What should we expect from the labour market in 2023?

Since 2020, things have felt a little… different… in recruitment.

No one has really known what to expect, and predicting the year ahead has not been as straight forward as it once was.

We think things are stabilising a bit – into a new normal. Here’s what we predict for 2023:

Candidates will become even more passive

We’re already seeing that:

• Trust in the recruiter
• Long-term career options
• Secure positions

Are key to placing a new hire, and this looks like it will continue in 2023. Relationship building will e vital for taking the candidate from interest to placement.

Marketing will set companies apart

The job market becomes more overcrowded as the candidate pool shrinks. Employers need to do something different to stand out, and as social media continues takes a bigger slice of our attention pie, content creators become increasingly more strategic, your part-time admin / social media manager just won’t be able to keep up.

Flexible working will be top of candidate’s priority lists

Flexibility is the number 1 priorty for candidates as it stands at the end of 2022.

A choice of shifts, flexible start/finish times and remote working are just some of the benefits that forward thinking employers are implementing due to the lifestyle shift seen in this post-covid world.

Salaries will continue to dramatically rise

The National Minimum Wage is rising in April 2023 to £10.42 for anyone aged 23 or above, which works out as a salary of £21,600 based on a 40 hour working week.

To remain competitive, businesses will need to raise their wages above this much increased new minimum – especially as we enter a period of recession.

Companies will consider increasing capacity for trainees

One of the biggest recruitment challenges the UK will continue to face in 2023 is a skills shortage.

A focus on staff retention is the first step in protecting the workforce, followed by the option of recruiting a trainee due the the cost – on average around £1530

Candidate engagement will be key to staff retention

Showing appreciation, understanding their frustrations and monitoring their wellbeing will be very important if you want to cap high levels of turnover. With so much choice available to them in the form of alternative employment

What are your plans for recruitment as we go in to the new year? 

Talk to us, we’ll work together to ensure they go as smoothly as possible: