laurano states. “Enabling users to leverage data and insights from their workflows for decision making and improvements. As well as ensuring ongoing compliance with client requirements and regulatory needs.”

‘Sound AI that stands the test of fairness’, is what’s required.

In the long run, the report expects AI to be a primary driver for improved Quality-of-Hires and higher retention. ‘Sound AI that stands the test of fairness’, is what’s required. “The emergence of “intelligent interview” tools and techniques. What’s the common denominator of these Flight to Quality trends in 2023? The use of embedded hiring science and automation to drive data-informed outcomes, ensure fairness and improve experiences at scale.”

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Is ‘Quiet Hiring’ the number one workforce trend for 2023?

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2022 became the year in which ‘Quiet Quitting’ became a global phenomenon, largely due to the work of Zaid Khan TikTok. In a short video, Khan explained his reasoning for not wanting to quit his job and rather do the absolute minimum and keep his job. “Quiet quitting [means] you’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond at work. Work is not your life. Your worth is not defined by your productive output. This [concept] works best if you can tolerate your job. If you’re miserable, get outta there. Your peace of mind comes first.”

New year, new trend

New year, new buzzwords. In 2023, Quiet Hiring is emerging as another trend on the other end of the spectrum. Gartner considers ‘Quiet Hiring’ the #1 trend for the year — and raises a challenger for the Quiet Quitting phenomenon.

Quiet Hiring means that organisations add new skills, without necessarily hiring more (full-time) employees.

So what does it mean? Simply put, Quiet Hiring means that organisations add new skills, without necessarily hiring more (full-time) employees. In other words: a focus on internal mobility, commitments to the right priorities, upskilling and increasing opportunities for current employees. The silent factor comes in when you look at the way this is achieved: by focusing on alumni networks and more flexible people. 

A $500 billion problem

Low productivity and the general consensus behind Quiet Quitting directly cause approximately $500 billion of problems for the US economy. Quiet Hiring could be a step to negate some of those losses. Organisations can save on onboarding costs, for example — but there’s still a risk involved, experts say. If quiet hiring approaches are not transparent — employees could feel undervalued, having to do more with fewer resources. And in the worst-case scenario: leave. 

It certainly isn’t revolutionary — but it could be viewed as a response to the frustrations associated with traditional recruitment processes.

Many also see Quiet Hiring as a response to the layoffs currently happening at US tech companies as well as the gloomy economic outlook. It certainly isn’t revolutionary — but it could be viewed as a response to the frustrations associated with traditional recruitment processes. They lengthy application rounds, not nearly enough touchpoint and often subsequent disappointments. 

New skills as the reward?

Organisations often frame the trend as an opportunity for their current employees: they get to do more, acquire new skills, achieve different goals. They’ll argue that those skills will help them later in their career. But not all employees seem to be equally pleased, Fortune noted. Employees could grow malcontent if organisations want to give people more tasks, without offering any form of a reward. “There is no reward for doing extra tasks. Except: even more tasks”, a Redditor subtly noted.

Source: Monster

Perhaps it is old wine in new bottles — seeing as this trend first surfaced in September in Inc. magazine and only became popular when CBS News reported on it. But it is more than just a buzzword, Vox argues, citing new research from Monster that shows that 80% of employees are said to have already been ‘quietly hired’, or in other words: ‘have been given a new role with new responsibilities, in the same organisation. 

‘It should be a win-win’

Emily Rose McRae, senior director of research at Gartner, who popularised the term, primarily views it as an opportunity for both employees and employers to view it as an equal exchange. “Employees have a lot of power right now. Employers would be in dire straits if they left. There should be an exchange going on here.”

McRae cites the example of Australian airline Qantas, which asked executives to address a labor shortage last year, in part, by rotating in as baggage handlers. “The executives are doing it in part because it’s the right thing to do to keep the company going, but it’s also just a rotation that makes sense for a lot of people”, McRae says. The other benefit: those executives also gained a deeper understanding of how their operations work.

More than just a buzzword

Buzzwords may be buzzwords, but according to McRae, Quiet Hiring just may stick around. “The reality for the next year is — whether or not we go into a recession — everyone’s a little nervous,” McRae says. “In a lot of cases, organisations are not necessarily doing a hiring freeze, or layoffs, but maybe slowing down a little bit on their hiring.”

