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December 11, 2024

Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is when an employer outsources the responsibility of recruiting talent to a third-party service provider. In tight labour markets across the APAC region, RPO brings fresh talent, skills, and attention to talent acquisition, simplifying the workload for in-house hiring managers and HR staff.  Additionally, RPO introduces specialist perspectives into your recruitment procedures. It fills potential knowledge gaps and optimises processes, fine-tuning your workforce for more productive outcomes. This is especially true in rapidly growing markets, including tech, finance, and IT, with RPO needs driven by increasing adoption of digital infrastructure and specialised skills demand. This article will explore everything you need to know about RPO and how it can boost your business’s long-term efficiency.  RPO Benefits: 10 Key Business Cases RPO delivers tangible value to multiple facets of your business, from optimising resources to streamlining processes and increasing representation. When combined, these influences positively impact everything from granular tasks to core business operations. Let’s explore the benefits of RPO in real-world scenarios.   1. High-Quality Talent An RPO recruitment team’s primary objective is to provide you with top hires, even in notoriously difficult labour markets. With an extensive network of professionals, they can also create a talent pool, ensuring you have qualified candidates in the pipeline when a position becomes vacant.  2. Cost Efficiency An RPO provider supports you in hiring and retaining the best talent. With performance typically measured by time-to-hire, cost-of-hire, and quality-of-hire, RPO solutions ensure vacant positions remain open for a minimal time, saving costs and boosting productivity.  3. Optimised Resource Allocation With streamlined processes and industry expertise, an RPO service not only decreases talent acquisition spend but can free up internal recruitment resources to focus on HR and retention initiatives. More efficient resource allocation leads to enhanced productivity and a more positive candidate and company experience.  4. Positive Candidate Experience A WorkPro survey revealed that 44% of candidates wait less than two weeks to hear back from an employer after a second interview. Yet, in 2023, over 25% of employers maintained a timeline of 46-60 days from requisition approval to verbal acceptance. Because an RPO solution decreases the time-to-hire threshold, a candidate’s recruitment and onboarding experience becomes streamlined and smooth, helping employers secure the talent they need.  5. Filling Specialised Roles Recruitment process outsourcing helps companies tackle hiring challenges in skilled roles. In a climate where employers experience difficulty attracting experienced applicants (18%), applicants with technical skills (16%), or applicants in general (14%), support in filling specialised roles is no longer a nice-to-have — it can be critical to a business’s continued success.  6. Enhanced DEI Opportunities Balanced diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hires — including people from a spectrum of gender, ethnicity, demographic, physical-ability, and neurological backgrounds — are well known to enhance a business’s productivity. RPO solutions can assist you in making strategic DEI hires to achieve an optimised and representative workforce.  A 2024 Diversity Council Australia survey found that just 71% of employees feel they belong as part of a team — a decrease from 77% in 2021, and 78% in 2019. This means DEI hires are increasingly important in recruitment from both a business and candidate standpoint.  7. Elevated Employer Branding Employer branding makes a significant difference in talent quality and retention. However, not all employers have the in-house expertise to create a sound employer value proposition. An RPO provider helps you define your value to prospective employees and market your business to candidates — even in tough industries.  8. Metrics and Analysis Data provides the foundation for an efficient long-term talent acquisition strategy. Your RPO recruiter will likely have recruitment technology and predictive talent analytics to gain insights about your business’s hiring needs and talent pipeline. These insights equip you with a data-backed approach to candidate sourcing and workforce planning.  9. Agile, Scalable Recruitment Recruitment efforts are rarely consistent within an organisation. Sometimes, you may require high volumes of permanent or temporary hires, whereas other times, months may pass with limited need. RPO creates structures within a business that complement variable recruitment needs, and scale up or down according to company objectives.  10. Global Compliance Employment laws are consistently shifting and companies are increasingly tapping into the global workforce. For instance, permanent recruitment processes in Japan can vary significantly from those in Australia, meaning compliance is an important factor to consider in your recruitment strategy. An RPO partner’s expertise ensures businesses remain compliant for both local and global talent acquisition. Types of RPO Recruitment Every organisation has unique talent acquisition needs and hiring challenges. Whether you need end-to-end recruitment solutions, seek support in hiring for a single division, or require assistance with one aspect of your recruitment process, an RPO partnership can help.  Here are some of the types of recruitment services an RPO company offers: End-to-end: Full-service RPO is an ongoing solution that covers the lifecycle of your recruitment process. Between employer branding initiatives, candidate sourcing and screening, and interviewing and selecting talent, end-to-end services oversee the entire hiring process, enhancing your recruitment function.  Project and on-demand: When you need the best workforce solutions for short-term talent needs, project and on-demand RPO offer the benefits of an end-to-end approach on a timeline that suits you. This is ideal for situations where your hiring manager or internal teams lack the resources to deliver on hiring needs.  