LinkedIn survey: hiring and mobile recruitment soars in 2014

LinkedIn survey: hiring and mobile recruitment soars in 2014

The number of UK firms planning to increase their professional contracting and permanent roles alike is rising dramatically, the latest Recruiting Trends survey from LinkedIn reveals.

400 talent acquisition professionals were polled for the 2014 study. The proportion anticipating an increase in the number of permanent employees and contractors they hire rose from 42% last year to 65% this year. 41% also expect their hiring budgets ‒ the money set aside to attract new talent ‒ to rise this year, which is a substantial increase on the 28% who expected more cash last year.

Jobbing Umbrella Company employees are well aware that when candidate availability for skilled permanent roles declines, employers will often turn to professional contractors for business-critical assignments. The LinkedIn survey suggests that skilled talent is thin on the ground and that recruiters are now scouring around on the hunt for passive talent (people who are not actively looking for a new role). 57% of UK recruiters said that the businesses they work with are now focusing on these candidates, although this is lower than the global average of 61% and well behind China (83%) and India (69%).

Finally, 38% of recruiters reported seeing rising numbers of candidates using their mobile devices to find out about new roles, which is twice as many as in 2013. The number of companies receiving large numbers of mobile applications has risen by 75% since last year and, as a consequence, 67% more companies are investing to a greater extent in mobile recruitment and 70% more plan to optimise their career sites for mobile.