Rising global mobility, faster hiring and high candidate expectations: Frazer Jones pulse Q1 2024

april 3, 2024

In the first quarter of 2024, HR recruitment has seen some significant shifts.

Our latest Pulse report shows that HR professionals are willing to relocate for jobs, hiring processes are speeding up and candidates are expecting more from employers. With different regions showing unique demands in HR roles, companies need to stay on top of these trends to stay competitive in what is becoming a fast-moving market.

The Pulse report is based on Frazer Jones data, collected and analysed throughout the year to spot market trends and provide the best advice to our clients and candidates. If you’d like any bespoke market data, please get in touch using the form below.

Global

This data shows how the number of roles has changed by specialism compared to the last quarter. Green indicates an increase in roles, whilst red indicates a decrease.

Click on the map to see the detail for each continent we operate in.

“HR recruitment has slowly got busier since the start of the year and, encouragingly, the pace has accelerated recently. According to surveys we conducted in Asia and Europe, more than two thirds of all HR professionals are considering a job move in the next 12 months. Paired with the relatively low attrition rates we’ve seen over the previous twelve months globally, we expect this pressure to come to market soon and further increase recruitment activity.

Looking into the specialisms of HR, the picture is quite varied globally. In North America, there has been increased demand for HR generalist leadership roles, reward and shared services, whilst investment in HR analytics surprisingly declined. The picture across Europe and the UK is in stark contrast, with significantly increased activity in HR analytics and data. Across the Middle East and Asia, we have seen more activity around change management and transformation, whilst a huge part of hiring in Australia is in learning and development.”

Nick Croucher | Partner | Head of UK and Ireland

Global mobility

This data shows the top locations we’ve moved HR professionals from and to in the last quarter.

“We’re seeing a gradual resurgence in global mobility. With companies emphasising in-person office attendance, relocations are becoming more favourable compared to remote hires. Encouragingly, our data shows a growing willingness among individuals to relocate for roles. This is certainly something I’ve heard in my conversations with senior candidates.”

Clare Thornton | Partner | London

Days to offer

This data shows the number of days on average clients are taking to hire compared to the previous quarter.

“We’re seeing significantly faster recruitment processes and shorter times to hire. It looks like recruitment is speeding up everywhere, possibly indicating increased market activity. Urgent roles are likely pushing hiring managers to move quickly. Especially in Europe, things are really picking up across various industries and specialisms like payroll, which is encouraging.”

Tobias Stenzel | Group Manager | Head of Germany

Days to withdraw

This data shows how long a candidate stays in a recruitment process before withdrawing if a decision has not been made. We’ve compared the data here to the previous quarter.

“Our data reveals a noteworthy shift: candidates are withdrawing from recruitment processes earlier compared to the previous quarter. This trend points to heightened candidate expectations and increased competition, especially for roles where experienced talent is in high demand. Adapting to this shift is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in today’s market.”

Angela Franks | Partner | Head of Australia

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