A few months ago, we talked about the changes occurring across the workforce landscape and the ways in which “The Great Resignation” has impacted businesses large and small. If you are unfamiliar with “The Great Resignation,” allow us to present it to you through the following shocking statistic. Last year, over 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs.  While the worst of the pandemic is (hopefully) behind us, for many organizations, there is a great deal of ground to make up. This includes finding solutions to staffing challenges.

According to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the monthly unemployment rate in the United States has remained steady at 3.6% from March to May 2022. This is a significant improvement from the 5.9% national unemployment rate seen in June of 2021. However, in New York State, the unemployment rate remains higher than the national average at 4.4%.

For organizations within NYS, employing better recruitment marketing strategies remains a critical business element. Not only are better recruitment efforts necessary, but better employee retention strategies are equally important. Today’s workers are looking for employers who value inclusivity and diversity, who invest in their employees, provide flexible working environments and more.

Businesses must be open to change and differentiate themselves from their competition to attract long-staying, qualified workers and to minimize turnover in the current job-seeker’s marketplace. That means utilizing a wide variety of advertising avenues, leveraging different job boards, and displaying the company’s best qualities to show potential employees the business is a great place to work.

A Revamped Recruitment Marketing Approach

As employers struggle to fill job vacancies, hiring managers have learned that outdated recruiting strategies aren’t enough to attract new workers. And, not only outdated strategies, but most of the time, a singular advertising method isn’t going to cut the mustard to attract a large, diverse candidate pool. However, employers can modify their approach to hiring in this new landscape and find greater success with filling job openings.

Here are some ways that employers can adjust to hiring in 2022 and beyond:

• Amp Up Your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) – Employee Value Propositions are more important than ever in today’s marketplace, where employees are considering jobs with personal values in mind. We encourage you to add mission statements about diversity and inclusion, flexible working conditions, and staff enrichment within your larger recruitment marketing campaigns.
  • The Times Union Media Group’s recruitment clients have found success with this particular tactic by utilizing content marketing strategies, social media channels and native advertising to inform potential candidates about their EVP throughout the hiring process – especially the early stages.
• Employee Testimonials – People want to know they’re applying to a great workplace. A business can recruit more qualified employees by including testimonials from current workers in advertising and marketing campaigns, showing that the business truly is a great place to work.
  • The Times Union Media Group doesn’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk. We believe that our employees are our greatest asset. In order to highlight a few ways in which Hearst and the TUMG supports their employees, we asked for some first-hand accounts from the team. You can check out the TUMG’s commitment to the community, read some employee testimonials, checkout company benefits, learn about the value we place on career development and more here.

Recap

The 2022 hiring landscape is still evolving, and employers must be flexible as workers figure out their next career move. Statistics show that people are making decisions to leave jobs that don’t fit into their lifestyles or align with their values. Employers can leverage this sentiment by highlighting strong employee value propositions and by changing the ways they market their open positions and recruit prospective employees.

The trick to capturing those qualified, perfect hires is to learn what the employee of the future wants and then to provide that in a workplace. In this complicated and quickly changing environment, businesses need to pivot strategies to attract qualified employees, lower staff turnover rates, and provide that ‘something different’ that the workers of 2022 are seeking.

To briefly recap, here are a few such ways:

• Evaluate employer branding to create EVPs that resonate with worker values
• Diversify marketing and advertising to attract employees by using several tactics and other tools
• Create a flexible culture that combines remote and in-office work
• Offer career opportunities instead of jobs, as workers are looking to reinvent and grow their careers and skillsets

Strong brand positioning is essential nowadays to ensure you’re attracting passive and active job seekers. Get in touch with the Times Union Media Group’s Recruitment Marketing team to learn more about how you can present your brand to the best of your ability in today’s competitive labor market.

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