John Piccinini looks at recruitment statistics and trends in 2018

MIAMI, April 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- While employers and candidates both largely consider the market to be equally driven by each party, recruiters and recruitment specialists such as John Piccinini almost unanimously agree that it's a candidate-driven market.

A recent recruiter sentiment study by MRINetwork reveals that just over 50% of employers and candidates believe they're in an employer-driven market. Meanwhile, some 90% of recruiters think the opposite, deeming the market to be driven by candidates based on offers and opportunities outstripping the supply of potential hires.

John Piccinini explains, "Talent is more in demand than ever, which is great news for candidates seeking new or alternative employment. Executive search, in particular, is seeing a huge resurgence and now accounts for around a third of all new hires."

Executive search—often referred to as headhunting—now accounts for over 30% of all newly placed staff, as pointed out by Piccinini, with the same candidates proving to be twice as efficient, on average, as those hired through non-executive search methods.

That's according to a further study by recruitment software company Lever. The same study also reveals that 90% of currently employed professionals, both in the US and globally, are open to being approached with new job opportunities.

"Only 33% are actively looking for, or considering looking for, a change of employment though, according to the study," notes Piccinini. "That's why executive search is so important and thus successful. It allows employers to access a pool of brilliant candidates who would otherwise be largely off the open job market."

The Lever study also points out that over half of those looking for work or recently in new employment reported having had one or more poor experiences during the process.

It's with this in mind that Piccinini firmly believes the upper hand lies with the candidate. "For as long as demand continues to outstrip supply, it's potential candidates who are holding all the cards, even when they're already in other employment," he remarks.

"If you're a skilled professional willing to explore new opportunities then be receptive, keep an open mind to offers, and pay particular attention to benefits and other factors which could improve your quality of life, both at work and at home," concludes John Piccinini.

SOURCE John Piccinini