li 2015 staffing trends (us)

2015 US Staffing Trends

LinkedIn’s 4th Annual Report

Introduction

To win in 2015, search & staffing leaders need to stay

ahead of the latest staffing trends. Broader technology

advancements have begun to disrupt the staffing industry,

setting the stage for a dynamic and exciting future for the

staffing industry.

About this survey We surveyed 1,994 staffing leaders in 11 countries to

understand what’s keeping them up at night and where

they see the industry headed in 2015. Get a head start on

2015: tap into our insights and chart your course for

success.

02 Introduction

03 Executive summary

04 Part 1: The staffing industry in 2015

08 Part 2: Sourcing

14 Part 3: Brand

18 Part 4: The future of recruiting


Executive summary: 2015 US staffing trends

3 must-know staffing trends to amplify your 2015 strategy

1 Sourcing: Social professional

networks have grown over 4 years to

become the top source of quality hires

for US staffing firms.

2 Brand: Most firms prioritize the

need to build their brand. Now their

actions are beginning to catch up.

“Think about the key quality hires that your

organization made in the past 12 months.

Which of the following were the most

important sources for those key positions?”

68%

58%

46%

33%

Our brand has asignificant impact onour ability to grow our

business

My company has abrand strategy

Those responsible forour brand have enoughresources to do it well

We regularly measurethe health of our brandin a quantifiable way

% Agree

“Please indicate the extent to which you agree

or disagree with the following statements as

they relate to your firm's brand.”

3 Brand: Professional networks and

word of mouth rise to become top

channels for promoting brand while firm

websites and job boards decline.


42%

55%

63% 64%

10%

30%

50%

70%

2011 2012 2013 2014

Social professional networks

Internet job boards

Your ATS/internal candidate database

Internet resume databases

Employee referral programs

47%

56%

66%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

2012 2013 2014

Online professional networks

Our firm's website

Friends/family, word of mouth

Traditional Job Boards

“Which channels or tools have you found

most effective in promoting your business?”

Part 1: The staffing industry in 2015

Placement volumes grow rapidly while budgets

straggle and competitive threats abound US placement volume continues strong growth

while budgets straggle

A whopping 84% of US staffing leaders project a placement

volume increase. The gap between US hiring volumes and

budgets remains wide. Staffing leaders must scale and invest

wisely.

“Considering only full and part-time professional employees, how do

you expect the hiring volume across your organization to change this

year?”

“How has your organization's budget for recruiting solutions changed

from last year?”

Part 1: The Recruiting Industry in 2015

87%

79% 84% 84%

64%

53% 51% 53%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2011 2012 2013 2014

Hiring Budget

Hiring Volume

% with increase

“What are the things that your competitors have done or may plan on

doing that would make you most nervous?”

25%

30%

28%

26%

29%

34%

Improve the clientexperience

Learn to use socialnetworking and social

media effectively

Build strong talent poolsor pipelines

US Global

Talent pipelining, social media, and client

experience are the top competitive threats

Significantly more US companies are concerned about

talent pipelining than global companies are.


Priorities: Top firm priorities are growing new client

base and being a strategic partner

Client business development and being a

strategic partner to clients are top priorities

US staffing firms prioritize passive candidate recruiting and

recruiting highly skilled talent significantly more than global

staffing firms do.

Boutique and large firms differ globally

Small staffing agencies are significantly more likely to

prioritize new clients and recruiting passive talent. We define

small agencies as organizations with fewer than 10

recruiters.

“Think about your firm’s top priorities for the next 12 months.

Which of the following choices would you consider to be the most

important and least important areas of interest for your

organization?”

“Think about your firm’s top priorities for the next 12 months.

Which of the following choices would you consider to be the

most important and least important areas of interest for your

organization?”


22%

24%

30%

46%

53%

30%

33%

33%

41%

49%

Recruiting passive talent

Recruiting/sourcing highly-skilled talent for my firm

Improving sourcingtechniques

Being a strategic partner tomy clients

Growing our base of newclients

US Global

50%

19%

56%

25%

Growing our base ofnew clients

Recruiting passivetalent

Large agencies Small agencies


Obstacles: Biggest obstacle in 2015 is availability

of quality talent

Availability of quality talent is #1 obstacle

Offers made by firm clients and competition follow closely

as top obstacles to recruiting talent.

