Majority of talent leaders in India want a push in hiring budgets, states LinkedIn survey

Hiring talented workforce is becoming difficult and in a bid to get the best of the industry, the talent managers want an increase in the hiring budget. As compared to other countries, India has an urgent requirement of talented workforce and as per a survey, it was revealed that the hiring budget should be increased.

In India, 63% of the talent leaders expect an increase in hiring budgets, which is a lot more than the global average of 37%, according to annual India Recruiting Trends survey for 2017, which was conducted by LinkedIn.

To drive out the competition, talent leaders are opting for different initiatives to lure candidates and building stronger employer brand.

The survey also highlighted the rise and reign of employee referrals in India; with Indian companies leading their global peers in leveraging referrals as channel for quality hires.

Also, the belief in employer branding has increased over the past years. From 78% in 2015, belief in employer branding has increased to 84% this year, among talent leaders who believe that a strong employer brand has a significant impact on their ability to hire great talent.

According to the survey, for 39% of talent leaders, their team is primarily responsible for building the employer brand. For this, talent leaders rely on websites and social professional networks platforms to generate awareness amongst prospective candidates.

“90% talent and HR leaders list talent as a number one priority at their organizations. In India, employee referrals continue to be the top source of quality hires for 63% of talent leaders, marking an 8% increase from the last year,” the survey by LinkedIn read.

It also indicated that Business Development, Sales, and Engineering emerge as high priority roles that require effective recruitment strategies and customized employer branding content to attract the right talent.

The survey also highlighted the need for automation in the present scenario. Indian talent leaders are in favor of using technology and innovative tools for recruiting. Thirty-eight percent (38%) state that, better sourcing tools would be one of the priority investments in the future. Further, with hiring demands growing in India, talent leaders are looking for automated ways to screen candidates.

Employers are now relying on modern techniques now. Innovative interviewing tools (42%) and candidate relationship management tools (36%) are emerging trends in the Indian recruiting industry. This sentiment is higher for Indian talent leaders as compared to their global counterparts.

“While 2016 was a year of recruitment consolidation for many employers, 2017 is shaping up to be more optimistic for both employers and employees. In today’s 'always-on' online culture, organizations that combine traditional recruitment approaches with new social media driven recruitment strategies are going to be able to future proof their recruitment plans. Additionally, recruiters who implement talent-focused communication strategies and effective talent screening processes are likely to receive higher market value and revenue per employee in the long run,” said Irfan Abdulla, Director Talent Solutions, LinkedIn India