Peter Linas, international MD of Bullhorn discusses the role cloud computing is playing in the growth of the AsiaPac recruitment sector
The Asia Pacific region is an exciting place to do business at the moment. The area has benefited from the economic surge in China in the last decade and the surrounding countries are experiencing a similar boom. This influx of investment has attracted entrepreneurs in their masses, all of whom look to share in the region’s success. It’s a similar sense of entrepreneurial excitement that was felt in London during boom times in the 80s. As it did then, technology fuels the fire of industry, but this time around it is the cloud recruiting entrepreneurs find themselves scrambling for, in order to get their businesses off the ground and into the black. After all, if the financial crisis in the West has taught us anything, it is that businesses need to make hay while the sun shines.
Blast off
For both international recruitment companies and small start-up operations alike, establishing a business in a new market requires experience, perseverance and a suite of tools that will get the job done better, faster and for less money. It is for this reason that recruiters are clamouring for the technology that will get their businesses up and running as quickly as possible. True cloud solutions are ideal for this as they require only a computer and a steady internet connection. Browser-accessible Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is just as secure and reliable as an in-house system (even more so in most cases) – but doesn’t come with the hassle of an IT setup. Unburdened by unnecessary installation, maintenance and updates, recruiters can simply get on with their jobs and start bringing in revenue. This capability is beginning to prove popular in the AsiaPac region; recruitment entrepreneurs that minimise initial capital expenditure are able to focus resources on competing and expanding in the market.
Gaining traction
Many in the AsiaPac region establish their businesses with aggressive, rapid expansion plans in mind. While there’s nothing wrong with a little ambition, entrepreneurs often don’t realise that adding staff can also add strain on resources, as fledgling companies feed capital back into the company to bring new staff up to a good level of productivity. The benefit of a true cloud solution is that it is scalable and suited to rapid growth. New employees can quickly be added to the system without the need for separate software. As the company grows from one man to a team of recruiters, the multi-tenant nature of SaaS makes the onboarding process quicker and more cost effective compared to an in-house CRM/ATS solution – a user can literally be ‘turned on’ before logging on, no matter where in the world they work. A lot of businesses that have set up in the region, particularly those that branch into Asia from international bases, have underestimated the pressure adding new staff places on their existing systems, and could have saved money by investing in a scalable cloud-based infrastructure.
When in Rome
While the sense in the AsiaPac region is one of operating in a global economic environment, it is important to consider the effect that culture has on how technology is appraised, adopted and used in the workplace. All recruiters face similar challenges in providing quality services and candidates to clients, but as an industry, recruitment is particularly sensitive to cultural practices as employment is so integral to everyday life. True cloud solutions are naturally flexible and can be adapted according to cultural preferences.
Taking the opportunity
The sense of excitement in the recruitment industry in the AsiaPac region is palpable – it feels like the UK market 15 years ago. Recruiters out there at the moment realise that activity will level off and as the market matures it’ll stabilise and more closely resemble the sector we know and love in the UK. In the meantime, recruiters can use the scalability and flexibility of the cloud to set up shop and grow quickly with minimal capital expenditure or IT administration, cost effectively onboard new staff and place as many candidates in as short a time as possible. It is another great example of cloud computing coming into its own as its numerous benefits are demonstrated in this vibrant, fast-moving market. The advantage being that once the sector does mature and activity stabilises, those with the right cloud solutions in place will already have all the tools necessary to expand into new territories, growing their businesses based on revenue driven key performance indicators, and working remotely to take advantage of wherever the next gold-rush takes place.
