It’s no secret: Texas companies are staffing up in 2014. Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin are topping the lists of places to be in business this year, including a most recent Forbes list of U.S. Regions to Watch. In fact, hiring is at such a healthy level that Austin entrepreneurs confess their biggest business challenge in 2014 is finding the right talent to fill crucial jobs, according to a recent survey conducted by the Austin chapter of Entrepreneur’s Organization. In light of this great challenge, we gathered our team of HT Staffing recruiters for a look at this year’s hiring trends.
Relocating Top Talent: For the Win!
According to the same EO survey cited above, 43 percent of responding Austin entrepreneurs said hiring talent from outside of the Austin area will be the biggest trend next year. The same is true across Texas. So where is this talent coming from?
“It depends on the industry,” explains HT Staffing’s Managing Partner Nad Elias. “Austin companies are looking to Silicon Valley for software executives, Dallas-Fort Worth companies are looking to finance hubs like New York City for financial executives, and energy companies throughout the Beaumont/Houston corridor are looking internationally for candidates. What these companies all have in common is that they’re rediscovering the art of finding and relocating talent from outside their geographic areas.”
Thankfully, Texas has the economic climate and cultural perks to pull it off. In statistics cited by the Dallas Morning News, Texas has ranked No. 1 in in-migration nationally for two years. But the question is: In order to win over great job candidates, is your relocation package up-to-date?
“Since 2008, companies have pulled back on their relocation budgets. But I predict that will need to change in 2014 in order to compete for top executives outside of the state,” Elias explains.
Big Data Means Big Security
Big data is on the rise and this is taking a toll on tech hiring. Now more than ever, professionals are needed to manage and protect data.
“In the past, we have seen the security function in many organizations falling to those responsible for the network. Security and compliance officers were a luxury in many organizations,” says Managing Director, HT Technical, Cheryl Miller. “But now we are finding an increase in demand for security professionals with expertise in cyber security and data encryption.”
With crisis situations like Target’s huge data breach happening more often, this trend is expected to continue. In fact, the State of Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) added the roles of Security Analyst, Security Engineer and Security Architect to its ITSAC contract schedule for the fiscal year beginning September 2014.
“Security is no longer a ‘role and responsibility’, but rather a critical department that will need to be staffed,” Miller adds.
Hiring Temporary Staff in Answer to Federal Mandate
Several factors have kept temporary staffing as a popular trend in recent years, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As of 2015, the ACA will require employers with more than 50 employees to provide coverage to their workers. If your company is in that mix, there’s no doubt it’s caused extra concern when hiring additional staff. Hiring temp staff for projects has become an increasingly viable solution, according to HT Staffing Sales Director Claire Reynolds.
“The postponement of the Affordable Care Act mandate has made employers feel more at ease with hiring essential permanent staff, but it’s still in the back of everyone’s mind,” she states. “Temp staffing has become a convenient solution for project-based work. I expect that trend to continue.”
Washington’s unresolved debt issues seem to also be a factor favoring temp hiring over permanent hiring in 2014. According to CareerBuilder’s Annual Job Forecast, 24 percent of companies report they will add full-time, permanent employees in 2014, which is down 2 percent from 2013. And nearly one-third said they will hire at a slower rate or will not expand headcount at least until the debt ceiling is resolved.
Social Advertising: A Recruiter’s Best Friend
Texas industries in hot pursuit of candidates are discovering this year that advertising on social networks is more than a novelty: It’s a strategic necessity.
“Social networks allow recruiters to stretch their budgets while going where the candidates are,” explains Angela Khalil, Branch Manager of HT Staffing’s Beaumont office. “It’s a smart use of money because it can be targeted and trackable. It reaches those ideal candidates who can otherwise be elusive: millennials, passive candidates, and others.”
According to LinkedIn, recruiting specialists are relying more and more on professional social networks to engage top talent. A LinkedIn Global Recruiting Trends Report cites that social professional networks are second only to employee referral programs as an important place to find quality hires. The percentage of recruiting specialists who top place value on these sites rose from 29 percent in 2011 to 42 percent in 2013. According to the Jobvite 2013 Social Recruiting Survey, social recruiting improved respondents’ time to hire by 33 percent, candidate quality by 49 percent, candidate quantity by 43 percent and employee referral quantity and quality by 32 percent. Click here or on the image to the left for additional compelling results.
What trends are you seeing in your own industry or area? Do you feel prepared to take on the challenge?
Main image credit: shutter999 / 123RF Stock Photo
Second image credit: Jobvite
