The State of Recruitment in Finland 2019

This June, the Finnish job board and recruiting media Duunitori released their seventh annual National Recruitment Survey, or “Kansallinen rekrytointitutkimus” in Finnish. Duunitori surveyed 268 recruitment and HR professionals from companies of all sizes across Finland to take a deep dive into the current recruitment practices, trends, challenges, and priorities. And although the study is only focussed on Finland, its results can be applied to other countries as well, especially now, when recruitment is getting more and more international every day.

The actual report is in Finnish, but don’t worry if you are not a Finnish speaker! We’ve read the report for you and summarized it here, in this very blog post. If you speak Finnish, go ahead and read our summary here and/or download the full report from Duunitori here. So, without further ado, here are the 7 key points from the National Recruitment survey:

1. Recruitment numbers are increasing, but recruiting is getting harder 

According to the survey results, the companies are recruiting in increasing quantities and are expected to continue to do so, albeit at a slightly slower rate than in 2018. Yes, companies are increasing the number of recruits, but it is not the same as increasing the number of great candidates - the fight for qualified and skilled talent is getting fiercer every day, which puts a strain on recruiters and companies.

 2. Motivation and cultural fit are the top priorities in recruitment

There are many factors that play a role in making a recruitment decision, and of course, these factors vary between different organizations and different positions. However, something that nearly all hiring recruiters look for in a candidate is motivation to the job and cultural fit. 

3. Mobile recruiting is on the rise

The job search for mobile devices has been increasing significantly in the last few years. And as many as 78% of recruiters predict that in five years most of the job hunting will be done on mobile devices. This probably isn't surprising to you, but nonetheless, it is an important point to keep in mind when creating a career page or getting a new recruitment software. You don’t want to miss out on potential candidates by not having a mobile-friendly site, therefore always remember to optimize your pages for mobile.

4. Are traditional recruitment platforms and channels becoming obsolete? 

Thanks to the digital revolution, there's a clear transition from old recruitment methods towards modern and more efficient tools. For example, according to the survey, recruiters no longer see a traditional CV as a necessary part of the hiring process. This is because your standard resume won't tell the recruiter about the most interesting - the candidate's personality and cultural fit. That's why, instead of writing a conventional CV, many use their personal website, blog, videos, online portfolio, and social media pages to get a foot in the door. Speaking of social media - the use of social media channels like LinkedIn and Facebook for sourcing and recruiting is escalating too.

5. Recruitment systems are a commonplace

According to the study, most of the Finnish recruiters implement some kind of a recruitment system in their hiring process, and they find that the tools they use help with job management (creating, publishing and sharing job postings), improve candidate communication, and foster an easy application process. The biggest challenges that recruiters experience with their software are reporting, integration with other systems, and expressing the candidate’s personality. 

There is a wide selection of available recruitment systems in the market, and over 50 different tools were mentioned in the survey. The most popular system was LAURA, followed by LinkedIn, and then RecRight. (Learn about our video recruitment platform here!)

Adapted from Kansallinen Rekrytointitutkimus 2019 - Duunitori

6. What is the foundation of successful recruitment?

The most important individual factors for successful recruitment were the personal face-to-face interview of the candidates, well-defined job descriptions, and commitment from the hiring manager. Moreover, recruiters believe that the most important factors candidates look at when choosing an employer are personal development opportunities, the work community, and corporate culture.

7. Employer branding and other trends

Over the years, the discussion around employer branding has grown bigger and louder, and many have realized the importance of a strong employer brand. This is reflected in the study results as well - many recruiters and TA's have began putting their time and money into developing and strengthening their employer brand.

Other trends in recruitment are attracting passive talent through social media channels, integrating AI into recruitment, and hiring for cultural fit. 

If these above-mentioned hot recruitment topics are any of your interest, drop us a line and let's have a chat! We’d be happy to help you and make your recruitment easier, more personal and fun - please feel free to contact us.