The great resignation is far from over and companies are having to work harder than ever to attract and retain top talent.  As construction and infrastructure projects ramp up, what can main contractors do to ensure they don’t lose out on opportunities to get the best people in the industry working for them? In this article we look at some of the top hiring trends for the year ahead.

Decisive hiring

With the large number of job opportunities available, companies can’t afford to take their time in making hiring decisions. Processes that drag on for weeks with multiple interviews only serve to frustrate candidates. Top construction professionals know their worth and they’re decisive. Delay too long in making an offer and you’ll likely find they’ve already accepted something else.

Hybrid working

Increasingly, flexible working conditions are becoming a standard expectation from employees. In fact it’s become the exception rather than the norm for companies not to have hybrid working in place. Even if we do see the pandemic coming to an end this year, this trend is very likely to stay. By now company systems should be able to cope with remote working and have all the collaboration tools in place to support teams. Highlighting this is a definite draw card for job seeking candidates.

Prioritising diversity

Diversity, equality and inclusion is not just a passing trend. Many people want to work in a diverse work environment because they’re aware of the benefits. Companies that have women in senior positions are more likely to attract other female professionals. The same applies to hiring from different ethnic backgrounds. A company that prioritises diversity is seen as forward thinking and is therefore the type of company candidates want to work for.

Building on current employee value

There are two ways to leverage the expertise of current employees. The first is to promote internally. While this may require further skills development, the benefit is better retention. The second way to leverage employee expertise is to incentivise referrals when there is a vacancy open. There is a huge benefit when employees can vouch for a candidate from previous work experience.

Social investment

Social awareness has increased significantly and doing work that matters is important to employees. When a company has specific social projects that they invest in or when they support community efforts of employees it builds a more positive outward facing corporate culture. This is hugely attractive to job seekers.