Recruitment 2.0

Despite fears over Brexit, graduate recruitment is on the rise in 2016 but many employers find the hiring process problematic. Here, we provide answers to the most pressing issues facing HR:-

Sourcing graduate talent is rapidly becoming more urgent as employers prepare to face a diminishing post-Brexit talent pool. As KPMG takes the initiative in its recruitment process, what changes will your business make?

If events of the past week have demonstrated one thing, it’s the ability of augmented reality to attract and hold the attention of millions of people around the world. Pokémon Go has become the world’s most downloaded app, prompting concern about its ability to distract users in the workplace. Boeing quickly became the first company to ban its use during working hours. Daily time spent in Pokémon Go by the average IOS user outstrips the most popular apps such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram.

Prior to the outcome of the EU referendum, a Path Motion Survey suggested that 49% of top graduate employers expected to reduce their intake if the UK voted to leave. Following the Brexit vote, what’s next for graduate recruitment?

Clarity over further education and career prospects for young people in the UK remains in disarray, with the apprenticeship levy receiving a lukewarm response from employers. At the same time, young people appear disillusioned and uninspired by the choices and prospects available to them. How can HR avoid a potential future skills gap as it tries to attract upcoming talent?

Investment banking is enjoying something of a popularity surge with the FT reporting that Goldman Sachs has attracted over 250,000 applications from students and graduates. JP Morgan and Citigroup also reflect this trend.

Graduate recruitment could fall by as much as 50% by 2020 as technology removes the need for entry level jobs, according to the Financial Times. The ‘big four’ accountancy firms, E&Y, Deloitte, PwC and KPMG are automating entry level jobs that would typically be carried out by graduates, suggesting that artificial intelligence may spell the end of graduate recruitment. But for many employers, this is just one of several challenges related to graduates and their employability.

English graduates have the highest levels of debt in the English speaking world according to a report released today from the Sutton Trust. English students graduated last year owing over £44,000 in fees each on average. This figure is predicted to rise to £50,000 for students from less wealthy backgrounds when maintenance grants are abolished in September 2016.

Traditional models of education are failing young people according to a new report – and the reluctance of UK employers to invest in training is likely to prolong the skills crisis.

Apprenticeships are failing to attract the very people they were designed for, according to a new report from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission. The number of people under 25 enrolling on apprenticeships rose by only 4% between 2010-2014 which currently represents only 4,200 in that age group. With a skills shortage across many sectors, such as tech, banking and finance and construction, the apprenticeship 'turn-off' is exacerbating the problem, but what is causing it?