Competition is a bigger obstacle for large firms globally

“What are your firm's biggest obstacles to attracting the best talent?”


“What are your firm's biggest obstacles to recruiting talent?”

45%

41%

60%

39%

41%

61%

Competition

Offer made by my client(includes compensation,

role, location, etc)

Availability of quality talent

US Global

42%

49%

Competition



Part 2: Sourcing

8

Top source for quality hires: Professional networks

Social professional networks rise to become

the top source for quality hires in US Social professional networks are the most important and

fastest growing source of quality placements, doubling over

the past 4 years. Other sources remain relatively flat, with

referral programs making a comeback.

“Think about the key quality hires that your organization

(placed/made) in the past 12 months. Which of the following were the

most important sources for those key positions?”

Small firms are outpacing large firms in global

usage of social professional networks Large agencies are more apt to use internet resume databases

to place high quality talent with their clients. Boutique agencies

are likely seeking more cost-effective sourcing channels.

38%

32%

46%

14%

Social professionalnetworks

Internet resumedatabases


“Think about the key quality hires that your organization (placed/made) in

the past 12 months. Which of the following were the most important sources

for those key positions?”

Part 2: Sourcing

42%

55%

63% 64%

10%

30%

50%

70%

2011 2012 2013 2014

Social professional networksInternet job boardsYour ATS/internal candidate databaseInternet resume databasesReferral programs


Top source for quantity: Professional networks

Social professional networks grow to become top source for quantity of hires in US

ATSes / internal candidate databases and internet resume databases are on the decline, potentially because these databases

are static whereas social professional networks are not.

“Think about the key quality hires that

your organization placed in the past 12

months. Which of the following were the

most important sources for those key

positions?” Showing % with over 15% of

hires.

Part 2: Sourcing

37%

52%

55% 57%

25%

50%

75%

2011 2012 2013 2014

Social professional networks

Internet job boards

Your ATS/ internal candidate database

Internet resume databases10 US Staffing Trends

Sourcing: Social professional networks and

job boards provide best quality and quantity

“How significant were each of the following as a source of white collar professional hires

for your organization in the past 12 months?” (>15% quantity of hires)

5 sources of hire for quality and quantity globally

“Think about the key quality hires that your organization (placed/made) in the past 12

months. Which of the following were the most important sources for those key

positions?”

54%

of global staffing leaders believe

they’re not doing a good job

tracking return on investment on

sources of placements. There’s

lots of room for improvement.

As the gap between hiring

volume and budgets widens, it’s

time to invest in and optimize the

sources that return both the best

quality and quantity of

candidates.

Part 2: Sourcing

Company career website

Company CRM system

Employee referral

programs

General career fairs

General social media

Job boards Internet resume

databases

Other Print

Social professional

networks

ATS/ internal candidate database

Best quality & quantity


Passive candidate recruiting: US above average

A large majority of staffing firms recruit passive

candidates. The US is above average. Why passive candidate recruiting works

Globally, 75% of professionals consider themselves “Passive.”

Because availability of quality talent is the #1 obstacle to hiring,

it’s important to consider this large passive talent pool. Use

different sources to target passive versus active candidates,

and have a different message for warm outreach.

75% Passive

25% Active

Global Candidate Breakdown

Active candidate definition:

Actively looking

Casually looking a few times a week

Passive candidate definition:

Reaching out to personal network

Open to talking to a recruiter

Completely satisfied; Don’t want to move

“How would you describe your job search status?”

Source: LinkedIn’s Talent Trends 2014 study

“To what extent does your recruiting organization focus on reaching

out to passive talent?” To some extent or very much so.

