“Which social platform are they using?” The recruitment search for skills

Social media recruiting strategies are starting to change. Which social networks are we all now using the most?

A ‘Skills Cap’ is one of the proposals to reduce immigration. But are tier two visa limits fit for purpose in the real world?

Britain’s oil and gas are two of the nation’s most lucrative industries. New figures see the sector putting aside uncertainty and eyeing record growth.


Social Media recruiting: Is Facebook’s crown starting to slip?

We are still living in the social media age – but are the rules of the game slowly changing?

The digital marketing agency TerminalFour has assessed engagement with University recruiters online. What lessons can professional recruiters learn from the higher education sector?

In the past year, we have seen Facebook’s crown slip – dogged by GDPR doubts and the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Now, industry analysts have named another platform as the new front-runner in social recruitment.

TerminalFour has determined that it is not Facebook, but Instagram, which proves the most fertile ground for hiring young professionals.

The agency found that the image-sharing site has almost doubled effective engagement among recruiters in the last 12 months.

Using survey data of recruiters from 23 countries – including the UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and America – TerminalFour found that Instagram topped the charts for 36 per cent of organisations.

This still places the app-based network in second place behind Facebook – which is effective for 45 per cent of recruiters. However, it is the rate of change that is of greater interest in determining the change in online trends. Facebook fell by about a third on its previous year (62%), while Instagram improved on past performance, (up from 20%).

And, from 2019, the social giants could be neck-and-neck. Instagram will be the priority for 32 per cent of agencies, while Facebook remains top dog for 36 per cent.

Shifting demographics and staffing software lead the change

The researchers list shifting demographics as a core reason for the change. Facebook is a social network for older generations, with lower uptake among younger generations. There is a strong likelihood that these patterns will continue – with youth-orientated apps like Instagram and Snapchat becoming more vital recruiting grounds. It will mean recruiters will need to ensure they have the right recruitment crm software on-hand to respond to the changing tastes of their candidates.

We should treat the data with some caution. Attracting student applications to Higher Educational Institutions is similar to the work of professional recruiters – but it is not identical. Similarly, the experience-led recruitment of students can be very different to that laid out for professionals. Likewise, agency staffing software typically provides an all-in-one solution for recruiters. These days, there are low overheads attached to social media recruitment.

Yet social media remains a critical facet of recruiting strategies across all sectors. There are are some strategies which remain effective across the board.

But would a platform aimed at youth and “experiential” posting appeal to the wider working population? There is evidence that certain professions are immune to the allure of the social networks, when it comes to finding a job.

Of course, Instagram is a subsidiary platform, wholly owned by Facebook. So they still end up on the top of the heap, anyway.


Low pay, high value: the migration puzzle


The brexit debate should pay more attention to the demand for low paid workers, the Financial Times writes.

Following our examination last week of the economic impact of tier two visas, the FT highlights several immigration cap pitfalls. Too much time is spent assessing the worth of high-salaried migrant workers, they say. And, in reality, the lower-waged workforce is the one that really matters. Perhaps the most urgent of these is the potential impact on the elderly care sector.

The FT describes the Tier 2 skills cap as a “powerful lever”; one that is likely to reshape the UK jobs market for years to come.

They also identify a popular misconception in the UK jobs market, which it says the government is guilty of making. That is: the assumption that low paid workers are workers of little value.

Using the example case of elderly care workers, the FT assessed the shortfall in service workers, under the ‘skills cap’ system.

Challenges are systemic

The downward pressure on care worker wages is not a symptom of inward migration. It is a direct result of the way contracts are negotiated between service providers and local authorities. Council budgets are strictly limited; the market is a crowded and competitive one. By normalising zero-hours contracts, the service providers are able to win business by tabling low-ball offers. As a consequence, elderly care workers have to be willing to work for lower pay – in order to work at all.

But removing the agencies’ access to certain workers will not change the strict council budgets which frame contract negotiations. And, consequently, it will not change the bidding process – or the wages – either.

Yet that does not change the reality that elderly care provision is a necessity. It is a market where demand is inevitably set to grow, yet supply is increasingly stretched to breaking point. Equally, front-line care is one lower-paid industry which cannot automate its core tasks. In 2016, 18 per cent of the UK was 65 years or older. By 2036, around 24 per cent of the population will be 65 or older. In the next ten years, there is estimated to be a shortfall in elderly carers totalling almost half a million workers (400,000).

Having detailed the limitations – and possible consequences – of a skills cap migration policy last week, the FT article gives more food for thought. It appears that the current policy is unlikely to work if applied. And, if we do in fact see a skills cap from next year, recruiters will find themselves stretched to capacity as they seek to meet the demand from employers.


Energy Sector eyes growth in oil and gas


While much of the UK jobs market is confronting uncertainty, it is good to see other sectors return to confidence. The domestic oil and gas industries are reporting increases in recruitment – with skilled contractors leading the way.

The Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) has disclosed that energy firms are broadly expanding. Data from the Fraser of Allander Institute looked at 115 enterprises and found that most were hiring. Of these, around one in five businesses was set to expand by ten per cent or more.

This equates to hiring rates last seen in 2013.

Confidence is also high amongst contractors, with 63 per cent stating that they were more confident in the current industry.

Despite the growth, the sector remains divided about post-Brexits prospects. Approximately half of enterprises stated that brexit would have no impact on their activities. 45 per cent believed that exiting the EU would negatively impact their activities.