US, Canada struggling to attract A-list talent

Ready and waiting fields of quality applicants no longer exist, so where are you sourcing your top-end talent?

HR executives can no longer tap into available talent pools during recruitment drives, as ready and waiting fields of applicants simply do not exist.
 
This is according to HRD’s Global HR survey, which found that employers are coming to grips with the fact that quality talent is increasingly harder to find – and the old ways of recruitment are no longer working,
 
The survey, which attracted responses from more than 4,400 industry professionals worldwide, found that HR professionals in the US and Canada are struggling with issues to do with recruitment more than their counterparts in Australia and New Zealand.
 
“I’m trying to create a culture of high performance, and finding new employees who fit into this culture, especially engineers and skilled labour,” reported one HRD from the United States.
 
“My goal is to implement a specific culture at my location – specifically, lean manufacturing and high performance work teams. Senior management is not supportive and this is frequently is an obstacle.”
 
A human resources director from Canada confirmed that “recruitment is a difficult challenge we face on a daily basis”, while a CHRO in the US cited “strategic workforce management” as their biggest issue. “It’s about finding the right balance of talent that is suitable for the future of the organisation,” they said.
 
While a smaller proportion of Australian respondents pointed to recruitment as a major challenge, it’s clearly an issue that the Australian industry isn’t immune from.
 
“There are plenty of people searching for work, but not so many quality candidates,” said an HR advisor in Australia. 
 
“Different strategies are now required, as you can't just put an ad on Seek and attract the best; it all starts with culture. Employee retention is also a huge challenge, as retaining high quality employees is difficult when they are in such demand.”