Businesses under fire for gruelling recruitment process

Companies might be crying out for experienced staff to plug the skills gap but they are making it increasingly harder for applicants to apply, with nearly three-fifths (59%) of job-seekers claiming the process is as time-consuming as holding a full-time role.

That is according to a survey conducted by job application tracking platform RoleCatcher, which comes at a time when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported record vacancy numbers since summer 2021 and widespread skills shortages.

RoleCatcher’s data suggests that recruitment has become progressively prolonged for applicants, with the length of time spent on the job search increasing after the pandemic.

The data also indicates that the time invested by applicants is not entirely productive, with nearly a third (29%) of time considered to be wasted on tasks such as sifting through emails, indicating that the job-application process is not working for many applicants.

RoleCatcher CEO and founder James Fogg said: “While there may be an increasing number of vacancies available in today’s employment market, it would appear that many candidates are struggling to manage their job-search. And with businesses across the country reporting a shortage of skills, the amount of time individuals are spending applying for roles, is counter-productive to the hiring needs of companies nationwide.”

Fogg added that studying the recruitment process from an employer’s point of view, the evolution of hiring has been building speed for some time.

He continued: “We have seen firms use advanced recruitment technologies, but it appears that this evolution is not being matched by job seekers. Respondents reported that emails are the most common method of job application organisation, while some are using a singular notepad or no form of organisation at all.

“As recruiters increasingly use tools to make their lives easier, it’s paramount that job-seekers do the same.”

The situation is only likely to get worse, too. Last week, a separate study revealed that nearly a third of all employees plan to look for a new job as the impact of the ‘great resignation’ continues to hit hard; across all sectors, some 9.4 million people want a new job,