GDPR

Should we all thank GDPR for recruitment boost? | Recruiters Weekly News

Data security is about to take centre stage as we enter the final six months before GDPR comes into effect. While many UK businesses are recruiting to ensure readiness, an equal number has not even scratched the surface of their compliance obligations.

GDPR readiness: one in four now recruiting

With six months left of the GDPR transition period, more UK companies than ever are recruiting to ensure compliance.

These were the findings of online learning company Litmos Heroes, who conducted research prior to the launch of their GDPR course.

The company’s data found that 22 per cent of surveyed businesses had completed a hire to improve GDPR readiness. Among the most sought after candidates are data protection officers (DPOs). DPOs will be mandatory for some companies under GDPR, placing a heavy demand on their skills. It is thought that as many as 28,000 new DPO roles could be created by GDPR in Europe alone.

Although the deadline is now fast approaching, time has not yet run out. eBoss has been developing recruitment software tools, and a series of resources to ease the workload of GDPR readiness.

And, if you are still not fully compliant, you are far from alone. Litmos discovered that 90 per cent of businesses would not be ready, if GDPR were introduced tomorrow. 30 per cent had not even begun to initiate their compliance programs.

eBoss will be publishing our definitive guide to GDPR for recruiters within the coming weeks. Sign up to our newsletter to stay updated on this and other recruitment news.

Ageing Better issues challenge to recruiters

Around one third of 50 to 65 year olds are out of work in the UK, according to the Centre for Ageing Better. The data has led the charitable organisation to issue a challenge to Britain’s recruiters: find roles for older workers, and gain a better understanding of their skills.

Extrapolated across the country, the figures would suggest as many as 3.6 million working age adults over 50 currently out of work. Of these, 1 million will have left their last post involuntarily, and 38 per cent will struggle to find new work within two years.

The centre says that the skills of older workers are often misunderstood, and therefore under-utilised. They have called on the recruiting sector to make better use of this under-appreciated resource in the labour market.

The Centre for Ageing Better has laid out three areas of improvement:

  • Place greater value in life experiences of older workers.
  • Translate existing skills to match modern recruitment. Talented individuals may lack formal qualifications, but not competence. Recognising this should be the duty of recruiters.
  • Discuss with employers the provision of roles and conditions that are flexible and accommodating for candidates of every demographic.

    Transposing older skills into the modern jobs market is a challenge as, historically, job titles and descriptions evolve over time. But the introduction of semantic search features has improved the situation in recent years. Recruiters can reliably source and understand the relevant skills of candidates, even when listed using out-of-date terminology.

    Kelly Services takes Gold Coast contract

    Australian recruitment specialists Kelly Services has won the contract for the 2018 Commonwealth games. The deal will see the recruitment firm supplying temporary and contingency staff for the Gold Coast games next year.

    Cameron Murray, of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee said Kelly Services would make 400 new hires. Positions focus on supply and logistics: with roles ranging from warehousing and forklift operators, to call centre staff and administrators.

    Sports and leisure is a booming industry in Australia, with government statistics showing the sector accounting for more than 1 per cent of the country’s total employment. The games will run from the 4th to the 18th April, 2018, in Queensland.