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The Scoop: Recruitment Trends & Industry Insights | March 2023

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Here is your March guide to the latest trends impacting the world of work. Every month, we provide perspective on the biggest news affecting the industry and explain what to expect as new trends continue to emerge.

OECD Interactive Tool Provides Insight Into a Country’s Talent Attractiveness

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has developed the Indicators of Talent Attractiveness (ITA) as a comprehensive and interactive tool to evaluate the ability of OECD countries to attract and retain various categories of talented migrants.

In the latest edition of ITA for 2023, the tool has been expanded to cover four types of talented migrants: highly educated workers, foreign entrepreneurs, university students and start-up founders. Additionally, the ITA now features a broader range of dimensions to assess the attractiveness of a country for these talented migrants. This makes the ITA a more comprehensive and effective resource for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of OECD countries in attracting and retaining talented individuals.

  • A screenshot of a sample graph showing OECD countries stack ranked in order of quality of opportunities and skills environment as the most important factors. New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland rank 1 - 3. The bottom three are Costa Rica (bottom) followed by Turkey and Mexico.
  • A screenshot of the OECD interactive tool showing a chart comparing France against the USA. The US displays as a higher performer against the categories of Highly educated workers, entrepreneurs and university students.
  • A screenshot of a graph showing countries in order from left to right stack ranked by those with the most highly educated workers.

The research behind the tool aims to provide policymakers (and employers’ talent acquisition teams) with insights on how to attract and retain international talent to enhance economic growth and competitiveness.

Try the OECD’s Indicators of Talent Attractiveness (ITA) tool.

SEE ALSO: The OECD has also provided helpful papers on the top OECD destinations for start-up talents and the best countries for global talents in the OECD.

ILO Report Highlights Impact of Pandemic on Key Workers and Calls For Urgent Policy Action

The “World Employment and Social Outlook 2023: The value of essential work” report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on key workers and their working conditions. The report goes into specific detail for eight key occupational groups of food system workers, health workers, key retail workers, security workers, manual workers, cleaning and sanitation workers, transportation workers and technicians & clerical workers.

The ILO highlights the challenges faced by these key workers and proposes policies to improve their working conditions. Some of the notable observations in the report include:

  • Key workers have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, both in terms of their health and economic well-being.
  • Many key workers have experienced job insecurity, long working hours and inadequate pay and benefits.
  • Women and migrant workers have been particularly vulnerable during the pandemic.
  • Policies such as social protection measures and investments in healthcare and education can help to improve the working conditions of key workers.
  • The report also stresses the importance of social dialogue between employers, workers and governments to ensure that key workers’ rights and interests are protected.
The image is a graph titled “Key workers are over-represented in low-paid employment” with a sub-title: “Share of low-paid workers among key and other wage employees, by country income group”. From top to bottom, there are two bars for each income country group. The top light red bar in each group is for key employees and the bottom dark red bar is for other employees. 

The data reads as follows: 

AVERAGE
Key employees: 29%
Other employees: 20%

LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES
Key employees: 44%
Other employees: 31%

LOWER-MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES
Key employees: 33%
Other employees: 21%

UPPER-MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES
Key employees: 28%
Other employees: 19%

HIGH-INCOME COUNTRIES
Key employees: 19%
Other employees: 13%
Source: Analysis based on ILO Microdata Repository (ILOSTAT), 2019 or latest year

For employers, the importance of prioritizing fair wages, benefits, well-being and protection for key workers cannot be stressed enough, especially during times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. Employers need to ensure their key workers have access to adequate personal protective equipment, sick leave and mental health support, and should also be considering the impact of long working hours and job insecurity on their key workers. Otherwise, society risks losing critical workers to other sectors where employers can offer jobs and careers that provide these “hygiene” factors.  

To support the recruitment and retention of key workers in essential sectors, TA teams should review hiring practices and ensure they are doing all they can to attract candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences, including those who may have been adversely affected by the pandemic.

