According to research by The Open University Business, the total cost of the UK skills shortage is £6.3 billion a year and SMEs, which make up a large portion of businesses in the UK, shoulder the majority of the cost. Around 69% of SMEs think that large employers monopolise the best talent and that they are unable to compete by raising salaries or spending significantly on recruitment strategies.  John Williams, Head of Marketing & Research at Instant Offices, has provided insightful ways on how SMEs can use social media as an effective recruitment tool.

Despite more than 83% of businesses naming talent acquisition as the number one priority in their organisation last year, a staggering 91% of organisations in the UK have had difficulties hiring employees over the past 12 months.

Lack of skills in the UK labour market has made it difficult for businesses to find talented workers to fill roles. This is particularly prevalent in the STEM sector, where 97% of employers face difficulties finding the right hires, the financial industry, where 96% struggle, and in real estate, where 83% of employers have been unable to find talent to fill vacant roles.

Over the last 12 months in the UK:
• 64% of employers have spent more on recruitment than ever before
• 63% have recruited at a lower level than intended
• 56% have increased the salary on offer to recruit a skilled person

After employee referrals (48%) and job boards (46%), a LinkedIn survey listed social media as third on a list of priorities for HR Professionals looking to improve their recruitment strategies, with 40% saying they would use professional social networks.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 84% of organisations are now using social media for recruiting, compared to 56% in 2011. Here’s why:

• 92% of the UK population has access to the internet
• 81% of the population has access to a mobile phone
• 85% access the internet at least once a day
• 48% of the UK population have active social media accounts

In addition, 79% of job seekers are likely to use social media for their search, and the number increases to 86% for younger job seekers. According to HR professionals, the top reason for using social media as a recruitment tool is to reach out to potential and sometimes passive candidates who may not necessarily be actively looking for a new job. Of course, certain social platforms have been proven to be the most successful and productive.

Of the employers using social media for recruitment, 96% used LinkedIn, while 66% and 53% used Facebook and Twitter respectively. Social media recruitment has become so effective that 66% of organisations have optimised their recruiting tools for smartphones, such as career websites (39%), job postings and applications (36% each).

How to Use Social Media as a Recruitment Tool

While screening potential candidates online can be easy, remember that these same candidates are checking up on your company as well. A prospective employee may be put off by seeing poorly controlled comment threads, websites or social media feeds. Here are some ways to improve your recruitment strategy using social media:

Encourage employees to share company achievements

Encourage employees to become company advocates by sharing interesting, valuable and impressive information about the business, including successes and thought leadership content.

Build your brand as a great place to work

While you may use your social media profiles to market products, services or industry developments, you may also consider including some posts about life at the office and employee profiles to give your company an identity that potential candidates can relate to.

Understand the millennial view on employment

The first step to social media recruitment is understanding how millennials, today’s largest workforce, think about employment. Previous generations had different views on work, which included long-term commitment and a secure retirement package. Job satisfaction and fulfilment was just an added perk.

Millennials are always looking for the next best thing, so promoting an environment of excitement and flexibility will bode well for your organisation.

The Evolution of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the platform of choice for recruiters and candidates. With 530 million members as of 2017, LinkedIn is now more than just a networking site – it is a major content platform with over 100,000 new articles published every week. This means that LinkedIn will continue to be a fierce competitor, not just for recruitment, but as a professional network as well.

Instagram Stories the Next Big Thing

The rise of Instagram has been one of the most significant opportunities for social recruiting, changing the game even more with the launch of Instagram Stories. According to statistics, Instagram Stories receive 35% more views for brands compared to Snapchat Stories, while the rise of Instagram Stories has led to a decrease in regular post engagement. This means companies using the platform for employer branding and recruiting needs to implement Instagram Stories into their strategy or risk losing out on followers, engagement and potential new hires.

Social media has improved the way employers and recruitment agencies search and find new talent. If you are not yet embracing the power of social media for your recruitment efforts, you could risk being left behind.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Skilled Workers Shortage: Is Social Media An Effective Recruitment Tool For SMEs? appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

The good news about the UK labour market continues as the Welsh Government programme offering individual support to SMEs looking to grow and expand has created its 5000th job, Economy Secretary Ken Skates has revealed.

Business Wales’ Accelerated Growth Programme has been an enormous success since its inception in 2015, and reached the impressive milestone as Tiago Szabo, a factory operator for Wrexham based automotive design and manufacture company Hi-Mark, began work at the company’s 25,000sq ft site.

Economy Minister Ken Skates was at the factory to witness their growth and to meet Tiago. He said: “The Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme has been a real flag bearer for Business Wales and it’s fantastic to see that it’s now been directly responsible for some of our most ambitious and high potential SMEs creating 5000 new jobs across Wales. It’s a success story that’s testament to the Welsh Government’s proactive support for business and the hard work and expertise of the team there.”

