Hiring Trends 2025
The past year has been tough for UK organisations, with 60% reporting difficulties in hiring talent (Michael Page, 2024). However, the tide is beginning to turn, and there are promising signs that the recruitment landscape is on the rebound.
As we head into the New Year, Hiring Managers have every reason to embrace 2025 with renewed optimism and getting ahead of the game by starting your hiring search early could alleviate the stress of last-minute recruitment challenges in January, setting your organisation up for success from day one.
At Thorn Baker, we specialise in three key sectors - Construction, Industrial, and Facilities Management. Looking ahead to 2025, all three markets are forecast to grow positively, with the construction industry leading the way for optimism and opportunity, so now is the time to plan for the year ahead. Let Thorn Baker support your recruitment needs and help you build the team to thrive in 2025!
Employers will continue to navigate a complex landscape, grappling with challenges such as an aging workforce, accelerating digitalisation, bridging the skills gap, and retaining top talent. But with over 35 years of industry expertise, Thorn Baker can help turn these challenges into opportunities.
We recommend that Hiring Managers prioritise the following areas to stay ahead of the curve in 2025:
Embrace Technology and Digitalisation
The pressure to adopt advanced technologies such as 3D printing, AI, ML, IoT, and BIM is intensifying. Some companies are even incorporating cutting-edge tools like drones, robots, AR, and VR into their operations. While these innovations can revolutionise businesses, they also highlight a critical challenge in finding staff who have hands-on experience as well as digital literacy.
To address this, we recommend:
Invest in Training and Cross-Skilling: Upskilling your current tradespeople in digital tools is becoming an increasingly common and effective approach.
Broaden Your Talent Pool: Consider candidates from other sectors, such as technology, where digital literacy is already ingrained. These professionals can bring valuable expertise to bridge the skills gap.
Attracting the Right Talent and Retainment
An aging workforce continues to be a challenge. By 2030, the average age of craftworkers is expected to reach 46, while the current average age of a Facilities Manager is already 49 (Deloitte, 2024; 300 North, 2024). With physically demanding roles often deterring younger generations, Hiring Managers must adapt their strategies to attract and retain fresh talent.
Here are seven actionable strategies:
1. Short Interview Processes: Simplify and streamline hiring to respect candidates' time.
2. Flexible Hours: Offering flexible working hours is a key attraction for younger generations and also helps retain parent-age staff who need to balance their personal and professional lives.
3. Competitive Benefits: Enhance your perks to attract and retain employees. Focusing on areas like employee wellbeing or providing mental health support is especially valued right now.
4. Learning and Development Opportunities: Demonstrate commitment to growth with upskilling and development schemes.
5. Embrace Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: ED&I is more important than ever. Recognising your employees’ diverse backgrounds and contributions can make a significant impact on workplace culture and morale. ED&I is especially important to younger generations too with 78% of 18-to–24-year-olds saying EDI is important to them when job searching, compared to 60% of respondents aged over 55 (YouGov, 2023).
6. Expand Traditional Candidate Pools: Consider untapped talent sources, such as retired individuals seeking part-time work or care leavers and ex-offenders.
7. Be Transparent: Be clear about roles, responsibilities, and salaries. Adopt the Real Living Wage to remain competitive and fair.
Why Partner with Thorn Baker?
Every business and it’s hiring requirements are unique. At Thorn Baker, we tailor our recruitment strategies to align with the specific requirements of each client. This personalised approach ensures that resources are used efficiently, and recruitment efforts yield the best possible results, providing a higher return on investment for our clients.
With rising recruitment costs and intense competition for skilled talent, partnering with a recruitment agency like Thorn Baker offers tangible advantages:
Optimised Jobsite Budgets
Access to Broader Talent Pools
Reduced Time-to-Hire
Cost-Effective Recruitment Solutions
Let us help you navigate the challenges of 2025 and beyond. Contact your local Thorn Baker team today to learn how we can support your recruitment efforts.
Visit us at www.thornbaker.co.uk/contact-usto get started!