Recruitment trends in 2023

Recruitment is a key HR process for every company, however, with the nature of the current job market and ongoing skill shortages, it has become increasingly difficult for medical practices to hire quality candidates. As we round out the end of 2022, we thought we would include some key hiring trends that researches have predicted will dominate recruitment in 2023. 

‘Rightsizing’ vs downsizing 

In light of ‘The Great Resignation’ epidemic predicted for 2022, there have also been talks of a potential recession hitting Australia’s shores, resulting in greater employer concerns about the rate of hiring and turnover. The term ‘rightsizing’ your business refers to the focus on maintaining your current headcount and filling vacant roles, rather than adding new positions. Companies who added permanent positions into their workplace in 2022 are now looking to restructure and focus on optimising their current team in order to manage their workloads. 2023 will likely see companies focusing on efficiency and improving the productivity of existing employees. 

Salary to drive candidate decisions
As the cost of living pressures escalate, candidates will continue to follow the higher pay to stay ahead of inflation. This trend is something noticed within the last few months as we have seen the pressures of inflation come to a head. Even though the employment market is set to ease and starting salaries and rates of pay are set to stabilise, ongoing skills shortages in specialised areas will continue to give job seekers powers to demand a higher salary. 

Workplace flexibility
With lockdowns now becoming a thing of the past, more employers will be requesting employees increase their number of office days in 2023. However, many candidates and employees will not consider a role that involves working in the office full-time, and will expect a high level of workplace flexibility. For our medical practices in particular, working from home arrangements may not be suitable due to the nature of needing to be present in the practice to perform their duties. This may be something that practices will need to re-consider if they are finding it difficult to attract and retain staff. 

Economic uncertainty means candidates are prioritising job security
With the looming concerns of a possible recession, employees are becoming more hesitant to change roles contributing to the further tightening of talent pool’s across all industries. When looking for a new role, candidates are often focused on job security to be sure they won’t be the first to be let go as the market continues to soften. 

Some companies have found that talking about the company’s performance growth plans, the current market situation and on boarding processes in interviews can go a long way in creating a sense of job security. They have also found that by doing this, it showcases how the business will support new recruits and existing employees. 

Focusing on your current talent to fill vacant positions
With an ongoing skills shortage and companies becoming more reluctant to hire extra staff members, business owners will be looking inward to identify and train in-house talent to step into more senior roles. Promoting existing staff is also a cost-effective way to retain company knowledge and employees. Having these types of opportunities for existing staff can also increase productivity in the workplace if employees realise that their hard work and commitment can lead to promotions in the future. 

Take a step back before starting the recruitment process to develop a clear understanding of what you are wanting in an employee, who you are wanting to hire and to also consider whether there is an internal employee that, with some training, could step into the role you are hiring for. Taking these factors and the above mentioned trends into consideration can help practices be more cost-effective in the recruitment process as well. 

	Workplace Relations Support  Workplace Relations Support can help members with initial support around the recruitment process and what you should be considering. You can contact us via phone (07) 3872 2222 and email support workplacerelations@amaq.com.au.
	Workplace Relations Toolkit Workplace Relations Toolkit subscribers are provided with recruitment and induction process documents to aid them in the process. This includes documents outlining, reference questions, induction checklists etc.
	Workplace Relations Consultancy Workplace Relations Consultancy can assist members with the recruitment and selection process, as well as providing guidance on where your current processes may need updating.