The unemployment rate in South Africa has escalated to alarming levels in 2021 and the recruitment landscape worldwide has changed irrevocably since the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, this presents a huge opportunity within the disciplines of learning and development as well as human resources.
The LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report identified learning and development (L&D) as crucial in reshaping or rebuilding organisations.
The report states that 59 percent of L&D professionals agree that upskilling and reskilling have become priorities in the post-pandemic landscape. Resilience and digital fluency were identified as the two most important skills across every country surveyed.
Research conducted for the 2020 LinkedIn Global Talent Trends report identified employee experience, people analytics, internal recruiting and multi-generational workforces as important requirements to not only retain current staff, but also in attracting new talent.
Not only have recruiters changed the way candidates are assessed and appointed, but also look at their potential and transferable skills instead of their history and technical capability.
Virtual recruitment is here to stay and the LinkedIn platforms offer incredible solutions for identifying suitable applicants.
This results in a better quality hire and the focused approach increases efficiency and speed of employment, while saving on salary commissions. Depending on the subscription package, potential employers can also see what competitors are offering to draw prospective employees.
LinkedIn research has also shown that upskilling has become a global trend because traditionally the average lifespan of a skill was five years, but that is rapidly decreasing with new skills emerging more rapidly.
The pandemic has caused a massive shift from instructor-led training to online learning. Online learning solutions such as LinkedIn Learning have created global access to education opportunities. Generation Z is learning more than ever and focused on career growth, while older generations are focusing on developing soft skills such as communication and leadership.
Ayanda Mbanga is the chief executive of Ayanda Mbanga Communications.
*The views expressed here are not necessarily those of IOL or of title sites.
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE