Does anybody remember what things were like in 2019? What it was like to go to work in an office, have hallway conversations, and go to lunch with coworkers? Neither do we. While most people hope for at least some kind of return to normal, things probably won’t be exactly the same. This new reality affects nearly every aspect of work in corporate America today. Indeed, this is more true in the areas of workforce recruitment and retention. The right technology workforce has always been hard to find and retain. As we head into 2022 it’s only going to get more challenging. With that in mind, let’s look at 5 key issues facing recruiters for tech recruiting as we head into 2022.

It’s a Candidate-Driven Market 

This should really come as no surprise when it comes to tech recruiting, but it bears repeating that technical positions, continue to be in extremely high demand. Some of the most in-demand tech roles include:

  • Mobile application development
  • Data Mining/engineering 
  • Cloud application development
  • Information Security

And the demand for those roles will only continue through 2022 and beyond, continuing an already-existing 

Remotely Interested Candidates 

There really aren’t a lot of people in the world today who relish the idea of continuing to live with Covid. The reality is, Covid is going to be with us all for some time to come, and it’s going to continue to influence our working as well as corporate lives, whether we like it or not. 

Many organizations continue to struggle with the recruitment, management, and retention of talent in a remote workforce. Many companies, frankly, have been hoping for a return to the office. However, ongoing issues with variants like Omicron and questions about the long-term effectiveness of the vaccines developed so far have many employers reconsidering their return-to-office strategies and timelines. 

A Pickier Workforce in Tech Recruiting

Even before 2020, finding truly talented (and affordable) tech workers was difficult. Today, it’s even harder. As we move into 2022, candidates for key technology positions are more selective than ever. Indeed, they seek things like greater work-life balance and face uncertainty in terms of the environment they will face in this new environment. 

Specifically, workers today are less likely to blast out resumes in the hope of hearing back. Rather, they are becoming more passive, waiting for the right opportunities to appear. 

Keeping What You Have

No discussion about the 2022 job market would be complete without a significant discussion about labor retention. The ‘Great Resignation’ began in 2021, and will likely continue to be an issue for some time to come. While it’s partly a side effect of Covid, many workers have begun to question what it is they want out of their careers, and older workers are using leaving the workforce. 

 Developing a Talent Pipeline

One of the more critical trends that companies should pursue is to develop a continuous pipeline of talent. Specifically, to fill key roles as needed. This is nothing new, as any technology manager or recruiter will tell you that having a stable of potential candidates is a key strategy in keeping their business moving forward. If you wait for a given employee to leave before you even start looking for their replacement, you are far, far behind the eight-ball.

Working With WOZ for Tech Recruiting

WOZ Enterprises understands that finding tech talent, even in normal circumstances, is challenging – and as we move into 2022, it’s only going to be more so. That’s the reason we developed a series of programs to help enterprises to attract, hire, and retain the key talent that will allow them to move their business forward. Through our apprenticeship, train-to-hire, and direct-hire programs, WOZ can help your organization get to where it needs to be, with the right people in the right roles. 

If this is something that makes sense for your organization, we’d love to talk to you. Contact us HERE to start the conversation. We’d love to hear from you!