Data Watch

Staffing Activity to Increase in 2008

Despite hold-the-line company budgets coupled with recession warnings from many economists, corporate recruiters foresee increased staffing activities in 2008, according to a new poll. Fifty-six percent of recruiters and Human Resource (HR) managers surveyed from the Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco Bay, and Washington, D.C. regions say recruiting and staffing activity will increase in 2008, according to a new poll by JobFox, a job site that allows candidates to create personal brands for their professional lives. Furthermore, 50% of respondents say recruiting budgets will remain at 2007 levels in 2008, and only 7% say budgets will decrease. But recruiters are also turning to newer, as well as unconventional, outlets to find pools of talent.

Traditional recruiting channels that target mostly active jobseekers are proving to be ineffective, according to the recruiters surveyed. More than two-thirds (69%) report that 90% or more of the candidates they encountered this past year through use of traditional-style online sources were ultimately under-qualified for the jobs recruiters were trying to fill.

These circumstances, the poll further suggests, are compelling new-hires seeking recruiters to turn not only to outlets that help them reach already-employed professionals, but also to unconventional destinations that offer access to retirees and stay-at-home parents. To help fill positions, 37% of the corporate hiring representatives polled are now sourcing retirees or plan to target retirees in 2008. Stay-at-home moms and dads are also on the radar screen for 22% of the recruiters polled.

JobFox conducted the poll, which surveyed more than 250 recruiters from a wide range of industries.