Consulting: Develop comprehensive solutions to address your recruitment goals with guidance from an expert recruitment team. By collaborating with your executive leadership and stakeholders, RPO solutions craft a complete strategy to address issues and refine your recruitment process.  Outsourcing recruitment is a simple extension of your internal team, allowing you to customise your RPO model and seamlessly meet your business targets. RPO Pricing Models The cost of RPO depends on the project’s scale and employer goals. Trends in RPO show a shift toward flexible pricing models, designed to accommodate fluctuating hiring demands, seasonal spikes, or evolving business goals. Below are some of the different pricing structures you can access: On-demand is where RPO experts deliver on an agreed number of roles over a fixed period.  Full-service RPO is where an outsourced recruitment team takes the lead, directing the entire recruitment process.  Function-based RPO, also known as project RPO, means the service provider undertakes a specific part of the employer’s onboarding operations, such as hiring for the sales department.  Regardless of your hiring need, you can connect with an RPO team to discuss your goals and find the right solution for your business.  Choosing an RPO Recruitment Partner Certain characteristics make for a strong RPO partner. Companies that offer different engagement models provide the flexibility to ensure recruitment initiatives deliver within timelines and budget. Scalability means your partner can provide RPO solutions that address your specific needs — as and when they fluctuate.  Most modern RPO providers leverage technology to enhance recruitment capabilities, facilitating strong data-backed decision-making regarding current and future hiring needs. A good partnership brings a high level of experience to the table, offering local and global expertise required to meet your recruitment goals. Finally, outsourcing recruitment should be a collaborative process, ensuring deliverables are aligned with your values and objectives. Getting Started With RPO Recruitment process outsourcing is a comprehensive and agile solution that helps businesses overcome diverse talent recruitment challenges. It provides a foundation for workforce growth and stability, supporting a business’s long-term trajectory.  Envision is a leading talent-sourcing partner in the Asia-Pacific region, with experts who can seamlessly integrate into your organisation and craft tailored strategies from within. If you’re interested in working with RPO experts to achieve enhanced productivity and development, connect with our team today.

July 10, 2024

How many of us can honestly say business is running as smoothly as it could be? Between fragmented operations, over-extended budgets, underperforming sales, and missed deadlines, it’s the rare unicorn who proclaims business couldn’t possibly be doing better.  On the labor side, employees are responsible for producing deliverables at capacity. But on the operational side, leadership is required to fill positions with talent that can deliver efficiently and consistently. So where are we going wrong? Diligent and effective talent is the spinal cord of a well-functioning business. Many businesses are scratching their heads about how to make quarterly and annual targets, while legacy hiring practices continue to integrate less-than-ideal employees. We’re here to dissect the talent acquisition audit and discuss how to identify whether your business needs one.  What is a Talent Acquisition Audit?  A talent acquisition audit takes a deep dive into all aspects of a business’s talent function, examining existing processes and providing recommendations. Areas of strength are magnified, while weaker spots are fortified or overhauled. This ultimately leads to more effective hires, long-term talent solutions, and enhanced productivity. Focus areas are broken down below:  Identify Skill and Knowledge Gaps: Internal audits determine your current talent and indicate areas where your business strategy may need additional support. Enhance Employer Branding: Increasingly, how your image as an employer appeals to potential candidates is critical to attracting the right people.  Recruitment Forecasting: An audit takes a look into current and future hiring needs to accommodate growth and succession planning.  Hiring and Onboarding Processes: Are recruits receiving the support they need? Is there any way tech solutions can bolster your strategy or economize resources? An audit will identify gaps and areas for improvement.  Why Audit Your Recruitment Practices? Talent acquisition no longer falls under HR responsibilities. The recruitment landscape is evolving with greater opportunities for global hires, decreased tenure, and increased movement toward lateral, rather than linear, career trajectories. The augmented scope of talent acquisition requires a distinct skillset from specialists in the field.  By closely scrutinizing which processes produce tangible, objective results, businesses can solve gritty hiring challenges, develop high-functioning teams, and remain competitive in the market.  Consider this: It costs a business at least 33% of the employee’s salary to find their replacement. That means for an employee on a salary of $75k, it’s a $25k spend — and the figure creeps even higher with seniority. An internal audit performed by a specialized talent acquisition consulting team reduces the figurative and literal cost of outdated recruitment processes. The Benefits of a Talent Acquisition Audit With a humming talent acquisition strategy, you can maximize potential candidate competency within your business over the long term and align your direction with strategic objectives. Here’s what you can expect:  Streamlined Recruitment Efforts Fragmented hiring processes involving too many (or the wrong) people will give way to a precise, actionable, and repeatable process that produces lasting results. A consistent cross-departmental recruitment framework helps hiring managers make unbiased decisions about the best fit for the role