But what’s special about this programme isn’t just the growth it drives in companies but also the impact that in turn it is having on individuals the length and breadth of Wales. The Economy Minister pointed out that these 5000 jobs may otherwise not have been created and it’s a source of great pride for him that they have been able to help people like Tiago into a job at a company with a proven track record of delivery that’s looking to the future with vision and confidence.

“Hi-Mark’s plans to invest in robotics and automation to drive efficiency and further growth are particularly exciting, with this the third such job we have supported there through this scheme. I would encourage businesses in Wales with strong ambitions to grow and expand to explore whether the Accelerated Growth Programme can help them too,” continued the Minister. “It was fantastic to meet Tiago and the hard working team at Hi-Mark today. Creating 5000 jobs is no mean feat, and, as I look to the future of the programme, I feel confident in predicting there will be many more milestones to come.”

Hi-Mark has been designing and manufacturing injection moulded products for over 40 years. The firm’s 40-strong workforce use cutting edge technology to manufacture products that are used by some of the largest automotive companies in the world.

Jack Yates, Managing Director of Hi-Mark commented, “The support we have received through the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme has been invaluable to us. It helped us through a tricky negotiation phase with a major customer, resulting in us securing a significant order which we may not otherwise have been in a position to win.”

Having access to a highly-respected sales specialist meant they were able to set up a new framework for the way we approach sales and networking. Even though it’s early days of adopting these new ways of working, the results speak for themselves.

“I’m delighted that we are the company responsible for creating the 5000th job, which is a great honour for our team. Tiago is settling into the team really well so far and we are confident that our team will continue to grow over coming months,” said Mr Yates, “I would strongly encourage other businesses looking for support to apply for the programme. Since signing up Hi-Mark has gone from strength to strength, and I’m very grateful for all the help we’ve received.”

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post UK Labour Market: 5,000 Jobs Now Created By Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Falling numbers in university students can take the current workforce to a shortage of specialised and high-skilled future professionals. However, far from being just an issue, Develop Training Limited (DTL), a provider to the utilities and construction sector, thinks of it as an opportunity to bring undergraduate to the line-up of major businesses and end their studies there. Moreover, apprenticeships are seen as the perfect alternative to meet the hiring needs while providing expertise and training to new generations.

Many commentators have blamed high tuition fees for a growing number of young people applying for university, raising fears of a lack of social mobility. Nonetheless, school leavers give other reasons too, including that they don’t enjoy studying or don’t think they have the necessary academic skills for university.

The training company DLT says that apprenticeships have the capability, not just to provide an alternative to university but also to address the wider issues.

Operations Director, John Kerr, says: “Instead of racking up student debt, apprentices earn while they learn, and apprenticeships provide other ways of learning for those who aren’t suited to academia. At DTL, we specialise in practical training for high earning roles in utilities and construction. Yes, there is an element of classroom learning but for most of our apprenticeships, the focus is on learning through well-supervised, genuine on-the-job experience.”

Mr Kerr says that apprenticeships can also generate social mobility, even beyond what might be expected from gaining a practical qualification and a well-paid job. He explains: “As an organisation that believes in providing a holistic educational experience, we support many young people who have fallen behind with academic learning.” Crucially, he points out, that includes ensuring that apprentices attain satisfactory levels of literacy and numeracy.

Ensuring students attain a set level of literacy and numeracy is a requirement made of apprenticeship providers by the educational watchdog Ofsted, and DTL has invested in technology and teaching to ensure that apprentices reach the levels they need, not just to attain their qualification but also to equip them for life.

“Clearly, people who have poor literacy or numeracy, or both, are going to be disadvantaged,” says Mr Kerr. “This is a significant step in giving them social mobility.”

With these crucial core skills and the confidence of having completed an apprenticeship, they might well go on to get a university degree or similar-level qualification, he points out.

Mr Kerr adds: “For us at DTL, this is much more than a question of meeting the requirements of the regulator. You can see this in our response to another Ofsted instruction. We have pioneered the introduction of safeguarding, ensuring that young people are safe in the workplace and the training environment.”

DTL’s latest Industry Skills Forum on the subject brought together leading figures in HR in the utilities and construction sector, to discuss safeguarding and the government’s Prevent initiative, which requires education providers to play their part in ensuring young people aren’t recruited into extremism.

As an approved provider under the apprenticeship levy scheme, DTL says its customers expect it to deliver well-trained individuals, capable of carrying out their roles effectively and safely. This is particularly important when those roles are often in potentially hazardous environments in the gas, electricity, water and construction industries.

But as Mr Kerr sums up: “Our first duty is to the apprentices themselves, and we believe that ensuring their safety is paramount. By also ensuring they have those core literacy and numeracy skills, we add value to the opportunities created by their apprenticeship.” 

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post ‘Apprenticeships Are The Answer To Falling Uni Numbers’, Says Training Company appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.