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Across the world, mass vaccinations have meant an easing of Covid-19 restrictions, and many industries that suffered at the helm of the pandemic are now back in business. However, with the reopening of businesses in the retail, hospitality, and travel sectors, comes the need to build out the frontline workforce – and fast.
With the US in the throes of a labor squeeze, high-quality candidates are in great demand. This means strategically building out your high volume hiring strategy to stay ahead of the competition.
In our latest eBook, 5 Best Practices to Recruit Frontline Workers in 2021 & Beyond, we dive deep into the current challenges being faced while hiring frontline workers, and how you can create a hiring strategy that sets you up for success. In this blog, we’ll provide a summary of our findings and best practices.
Who Needs Frontline Workers Right Now?
Some of the industries hardest hit by the pandemic were the retail and hospitality sectors. Both suffered considerable layoffs last year, with many companies reducing the number of recruiters on their payroll, making it even harder to ramp up hiring today.
The hiring of retail workers is taking place on two fronts: E-commerce businesses are seeking out warehouse and delivery staff to help cater to the surge in activity, while brick-and-mortar stores need employees as people return to in-store shopping.
Hospitality establishments are also seeking frontline workers: In May 2021 alone, the number of jobs in hospitality grew by 186,000. However, both sectors are facing a number of factors that have led to a labor squeeze.
Challenges of Hiring Frontline Workers
There are currently 9.3 million job openings in the US per the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2021. Prospective candidates have a multitude of employment opportunities at their feet and many companies are struggling to find applicants that will engage at the first stage.
What’s causing this labor squeeze?
- Fewer women in the workforce: Many women have left the labor force and are unable to return to employment due to the lack of affordable childcare
- Government stimulus packages: For many people receiving this support, returning to the world of work doesn’t make financial sense
- Growth of e-commerce: Many retailers are struggling to meet the high demand for warehouse and delivery staff after the growth of online shopping during the pandemic
- Health and safety concerns: Returning to a workplace with high levels of human contact can be daunting for many who were laid off during the pandemic
- Low immigration rates and travel restrictions: Immigration to the US dropped by 92% in the second half of the fiscal year 2020. Many industries that relied on hiring foreign workers are facing a shortage.
How can businesses get the candidates they need in the current climate?
5 Best Practices to Effectively Recruit Frontline Workers
Talview’s Instahiring methodology, which champions remote hiring, automation, and reevaluation, can help you deliver the low-touch, seamless process that candidates are seeking. Here’s how:
- Meet candidates where they are by catering to low bandwidth, mobile devices, and various communication channels including social media
- Prioritize candidate experience by including your own branding, providing information and guidance on the role, and leveraging featured videos to bring transparency to the process
- Objectively evaluate candidates and assess behavioral attributes to ensure you’re only moving quality applicants through the pipeline
- Leverage automation to reduce time-to-hire, with automated scheduling tools, calendar management, and video or audio interview recordings
- Tap into past candidate and current employee data that can help you fill new openings and upskill existing staff
Hiring frontline workers in the current climate is no simple task. It takes strategic thinking, adoption of new innovations, and putting candidates at the center of your strategy. By adopting the above best practices, you can ensure to provide excellent candidate experience and fast-track your way to hiring success.
Download the full 5 Best Practices to Recruit Frontline Workers in 2021 & Beyond eBook and get started today.
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