Continue reading the “World Employment and Social Outlook 2023: The value of essential work” report

The “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lighthouses 2023” Report by the Global Parity Alliance (GPA), in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF) and McKinsey & Company, summarizes the findings of the DEI Lighthouse Program, which aims to identify and share effective DEI initiatives from companies around the world. The program seeks to equip leaders with best practices to help focus DEI efforts and ultimately contribute to faster, scalable impact across the global business community.

The report outlines key success factors, presents case studies and offers a starting point for applying these success factors to each company’s unique context. Some of the notable highlights include:

  • Companies spent $7.5 billion on DEI-related efforts in 2020, projected to more than double by 2026.
  • It will take another 151 years to close the global economic gender gap at all levels.
  • The report outlines five success factors for impactful DEI initiatives: nuanced understanding of root causes, meaningful definition of success, accountable and invested business leaders, context-specific solutions and rigorous tracking and course correction.
  • Includes DEI case studies from employers, including but not limited to: EY, Limak, PwC, Randstad, Schneider Electrics, Shiseido, Tata Steel and Walmart.
  • Actions that employees, managers and team leaders can take to create more inclusive environments.

“Of global jobseekers, 39% have turned down or decided not to pursue a job opportunity because of a perceived lack of inclusion and 60% expect the CEO to speak publicly about social and political issues.”

DEI Lighthouses Report 2023

Throughout the report, there are many helpful insights for employers and talent acquisition teams. But one that stands out is how the intense competition for talent has resulted in companies prioritizing DEI, incorporating it into recruitment efforts and encouraging leaders to be more vocal about DEI issues [which includes being an influential leader on social media]. Of global job seekers, 39% have turned down or decided not to pursue a job opportunity because of a perceived lack of inclusion and 60% expect the CEO to speak publicly about social and political issues. This trend is particularly evident among young millennials and members of Generation Z, who consider a “diverse and inclusive organization” as one of the top three factors they look for in an employer.

Download and continue reading the “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lighthouses 2023” Report by the Global Parity Alliance (GPA), in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF) and McKinsey & Company.

Recent Study Reveals Prejudice Against Nonbinary Candidates in Recruitment Practices

A recent report published on business.com highlights the prevalence of nonbinary discrimination in the US job market. Despite growing awareness and legal protections, nonbinary individuals continue to face significant barriers in the hiring process. Key findings from the report include:

  • Nonbinary individuals face hiring discrimination and lower starting salaries compared to cisgender counterparts.
  • Many companies lack nonbinary-focused diversity and inclusion training.
  • Microaggressions, such as misgendering, are common for nonbinary employees, causing exclusion and discomfort.
  • The report calls for improved legal protections and diversity initiatives to address nonbinary discrimination.

For employers and talent acquisition teams, the key takeaways from the research include:

  • Recognize and address nonbinary discrimination: Employers should be aware of the existing bias against nonbinary job seekers and take proactive steps to create an equitable hiring process.
  • Enhance diversity and inclusion training: Implement comprehensive training programs that specifically address nonbinary issues, fostering awareness and understanding among employees and hiring managers.
  • Revise hiring practices: Review and update job descriptions, interview processes and policies to ensure they are inclusive and do not unintentionally discriminate against nonbinary candidates.
  • Foster a supportive work environment: Create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for nonbinary employees by addressing microaggressions, encouraging the use of preferred pronouns and providing resources and support.
  • Implement diversity initiatives: Establish programs and initiatives that actively promote diversity, including targeted recruitment and mentorship programs, to support nonbinary individuals in the workplace.

Continue reading about this research on business.com

About Nathan Perrott

As VP, Strategy & Innovation at Radancy, Nathan is responsible for observing emerging trends in technology and the future of work to drive product and strategy innovation, bringing the value of Radancy Labs' work to our clients and colleagues, and also leads the European team of solutions engineers who drive value from the Radancy Talent Acquisition Cloud.

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