Boom in HR vacancies in wake of pandemic

The UK's record number of job vacancies as pandemic restrictions ease has led to unprecedented demand for human resources (HR) specialists, according to a new survey.

David Sapsted

20 August 2021

Conducted by business intelligence specialist Vacancysoft for the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), the survey found HR vacancies in England and Wales increased 18.7 per cent in the second quarter of the year compared to Q1.It means that total hiring levels for 2021 have already exceeded last year's with the current monthly average of 2,452 roles more than double last year’s 1,162.APSCo said that with employers ramping up hiring levels as Covid-19 restrictions come to an end, and with the latest ONS data showing job vacancies at a record high, it was "perhaps unsurprising that there has been such a rise in demand for specialists who can manage employers’ talent attraction strategies".Ann Swain, APSCo chief executive, said that the data clearly showed that employers were well on the road to recovery with demand for HR professionals reflecting the upward trajectory."And," she added, "with businesses not only hiring again as the economy has opened up, but also contending with some of the worst talent shortages in years, it is easy to see why recruitment specialists are in such demand."As we progress throughout the next few months, we expect to see the market for HR professionals continue to perform exceptionally well.”Meanwhile, in the US a 'Pulse of HR Report' - a survey by payroll services company Paychex of 1,000 HR decision-makers - found that 98 per cent of respondents said the pandemic had transformed their roles with 70 per cent saying the past year had been one of the most challenging of their careers.Paychex found that almost eight in 10 HR leaders reported they were strategic partners within their companies and continued to be involved in C-suite conversations about new business initiatives."But," according to a CNBC report, "that doesn’t make it easy for HR workers to be the messengers between employees on the ground struggling through the health crisis, and leaders at the top making decisions about how, where and when people work."Alison Stevens, director of HR services at Paychex, said the pandemic had caused a non-stop deluge of work over the past 18 months and that the burnout many people were experiencing, both at work and home, was especially acute for some in human resources.“Part of the stress is that, by nature, HR professionals tend to take care of others before themselves. It's how we are hard-wired,” she told CNBC. “That, combined with the fact that the pandemic isn’t over.

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“Now, HR professionals really need to lean into taking care of themselves. They need to make sure they’re taking advantage of the benefits they’re working to shape for their employees. The benefits they’ve built are more important than ever as we go into the next couple of months in particular.”The continuing demands on HR staff were illustrated this week by the latest 'Labour Market Outlook', a poll of more than 2,000 senior HR professionals and decision-makers conducted by the UK's Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).It found strong employment intentions among most employers for the third quarter of the year as business confidence hit a nine-year high. It found strong employment intentions among most employers for the third quarter of the year as business confidence hit a nine-year high. Jonathan Boys, labour market economist at the CIPD, said that while the survey was incredibly strong compared to last year, the end of the furlough scheme meant employers would not be able to expand and contract their staffing levels at minimum cost, which they have been enjoying as a form of flexibility provided by the scheme. This will no longer be a viable strategy as the scheme winds down, so we’ll see recruitment and retention pick up the slack as employers look to plug any gaps in their workforce,” he warned. “With difficulty finding labour in some sectors, employers will need to think more long term about how they meet skills needs. It’s important for organisations to look carefully at their recruitment and retention strategies and consider where they need to develop these."