The jury’s out on whether I like 2022.

It has been challenging, for sure, as a recruiter, dealing with a new type of passive candidate, who may or may not be actively seeking work, is tough as it can be either a waste of our time, or the best connection; it is, after all what we’re employed to do so I’m not complaining.  For us, this year was a great way to hone our searching skills and it’s such a blast when we source a top-quality person for our quality clients.

While it’s great to have multi-nationals here, I know they have made the marketplace difficult for SME’s to compete with salaries and benefits on offer.  Let’s face it, things will, and generally do, shift in the marketplace/economy most years and to be honest, I think recent events with Twitter and Meta making redundancies may (and will) have an impact on the job market over the coming months into 2023.  While some commentary has seen this as positive for SME’s to see more available candidates coming into the market, my question is; can the SME afford these candidates now?

We’ll also need have to see a shift in how the employee/candidate values working within SME’s and a change of mindset is needed there.  This is a big task with the energy crisis, inflation, fuel prices etc, people are less likely to take a hit financially to benefit their quality of life.  When I say quality of life, I’m referring to our ‘time’ which in my opinion is priceless.

Comparing the time you spend commuting against walking the dog/going to the gym, or if working from home, the time we have with our co-workers, whether it’s bouncing work ideas around or just having the banter and this in my view cannot be recreated over zoom/Teams!  We are social creatures and enjoy interaction with our colleagues (for the best part!).

I know it’s not easy for potential employees to consider a career move without a salary hike, however, sometimes taking the risk can really be worth it; SME’s can offer so much opportunity, for one; you’re dealing with a less layered management structure so changes can be implemented quickly and for the most part, you can, and do see your own input realised. Also, a valuable part to any job; recognition of your work.

So if you’re looking for work now or into the near future, give us a call to discuss your next move, it may be the best move you’ll make!