and elevates your business’s employer brand. Discover High-Quality Candidates Find the people you actually need. Putting the right messages in front of the right candidates attracts high-level job seekers into your talent pipeline — those with the skills and experience required to excel in their role within a company. Plus, you’ll quickly determine an applicant’s suitability for the role based on competencies, character, and your company’s current skill distribution. Maintain Compliance With Laws and Regulations Recruitment’s regulatory environment is constantly shifting, with new inclusion, pay equity, and AI frameworks introduced almost daily. A talent acquisition audit examines your processes and communications from the inside out, ensuring practices are updated and legally compliant. Elevate the Candidate Experience According to Forbes, nearly 38% of employees quit in their first year on the job — and more than 40% of that group depart in the first 90 days. Does that have you on the edge of your seat? Offering a smooth, supported hiring experience sets the tone for recruits, encouraging a positive attitude and high commitment levels.  Gain Actionable Insights from Data An audit report provides valuable insight and analytics showing what’s working across your recruitment efforts and what’s not. With the opportunity to work through challenges and refine your approach, you can tangibly enhance your potential for success. 7 Signs You Need a Talent Acquisition Audit Talent acquisition audits are not always the most obvious solution in an underperforming business. However, often, they’re the most necessary. Here are seven tell-tale signs you need an audit:  High turnover rates: If staff tend to leave as fast as they come, it may point to potential communication gaps at the outset. A specialist evaluates how roles are advertised to create realistic expectations and target genuinely motivated prospects. Extended time-to-fill: Positions that remain vacant for extended periods can slug operations and add pressure to employee workloads. An audit analyzes where your ideal candidates are searching for positions and targets those spaces to reduce vacancy and handover timeframes.  Difficulty attracting quality candidates: This can indicate a need to revamp or strengthen your employer brand as it relates to recruitment.  Poor candidate experience: If you’re fortunate enough to receive negative feedback about the hiring experience from a new recruit, it’s likely not an isolated incident. An audit helps streamline processes and support employees from the get-go.  Low-quality hires: Struggling to find the right person is bad, and hiring the wrong person is even worse. A talent acquisition consultant equips you with the tools to consistently identify the most qualified prospects from your pool of applicants according to predefined criteria. That way, you can accurately evaluate candidate compatibility before you commit. Inconsistent hiring practices: Variation between departmental recruiting practices or hiring managers leaves little space for cohesion or objectivity in decision-making. This can later manifest in misaligned or unproductive teams.  High recruitment costs: With the volume of recruitment software and technology available on the market, you shouldn’t need to spend serious money attracting talent. An audit takes a look into where and how you’re sourcing candidates and recommends more cost-effective alternatives.  Take Your Talent Acquisition to the Next Level With RPO A talent acquisition audit offers a single, broad-reaching, and comprehensive fix to resolve hiring challenges and create an enduring impact. Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) provides your business with an external team of experts that analyze your recruitment strategy and provide recommendations to resolve enduring hire challenges — without the need to recruit an in-house specialist.  Envision RPO offers solutions to optimize your hiring strategy and ensure recruits consistently meet your organizational goals. Our experts can integrate into your business to understand your culture and produce a fully aligned blueprint congruent with your long-term goals. Reach out to our team to kickstart your RPO journey today. 

June 28, 2024

The right spread of skills and competencies in your business is critical to achieving organizational benchmarks. Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is a total talent solution designed to optimize your talent function and attract the right minds to your team. RPO experts analyze where a business is currently at and where they desire to be, and then chart a direct course to get there with the right people steering the ship.  In 2022, the RPO industry was valued at $7.33B and projected to grow 16.1% by 2030. North America is expected to see growth of around 15% by 2027, while Asia Pacific expansion sits slightly higher at 17% during the same period. The two primary catalysts driving these changes are a sweeping induction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in business operations and a growing attrition rate across several industries. As we learned during and post-pandemic, companies need cost-effective hiring solutions while reducing operational overheads. This is where RPO enters the picture.  Here, we’re going to unpack the top RPO trends emerging in 2024, and what shifts they indicate in the recruitment landscape.  1. Recruiters Are Integrating Artificial Intelligence Technology has assisted with sourcing candidates and screening resumes for some years. While AI Is not entirely new to the sphere of RPO or recruitment in general, its capabilities have surged in recent years and it’s playing an increasingly key role.  