“The nature of work is shifting, and these terms help us fit those changes into our worldview.”

But it’s always good to be wary of new buzzwords floating around the recruitment and HR industry, argues Harvard professor Joseph Fuller in a Vox article. “What we’re seeing is an effort to try to relate changes in the way work is done to historical paradigm. In other words: the nature of work is shifting, and these terms help us fit those changes into our worldview.”

Work-life balance in Europe: new ILO report shows Europe ranks last in average hours of work per week

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‘The number of hours worked, the way in which they are organised, and the availability of rest periods can significantly affect not only the quality of work, but also life outside the workplace’. That’s the start of the International Labour Organisation’s latest report entitled ‘Working Time and Work-Life Balance Around the World’. The study looks at the two main aspects of working time; working hours and working time arrangements (better known as work schedules), as well as the effects of both on business performance and workers’ work-life balance.

More than one-third work more than 48 hours

ILO’s study found that a substantial portion of the global workforce are working either long or short hours when compared to a standard eight-hour day/40 hour working week. More than one-third of all workers are regularly working more than 48 hours per week, while a fifth of the global workforce is working short (part-time) hours of less than 35 per week. Informal economy workers are more likely to have long or short hours.

Europe ranks last in average hours of work per week

The report also looks at the average hours of work per week, which allows a look inside the state of working hours in Europe and the rest of the world. Within that ranking, Europe ranks last in terms of average hours of work per week. 

Average hours of work per week were clearly the longest in Asia and the Pacific (47.4), particularly in Southern Asia (49.0) and Eastern Asia (48.8). In contrast, the shortest average hours of work per week are found in North America (37.9) and Europe and Central Asia (38.4), particularly in Northern, Southern and Western Europe (37.2). The other regions of the world lie somewhere between these two extremes, the report states

Hours worked have decreased since pandemic 

According to the report, actual hours of work per week decreased most in Austria, with decreases of 2 hours and 48 minutes per worker. Followed by Belgium, Italy and Portugal, with decreases of about 90 minutes per worker. In France, the number has decreased to about 70 minutes per worker. While Sweden, Spain and Poland saw decreases of about 30 minutes per worker. 

Source: ILO

 

The combination of working hours, rest periods and the organisation itself can have what the ILO describes as a ‘profound influence’ on the physical and mental well-being of workers. “Working time also has significant implications for enterprises in terms of their performance, productivity, and competitiveness. Decisions on working time issues can also have repercussions for the broader health of the economy, the competitiveness of industry, levels of employment and unemployment, the need for transport and other facilities, and the organisation of public services.”

Work-life balance: Europe does well

Generally speaking, however, Europe seems to come out relatively well compares to other areas of the world in OECD’s Work Life Balance Index. Of the 22 OECD countries studies, 9 of the top 10 countries are European. Italy comes out on top, while Denmark, Norway, Spain, Netherlands, France, Sweden, Germany and Belgium also feature in the top 10.

Source: OECD

The state of mental health

So what is that influence on mental health? IHME data from 2019 illustrates that while Australia and New Zealand lead the list in terms of mental disorders, several European countries rank quite high. Portugal (18.45%), Spain (18.32%), Ireland (17.61%) and Switzerland (17.07%) all rank in the worldwide top 10. Poland is the continent’s reverse-leader, with a mental disorder percentage of roughly 10.60%. 

A ‘hunger’ for a four-day workweek

4 Day Week CEO Charlotte Lockhart

Slowly but steadily more organisations may see potential in a four-day work week, which is led in Europe by a New Zealand-base company 4 Day Week Global. 4 Day Week Global s a multinational coalition of businesspeople, academics, researchers and authors collaborating to make the productivity-focused flexible work model a reality. The coalition is driving the biggest change in work since the shift to a five-day week a century ago.

“There is a real hunger for support and community in this change to the way we work.”

Trials have been underway in the last two years — showing positive effects on both businesses and its workers. 88% of respondents stated that the four-day week is working ‘well’ for their business at this stage in the trial. Meanwhile, 46% of respondents say their business productivity has ‘maintained around the same level’, while 34% report that it has ‘improved slightly’, and 15% say it has ‘improved significantly. “There is a real hunger for support and community in this change to the way we work”, Charlotte Lockhart, Managing Director and Founder of 4 Day Week Global told ToTalent.