The largest segment of workers is driving 2017 trends, and as of Q1, 2015, millennials (ages 18-34) dominate the workforce.  83% of companies surveyed by LinkedIn indicate that their hiring will increase in the coming year. The top 3 positions for 2017 are projected to be sales, operations, and engineering.¹ In addition, the following six trends are projected to dominate talent acquisition for the coming year.

1. HR Tech. According to CB Insights, a venture capital database, over 2 billion dollars of investment money poured into (HRMS) Human Resource Management systems and other HR Tech in 2016.² This means that demand is driving the development of a wide of array of HR apps and software for companies needing to keep up with the current agile HR atmosphere. Digital onboarding, performance management, performance evaluation, training, and talent acquisition are just a few examples of how technology will be changing the face of HR in 2017 and beyond.

2. Digital Recruitment. The millennial generation has grown up with all things digital including social media, smartphones, artificial intelligence, and video. Consequently, millennials and the HR people hiring them are inching closer to a preference for digital recruitment over traditional methods. While 48% of employers indicate their quality hires still predominantly come from employee referrals, 46% responded that third party websites or job boards are now their sources for top-notch employees, and professional networks came in at 40% among respondents.¹

3. Employer Brand. To attract today’s millennial candidates, companies need to have successful, appealing brands and company cultures. This generation of workers will not be happy just occupying a chair for a paycheck. Current research indicates, 53% of employers feel that company brand is the most important metric for the upcoming year.¹

4. Candidate Experience. We’ve heard this generation is less about accumulating things and more about meaningful experiences. In recruitment, the experience means providing candidates with an appealing and concise hiring process. It should happen as quickly as possible and be followed up with timely feedback and response. HR Tech and mobile are a vital part of creating this agile candidate experience.³

5. Employee Experience. Once a new candidate is hired, it becomes about creating an engaging workplace. In fact, 83% of surveyed employers thought employee experience was very important to their company’s success. In addition, those surveyed cited training (56%), workspace (51%), and rewards (47%) as the three key factors for creating a great work environment.² Companies have found completely open floor plans are now giving way to versatile workspaces where employees have access to privacy as well as open, collaborative spaces to work in.⁴

6. Gig Economy. Other employers are no longer the only competition for quality hires. The rising gig economy gives the millennial generation the ability to run their own show and control their own work/life balance. All of which makes the improvement of recruiting practices, brand, culture, and employee experience even more important than ever.

^{1 https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/recruiting-strategy/2016/7-trends-that-will-define-recruiting-in-2017-infographic
2 https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/0217/pages/9-hr-tech-trends-for-2017.aspx
3 http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2017/01/05/the-employee-experience-is-the-future-of-work-10-hr-trends-for-2017/#103d1c2c2214
4 https://www.gensler.com/news/press-releases/us-workplace-survey-2016-findings}