Recruiting Trends to Watch in 2023

Can you believe that it’s almost 2023 already? It seems like every year races by faster than the last, and here we are once again thinking about our DEIB hiring goals for the new year. But we can’t plan effectively unless we look back at what we’ve accomplished this year—and look ahead to what may be on the horizon next year. This means it’s important to watch for recruiting trends for 2023 that can impact your DEIB efforts and all of the hiring you expect to do.

5 Recruiting Trends to Watch in 2023

Although we’re not expected to be soothsayers, we do need to always keep our fingers on the pulse to anticipate what we’ll be facing in our DEIB hiring. In order to make the most informed decisions you can, consider the following recruiting trends to watch in 2023 in the areas you care about most.

1. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

With more and more organizations accepting the business case for DEI, in 2023, companies will continue with their diversity recruitment plans—and most likely, increase their DEIB hiring efforts. That means, if you're already making strides with your D&I, you should stay the course. If you haven't gotten on board with DEI hiring yet, next year is the time to really get started. Today’s candidates expect to work for diverse organizations, and if that's not what you're offering, you're going to miss out on a lot of great talent.

2. Remote Work

Many organizations adopted remote work because the pandemic forced their hand. However, talent is going to force remote work to continue in the post-COVID world. The majority of recruiters believe that remote work isn’t going anywhere—and talent is poised to ensure it doesn’t. In fact, a study by ADP Research Institute® found that over half of workers are willing to accept a pay cut of up to 11 percent to continue working from home at least part of the time, and 64 percent will actually consider looking for a new job if their employer expects them to work in the office full time.

3. Mental Health

The pandemic hit the entire workforce hard, so maintaining good mental health has become top of mind. With employees struggling mentally and emotionally, while looking for ways to establish more work-life balance, employers need to accommodate their staffs and provide what they need to prevent burnout, as well as address any mental health issues they're experiencing before they go into crisis. As a result, your organization needs to offer benefits that support mental health—such as allowing flexible schedules, offering fitness and meditation classes on-site, and providing access to therapy and an Employee Assistance Program.

4. Employer Brand

No matter what your hiring goals are, your employer brand will always precede you. Job hunters won't even apply for a position or attend a recruitment event until they've done research on a company, and will not consider an organization with a poor employer brand. Since employer branding has become increasingly important to candidates, and 2023 will be no exception, you need to put out messages that will appeal to the types of candidates you want to hire. Be sure to showcase the reasons why people should want to work for you whenever you have the chance. From your social media to your recruitment website to even your job descriptions, you should constantly communicate what you have to offer and why your employer brand stands out from the competition.

Your employer brand is especially vital when it comes to DEIB hiring. To let potential candidates know that you have a diverse workforce, showcase your talent from underrepresented backgrounds in your recruiting efforts. Give people the opportunity to see those who are like them at your organization, which will help them see themselves working there too. And if you don't have a diverse staff already, be sure to let it be known that you value D&I and encourage talent from diverse groups to apply for jobs at your company. 

5. Candidate Experience

No matter what else you have to offer, if the candidate experience isn’t up to par, people will lose interest in working for you. Talent expects to be treated with the respect they deserve—even in the first interactions they have with a company. In the wake of The Great Resignation, candidate experience is going to continue to be a factor for attracting the best employees in 2023, so examine what you're doing to ensure candidates are happy with the process. Conducting surveys, as well as looking at what points people drop out of the hiring funnel, will determine if there's something that needs to change to keep candidates engaged.

There's no doubt that the last few years have been challenging, but that doesn't mean you need to take the same challenges with you into the new year. By paying attention to these recruiting trends, you can help make 2023 the best DEIB hiring year yet.