Irish recruiters facing burnout as economy reaches full employment
The impact of slower hiring is greatest among large companies, IrishJobs added, with 72% of firms seeing the average time taken to fill positions rise.
Ireland's competitive hiring market is putting recruiters at risk of burnout, new findings show, with one in three describing themselves as heavily or very heavily physically stressed as a result of their workload.
Publishing its Recruiters Snapshot Survey on Friday, hiring platform IrishJobs warned that with the labour market close to full employment, more than half of recruiters say their workload has increased over the past two to three years as they navigate a highly competitive market for talent.
A rise in the amount of time needed to fill job vacancies is creating additional complexities in recruitment, the hiring platform said, with 57% of recruiters reporting a rise in the average duration for filling a job as they face skills shortages and rising competition to attract the best people.
The impact of slower hiring is greatest among large companies, it added, with 72% of firms seeing the average time taken to fill positions rise.
Findings indicate that these increased pressures are having a direct impact on wellbeing across the recruitment industry. With a third of recruiters reporting high levels of stress, IrishJobs says this is a "concerning sign" that burnout is on the rise in the sector.
These findings come as IrishJobs research published earlier this year showed the growing impact of AI tools and technologies in automating recruitment.
Recruiters using AI reported that reducing the time spent on manual and repetitive tasks was a key benefit of the technology, with sending candidates reminders, tracking application status, and scheduling job interviews some of the most common ways in which the technology is being used to automate the recruitment process.
Adoption is likely to further accelerate as more companies adopt clear guidelines on its usage and provide AI skilling initiatives to their workforce.
Less than one in four firms have already established an organisation-wide AI policy, indicating that the potential adoption of the technology will rapidly rise as more concrete workplace guidelines are established.
“With unemployment set to remain close to historic lows and businesses across Ireland navigating an exceptionally tight labour market, the recruiter snapshot survey provides a timely insight into the challenges facing recruiters as they compete for talent," said Sam Dooley, Country Director of The Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs.
"While it is widely recognised that job hunting can be a stressful experience for candidates, it’s important to acknowledge that the process can also be pressurised for recruiters."
"With skills shortages unlikely to abate in the near term, putting an increased focus on upskilling and reskilling initiatives can help businesses meet their talent needs and reduce pressure on hiring teams."
