Chris Russell

2 min read

Recruiting Tactics

Job Training as a Recruitment Tactic

Worker demand for skills and development training has never been greater, which is why so many companies are using job training as a recruitment tactic.

“For employers looking for an edge in 2022, investing in training and development could make the difference in competing in the war for talent,” said Richard Wahlquist, president and CEO of the American Staffing Association (ASA).

80% of working adults told The Harris Poll they consider an employer’s development and training offerings an important factor when accepting a new job. Across all generations of workers interest in employers job training and career development was strong, according to the survey commissioned by ASA.

At 84%, Millennials felt the strongest about the importance of an employer’s training program, yet only 50% said they were getting the skills training needed to maintain or grow their careers. The percentages were far lower among Boomers (31%), Gen X (33%) and Gen Z (37%).

Job training for Recruitment

This is clear evidence there’s an opportunity for companies to use job training as a recruitment tactic. In fact, because the pandemic is accelerating the rate at which many skills are becoming outdated and even obsolete by as much as 70%, workers are even willing to trade pay for training.  

PwC, the global consulting firm, says, “Job seekers are willing to trade an average of 11.7% of their salary for training and flexibility — and that figure rises to 12.4% among those who work in in-demand fields like technology.” So important is training that 37% of candidates told PwC they’re willing to take a pay cut to learn new skills.

When companies use job training as a recruitment tactic, it’s not just the employees that benefit. Multiple studies and research leave no doubt that training pays dividends to the organization in a variety of ways including improved worker retention, higher productivity and the ability of workers to step into new roles. 

Job Training has Multiple Benefits

In addition to those benefits, the job search site Indeed lists eight others, among them is improved worker mobility, an especially important benefit in light of the worker shortage. “When an organization needs professionals with new or specific skills, they don’t have to go into the labor market to employ new professionals from outside sources,” says Indeed.

One overlooked benefit of training is its value in increasing a company’s diversity. Ryan Carson, CEO of an online technical coding school, told the Society for Human resource Management, “Upskilling is a powerful way to improve diversity.” 

Pointing out that diversity is most common in low-level and entry-level positions, the SHRM article says training, “Can provide workers in those positions a path to higher-paying jobs while increasing diversity throughout the organization.”

Job training as a recruitment tactic is more than just another tool for recruiters to leverage when filling jobs. Research by Gartner says Covid has caused the need for recruiter to change their strategy.

Says Garnter, “To effectively shape the workforce, recruiting functions must consult on the skills acquisition decision, source from the total skills market and leverage labor market intelligence to drive the EVP’s (employer value proposition) responsiveness to candidates.”

As candidates have become more selective about where, how and for whom they work, Gartner says organizations “need to rethink what they have to offer.”

Job training as a recruitment tactic therefore has appeal not just to attract candidates to fill jobs now, but as a long-term practice for all companies.

Contribution by John Zappe

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