Part 2: Sourcing

United Kingdom 95%

China 94%

United States 91%

Canada 89%

Southeast Asia 88%

Australia 87%

India 87%

Brazil 84%

France 84%

Nordics 82%

Netherlands 72%

87% Global

average


Number of placements is most valuable metric for staffing firms in US

Client satisfaction and quality of placement aren’t far

behind in importance.

“What is the single most valuable metric that you use to track your

recruiting team's performance today?”

Part 2: Sourcing

18%

28%

29%

15%

23%

36%

Quality ofplacement

Clientsatisfaction

Number ofplacements

US Global


Extract value from top ROI sources in 2015

Next steps for your strategic planning

1. Arm yourself with data to stay competitive. Use LinkedIn’s free Talent Pool reports on SlideShare to size your target market and understand talent supply & demand.

2. Consider different search tactics for passive vs active candidates (i.e. Boolean search strings, indirect search, conceptual search).

3. Craft tailored messages to target candidates so you can attract them after you find them. Understand what would motivate them to switch jobs.

4. Define what ROI means for your firm and measure it across your sources of placements.

Part 3: Brand

14

Brand: It’s a priority and top reasons to invest

Most firms value brand but only some invest

in, manage, and measure it

Most US staffing leaders agree that brand is a priority. Brand

resourcing and measurement are still catching up.

Companies can get ahead by funding a proactive brand

strategy and tracking its success.

“Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the

following statements as they relate to your firm’s brand.”

Part 3: Talent Brand

68%

58%

46%

33%

Our brand has asignificant impact on our

ability to grow ourbusiness

My company has a brandstrategy

Those responsible for ourbrand have enough

resources to do it well

We regularly measure thehealth of our brand in a

quantifiable way

% Agree

Top 5 reasons agencies invest in their brand

The number one reason US agencies invest in their brand is due

to an increase in client demand. US agencies are more likely to

cite this as a reason than global companies. Global companies

are more likely to invest due to increased competition.

“For what reasons are you spending more on your firm’s brand this year?”

Directed to leaders who report spending more on brand this year.

40%

36%

46%

51%

46%

33%

34%

51%

51%

60%

Increased competition

Movement into newgeographies or sectors

where you haven't…

Increased belief in the impactof our firm's brand

Need to raise generalawareness

Increase in client demand

US Global


Brand: Top 4 channels for promoting it

Small agencies globally rely on word of mouth

Small agencies globally tend to take the friends and family

approach to promoting their brand likely due to its cost

effectiveness. Large agencies are 2X more likely to rely on

public recognition awards.

Professional networks & word of mouth

grow as top channels for promoting brand

Firm websites and traditional job boards are steadily

declining as effective sources for promoting firm brands.

“Which channels or tools have you found most effective in promoting

your business?”


47%

56%

66%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

2012 2013 2014

Online professional networks (e.g., LinkedIn)

Our firm's website

Friends/family, word of mouth

Traditional Job Boards

“Which channels or tools have you found most effective in promoting

your business?”

30%

16%

43%

8%

Friends/family, word ofmouth

Publicrecognition/awards



Brand: US firms are below average in prioritizing

and acting on their brand

US firms can remain competitive by

investing in and managing their brand

Southeast Asian and Indian firms lead the way in

agency branding. US firms have an opportunity to

amplify their brand by:

Articulating your competitive advantage so

clients and candidates know why you’re the

best firm for their industry, function, career, etc.

Using cost-effective social channels to make

your brand known. Start with free LinkedIn tools

like individual recruiter profiles, your company

page, and attracting followers.

Benchmarking your brand budget against

other investments — is your brand funded in

line with other priorities?

Measuring your brand using metrics like Net

Promoter Score (NPS) of your clients and

placements, company followers, # recruiters

with updated LinkedIn profiles.


Brand is a top priority for our organization

My c

om

pan

y h

as a

bra

nd

str

ate

gy

US UK

Australia India

Nordics

Brazil

Southeast Asia

China

Netherlands

France

Canada


Part 4: The future of staffing

18

The future of staffing: Sourcing passive candidates

& improved candidate & job matching Passive candidate recruiting and social

professional networks are here to stay

Global and US staffing leaders agree that passive candidate

recruiting and social professional networks are long-term

trends.

