E-recruitment eases pressure for public sector

According to new research released today by Cranfield School of Management, e-recruitment can provide a cost-effective and efficient solution for the public sector, enabling them to attract high quality and diverse candidates.

The research investigated the potential benefits of e-recruitment for public sector employers and examined how e-recruitment systems can be used within the public sector to engage with high quality job seekers.

Author of the research, Dr Emma Parry, Research Fellow at Cranfield School of Management, said: ìRecruitment has become more problematic and expensive in the UK due to increasing skills shortages and demand for labour. These issues are exacerbated within the public sector because of the demands on this sector to be cost effective, efficient and transparent in its spend. Our research shows that itís possible for public sector organisations to find success with e-recruitment, providing that they approach it in the right way in terms of candidate engagementî.

Derek Pilcher, Director, Public Sector, Monster UK, added: ìMany recruitment websites fail to attract high quality candidates because they do not drive people to their site, promote their organisation as an attractive place to work or because the site itself puts people off applying. Consideration needs to be given to how to encourage job seekers to apply to the organisation through the use of compelling visuals, relevant content and easy-to-use functionality.î

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The research has shown that e-recruitment can offer a number of benefits that fit well with public sector objectives and constraints with regard to recruitment. The research shows that e-recruitment could:-

Reduce the cost of public sector recruitment by reducing the reliance on agencies and third-party suppliers, removing the need for paper and lowering head count due to reduced administration

Improve the efficiency of the recruitment process and reduce the time to hire by advertising and processing applications online

Provide the required transparency in the recruitment process and in recruitment spend

Provide fair and consistent processes for all candidates and improve the overall candidate experience through easy-to-use online application forms

Reach a higher number of candidates worldwide through engagement with a more diverse group of job seekers online; compared to what could be achieved by advertising in printed media

In order to achieve these benefits, the research emphasises the importance of candidate engagement when designing any e-recruitment site.