Stepstone's Total Talent Report - Something doesn't ring true here!

Just looking throught the Stepstone Total Talent Report 2008, and there seems to be some very strange stats used that don't seem to make sense - it's Talent Management gone mad!! The answers shown to this question go against everything that the recruitment marketplace is telling companies what they need to do to recruit people!! They pose the question, "Which steps has your organisation undertaken in the past to overcome recruitment difficulties, and which would it consider undertaking in the future?"

The answer responses are in the relevant colours    Have undertaken in past | Would undertake in future

Provide additional training so that positions can be filled by internal candidates 46% | 36%   Down 10%

Improve benefits package  47% | 33% Down 14%

Offer higher starting salaries 54% | 24% Down 30%

Offer relocation packages 42%  | 23% Down 19%

Flexible place of work 40% | 31% Down 9%

Select candidates who don’t fulfil all criteria then provide training 37% | 30% Down 7%

Flexible working hours 46%  | 28% Down 18%

Consider older and semi-retired workers  26% | 33% UP 9%

Increased use of outsourcing  33%  | 33% Same

Provide financial incentives for staff to recommend candidates  36%  | 29%  Down 7%

Reorganise teams to reduce need for recruitment  41%  | 34%  Down 7%

Investing in recruitment management software  22% | 31%  UP 9%

Advertise positions overseas 25%  | 31%  UP 6%

Developing company-branded Internet recruitment portal  37%  | 31% Down 6%

What doesn't make sense to me is that every single point (except 3) the companies questioned saying that they will be much less innovative when it comes to recruitment. The most surprising is that with this supposed global talent shortage, the one perennial way of attracting staff - higher salaries and increased benefits packages - will be significantly reduced by many companies as they try and recruit staff. Can that really be right? As a recruiter I absolutely beg to differ on this - higher salaries  and benefits packages are still crucial to enticing people to accept jobs, especially when there is such a demand for talent!!!

I am just not sure what these surveys are supposed to show? If companies read and believe this information, then are they going to forsake all the tried and tested ways of recruiting staff? So according to Stepstone's results the three ways for 2008/2009 that companies plan to be more successful in recruitment are:

• Recruiting older / semi - retired workers
• Investing in new recruitment software (that IS a good idea!)
• Recruiting overseas for staff

Sounds like the perfect answer to me ......not!!

Comments

[Sam Higgins]

"I am just not sure what these surveys are supposed to show? If companies read and believe this information, then are they going to forsake all the tried and tested ways of recruiting staff?"

I would say that the survey is just that, a survey. Certainly not a set of recommendations. If anything, it is a reflection on the inadequate state of talent management in today's worldwide business climate.

Other figures in the report reflect this as well. A full 57% of surveyed companies in North America had either an informal talent management strategy, or none at all. In light of this, the contradictory numbers that you state in your post hardly come as a surprise.

Even in 2008, strategies seem to be loose and very reactionary, lacking long term vision. This report was updated to reflect potential changing views in light of the current credit crunch, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if the cutbacks in these vital areas are simply a knee jerk response to current fiscal woes, as counter productive as this may be in the long term.

For anyone interested in the full report, it is available for download at:

http://www.stepstonesolutions.us

Thanks.