Any recruiter understands the labor-intensive, time-consuming nature of repetitive hiring tasks. AI can knock a number of these off the list, freeing up recruitment managers’ time for more meaningful work, such as building candidate relationships. Generative AI can scan thousands of resumes across multiple platforms, screen or rediscover applicants, and self-schedule appointments in a fraction of the traditional timeline. Simplifying strategic workforce planning is easier than ever, with AI reducing human bias and automating diversity hires. Applicants can engage with chatbots, enhancing the candidate experience and employer brand. What’s more, according to a Deloitte study from the second quarter of 2024, 45% of organizations plan to reinvest Gen AI savings into innovation. AI is making an inconceivable impact, and it’s here to stay.  2. Data-Driven Decisions Will Help Lead the Way With increasing access to data analytics and insights, recruitment decision-making will be increasingly data-driven in 2024. RPO experts can leverage big data to gain insight into future forecasting and talent sourcing leading to more effective hires than the traditional intuitive, impression-based approach.  Recruitment process outsourcing trends signify that recruiters lean more on modern tech capabilities to provide actionable solutions from historical data analysis. Overall, this will result in more accurate and proficient hires.  3. The Talent Shortage Continues With a number of automated technologies integrated into the workplace, companies are focused on maintaining headcount as opposed to reducing it. Employees provide critical skilled and complementary support for tasks performed by automation.  Finding the right candidate just in time amidst a labor shortage is stinging business development and hindering a competitive advantage in the market. As such, companies increasingly turn to an RPO provider to expand their sourcing strategies and talent pools to find qualified candidates at short notice.  4. Candidate-Centric Recruiting Is a Must In the past, recruitment was primarily balanced as a measure of candidate performance, incentivizing a company to hire based on skills and competencies. In 2024, businesses must lift their employer branding game to attract top talent.  The concept of an employer brand is far-reaching, encompassing all aspects of the candidate experience as they step through the recruitment process. The accuracy and allure of your job descriptions matter. The hiring process must be rapid and supportive. Businesses must advertise on the right platform to attract the right talent. In fact, social media platforms are frequently engaged to deliver more creative talent acquisition.  Advanced tech such as AI and automation is forecast to strengthen candidate-centric recruiting. Leveraging these tools, an RPO service offers an accelerated application screening with fast, actionable feedback. With faster timelines and enhanced accuracy elevating the candidate experience, businesses should see peaks in organic prospect attraction over time.  5. DEI Initiatives Are Driving Necessary Changes Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are among the major trends to keep an eye on for 2024 recruitment process outsourcing. Not only are inclusive hiring practices gaining traction, but they’re a regulatory requirement in many areas now.  Employers need to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks as they expand talent pools for people competing for jobs and promotions. Alongside compliance, providing opportunities feeds into a positive employer brand.  With extensive diversity hire practices and AI tools, RPO specialists will continue supporting businesses to substantially reduce — if not entirely eliminate — bias in the recruitment process to develop healthy, inclusive workplaces.  6. Hybrid And Blended Workforces Are Increasingly Normal During the global pandemic, businesses pivoted their recruitment practices to comply with social distancing requirements. This period catalyzed advanced recruiting practices, digital hiring assets, as well as workplace flexibility. In 2024, we will continue to see hybrid and blended workforce models. RPO trends highlight that diversification of workforce structures and demands will require RPO providers to develop customized solutions to accommodate. Virtual hiring and employee oversight strategies are expected to advance. 7. Flexible Work Schedules and Asynchronous Communications Flexible work schedules offer a huge opportunity in the RPO market, particularly in light of the ongoing talent shortage. Adaptability allows employees to work during their most productive hours, improving job satisfaction and retention. It also provides perks to candidates, increasing prospect attraction to open positions.  Asynchronous communication — which doesn’t require real-time responses — opens the door to potential global hires, expanding the talent pool for PRO providers. This facilitates RPO services to access scalable solutions that accommodate employer needs by leveraging global talent acquisition regardless of location.  Combined, flexible schedules and communication requirements support inclusive hiring practices, allowing individuals with personal commitments to continue contributing in the workplace.  8. Companies Are Expanding Their Global Recruitment Footprint Considering diverse workforce structures, DEI requirements, and business flexibility, the global recruitment process outsourcing expansion is on the horizon. The RPO industry will tap into diverse talent pools across the globe, transcending borders, and local talent shortages to attain remote new hires. Off-shore, cross-border virtual recruitment is something we will see more of this year. RPO firms with global competencies and experience are likely to gain an edge amidst this trend.  Why Use RPO in 2024?  RPO services offer scalable solutions to meet even the most demanding business hiring needs. Managing large hiring projects and ongoing recruitment efforts, RPO firms offer a flexible advantage by significantly reducing the temporal and financial investment in talent sourcing.  By leveraging the expertise of recruitment professionals and advanced recruitment technologies, businesses can access streamlined, innovative solutions leading to more efficient hires and long-term development.  Envision RPO is a leading talent-sourcing provider with experts who can integrate into your company and devise a strategy from the inside out, leading to enhanced productivity and development. If you want to learn more about our talent acquisition solutions, get in touch today.