RPO Trends to Keep an Eye on in 2022

“The future belongs to those who prepare for it.” – Jim Moran, Former United States Representative

Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) trends often dictate how the job market is performing and how it might change down the road. There are a multitude of factors to consider at any point in time, both internal and external. However, that is part of what makes an RPO agency so necessary as a concept. As market experts, they are ready for these sudden changes and have the capabilities to combat challenges. In recent years, the pandemic has been one of the biggest influencers of such trends in the job markets around the world.

Businesses were forced to enforce survival plans with the shutdowns affecting nearly every industry across the world. With the arrival of vaccines and the mass movements towards more adaptive work modes, the world is somewhat back on track. This has many economic experts thinking that we are indeed on our way to recovery. Having said all that, let’s have a look at some of these RPO trends that might likely take place as we go further into 2022.

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RPO Trends in 2022

It is important to know the RPO trends for both the RPO agency as well as the client. Both sides need to be reasonably aware of the ongoing phenomenon in their respective industry’s job markets to make the most informed decision. This list should help you gain insight into what you might face later on this year and maybe even give you an upper hand thanks to your foresight.

1) The Prominence of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

(DEI) Recruiters who work under RPO companies know the importance of DEI in the workplace. The pandemic had a unique way of highlighting several underlying issues in business processes and company cultures. It was a time when many employees and employers alike began to realize the importance of a healthy workplace. This may be considered as beyond just an RPO trend and you know what? It is more than that. As we go forward into this year, DEI will play an ever-increasing role in company cultures. More and more companies will need to build their employment policies and workplace standards around these expectations to survive and thrive.

Finding top talent is becoming increasingly difficult due to rising competition in the job markets.

2) Targeted Upskilling is Necessary

It would be a fair assessment to say that the market is getting more competitive in terms of skilled individuals. It is becoming harder to find the right people with the right skills. Even if you do, there is a high level of competition for these individuals. RPO companies should be able to identify the skill gaps that need to be addressed to strengthen a company’s workforce. This trend indicates that companies will have to turn to RPO agencies and their data to develop targeted upskilling strategies going forward.

3) Next-Gen Technology

Another one of the interesting RPO trends that have emerged recently is the prominence of recruitment technologies in the industry. With the arrival of SaaS companies all over the place, RPO companies have been taking advantage of emerging technologies as well as some of the classics. This includes technologies such as applicant tracking systems (ATS), job boards, social media platforms, automated reference checking and so on. Remember the previous point about the targeted upskilling strategies and the race to find the top talent? Well, this is a core factor in companies winning said race.

“It’s better to be prepared than to get ready.“ – Will Smith, American Actor

4) Remote Hiring/Onboarding

Ever since the Covid-19 outbreak in 2019, nothing has been the same. One of the things that changed and remains so is online hiring and onboarding. It has been the norm in many companies for a few years now and doesn’t look like this is about to change any time soon. With many recruiters, RPO or otherwise, jumping on this bandwagon to cater to the demand for more employees ensures the longevity of this trend. Online hiring and onboarding is an RPO trend that is here to stay. Especially with so many companies adapting the hybrid work model for their day-to-day business operations.

5) Remote-Work Candidates Only

If you are a hiring manager or a recruiter with an RPO firm, you might have noticed the large volume of candidates in recent days that have been on the lookout for remote working opportunities. This trend started just as the lockdowns happened. People realized the convenience of working remotely. With so many companies adopting the hybrid work model and remote work models to accommodate these candidates, this is a trend that will stay for a long time.

In the long run having an RPO agency on your side is one of the best things for your business.

6) Candidate Care

Candidate care is one of the more significant RPO trends to have emerged in recent times. Basically what this refers to is how recruiters work with candidates and past hires. While most recruiters, be it in-house hiring managers or RPO recruiters, work very closely with candidates. However, not all do. This is slowly changing given the importance of having a positive employer image in the eyes of the candidate. The more the candidate feels cared for during the recruitment process, the better your employer branding. Ultimately this means your path to securing top talent is that much easier.

7) Global Recruiting Experience

As far as RPO trends go, the RPO agencies that operate on a global scale or handle global recruitment have a growing edge over the domestic recruiters. Operating on such a large scale means that they not only have access to a wide variety of talent and diversity, but they also need to be well-versed in labour laws and hiring practices of different countries. This gives them an edge over local head-hunters. Therefore, companies that hire RPO companies with global recruitment experience will also have that edge on their side.

8) RPO as a Long-Term Recruitment Solution

Regardless of the scale of the business, a good RPO solution is good for almost every company’s growth and hiring needs. Look, technology is showing no signs of slowing down and policies change every day. This makes RPO agencies the ideal solution to lead the charge to help companies remain relevant in the long run.