Top 5 HR talent trends in 2014

1. Businesses hiring for tomorrow, not just for today.

As economic recovery kicks in, forward-thinking companies realize that hiring for todays skills could quickly outdate their workforces within a year as industries rapidly evolve. 2014 will see a focus on not just hiring for the job tasks at hand, but preparing for whats next. Employers should take stock of their current talent inventory and audit for skills that seek out hidden talent within the organization, especially for industries that require specialist skills.

2. Mobile recruitment will finally take off.

In recent years, social, mobile, local has become something of a marketing mantra. But of these three, mobile will become big news. In 2013 many companies emerged to serve the mobile space. In 2014, we will see the larger ERP (enterprise resource planning) players develop their own innovative solutions. More applications and functionality related to talent management will become available on these devices.

It seems like every year for as long as I can remember has been the year of mobile. Yet, for the recruitment sector, it simply hasnt taken off in a big way. Watch this space in 2014 for some genuinely transformative products and services launched to the market, advises Neil Griffiths, global practice leader of talent communications and employer brand at Futurestep.

3. Big data will drive real decision-making.

Much like mobile, big data has been hotly tipped as a key trend for several years. Yet for all the talk, the real impact has yet to materialize. Now though, new services are emerging that can analyze and sort the mass of data held within the worlds biggest companies. For 2014, the challenge and opportunity will not be around collecting big data, but using it to inform strategic business decisions and demonstrate the ROI of recruitment activity.

In the same way that marketers use loyalty data for targeted marketing, recruiters will begin to use it to find talent. There are several interesting start-ups in this space that I expect to make an impact in the coming year, predicts Bill Sebra president of Futurestep North America.

4. Smarter sourcing will win the day.

The recruiting paradigm of simply finding more people for their applicant pool may be at a close. This year, organizations will focus beyond active candidates and target top-tier passive candidates to develop strong employer branding and build engaging talent communities. By understanding the sourcing channels, budgets and ROI available, organizations can better reach the desired talent for a particular role, sector and geography.

From the use of talent communities for educating and inspiring potential candidates, to developing a compelling employer brand and adopting mobile and campus outreach programs to attract Millennials, CHROs will look to enhance and expand their recruiting strategies in a bid to create a highly effective and targeted approach to talent acquisition, explains Sue Campbell, vice president of talent solutions at Futurestep APAC.

5. Expect more globalization, but more localization too.

In 2014, globalization will become increasingly important for businesses that recognize the benefits (and threats) that come from the connected world we inhabit. With this, employers seek full service providers who can deliver a global perspective with local market knowledge. Where some organizations try to roll out a ubiquitous approach to all offices around the world, many are tailoring processes to suit the diversity of each region they are present in.

Customizing global solutions based on the organizations global structure does not always mean one holistic approach to hiring, and for some businesses a regional strategy to recruitment may be preferable, adapting procedures as particular regions mature, says Jonathan Brown, vice president of global solutions at Futurestep.