Trend spotting: Improved candidate and job

matching

Candidate and job matching could reshape the staffing and

recruiting industry.

“What do you consider to be the three most essential and long-

lasting trends in recruiting for professional roles?”

“Which of the following new and upcoming trends do you think will play

a significant role in shaping the recruiting industry for the next 5 to 10

years?”

Part 4: Predicting the Future of Recruiting

67%

66%

34%

33%

59%

65%

38%

32%

Finding better ways tosource passive

candidates

Utilizing social andprofessional networks

Using an internaldatabase to manage

talent leads

Boosting referralprograms

US Global

57%

38%

35%

34%

33%

51%

30%

31%

33%

35%

Improved candidate andjob matching

Remote workforce options

Focusing on referrals as aprimary source of talent

Recruiting becoming morelike marketing

Expanding into emergingmarkets

US Global


Survey sampling and methodology

Data Comparisons

Global comparisons are reported as un-weighted averages from the noted countries

Historical data comparisons are taken from 2011, 2012 and 2013 Global Recruiting Trends research, which had similar sampling criteria and methodology to 2014:

– 2014 survey fielded August-September 2014 with 202 US respondents

– 2013 survey fielded April-May 2013 with 292 US respondents – 2012 survey fielded May-July 2012 with 416 US respondents – 2011 survey fielded April-June 2011 with 376 US respondents

Survey Sample

Survey respondents are talent acquisition professionals who: – Work for a staffing firm – Represent an even mix of small, medium, and large

firms – Have at least some authority in determining their

company’s recruitment solutions budget – Focus exclusively on recruiting professional hires for

clients Survey respondents are members of LinkedIn who have

opted to participate in research studies. They were selected based on information in their LinkedIn profile and contacted via email.

Brazil: 185

USA: 202

Canada: 201

UK: 201 China: 100

Southeast Asia: 201 India: 202

Australia: 200

Nordics: 100

France: 200

Netherlands: 201


About LinkedIn

Talent Solutions

LinkedIn Talent Solutions offers

a full range of recruiting

solutions to help organizations

of all sizes find, engage, and

attract the best talent.

Founded in 2003, LinkedIn

connects the world’s

professionals to make them

more productive and successful.

With over 300 million members

worldwide, including executives

from every Fortune 500

company, LinkedIn is the world’s

largest professional network.

Subscribe to our Blog: talent.linkedin.com/blog/

Follow us on Slideshare: slideshare.net/linkedin-talent-solutions

Follow us on Twitter: @hireonlinkedin

Follow us on You Tube: youtube.com/user/LITalentSolutions

Discover additional insights: talent.linkedin.com

Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1337


http://talent.linkedin.com/blog/

http://www.slideshare.net/linkedin-talent-solutions






https://twitter.com/HireOnLinkedIn

https://twitter.com/HireOnLinkedIn

http://www.youtube.com/user/LITalentSolutions

http://www.youtube.com/user/LITalentSolutions

talent.linkedin.com

http://www.linkedin.com/company/1337

About the authors

Sam Gager Research Consultant,

LinkedIn Talent

Solutions

Sam is an experienced

researcher on

LinkedIn’s Insights

team. He and his

colleagues uncover

data-driven insights

from LinkedIn’s

proprietary data.

Rachel Bowley Research Associate,

LinkedIn Talent

Solutions

Rachel is a statistically

savvy number cruncher

and researcher. She

powers the insights

LinkedIn generates from

its data.

Esther Cruz Insights and Content

Marketing Manager,

LinkedIn Talent

Solutions

Esther is passionate

about connecting

people and

opportunities. She

enjoys creating

content and disruptive

thought leadership for

the talent industry.

Ryan Batty Director of Marketing,

LinkedIn Talent

Solutions

Ryan believes in the

power of great

storytelling to convey

meaningful ideas. He

leads a team of

marketers capturing

and sharing insights,

ideas and stories to

serve the talent

industry.


li 2015 staffing trends (us)

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staffing industry

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