by HRHQ Editorial Team
Recently published research has revealed Ireland’s competitive hiring market is putting recruiters at risk of burnout. Findings show that 1 in 3 (33%) recruiters describe themselves as heavily, or very heavily, physically and mentally stressed due to their workload.
The IrishJobs Recruiter Snapshot survey polled recruitment decision-makers in 250 businesses across Ireland. With the labour market close to full employment, more than half (51%) of recruiters report that their workload has increased over the past two to three years as they navigate a highly competitive market for talent.
An increase in the amount of time needed to fill job vacancies is creating additional complexities in recruitment. 57% of recruiters report that the average duration for filling a job has increased in the past 2 to 3 years as they face skills shortages and increased competition to attract the best people. The impact of slower hiring is greatest among large companies, where 72% of firms have seen 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. 33% of recruiters are experiencing high levels of physical and mental stress in their role – a concerning sign that burnout is on the rise across the sector. Stress levels are highest among large enterprises, where 41% of recruiters report feeling heavily, or very heavily, stressed.
Recruiters reveal they spend an average of 5.96 hours every week performing manual and administrative tasks. Recruiters in large companies spent the greatest amount of time doing manual tasks, spending an average of 11.78 hours every week on administrative tasks. More than half (56%) of recruiters spend between 1 to 5 hours weekly doing manual recruiting tasks.
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 (42%), tracking application status (42%), and scheduling job interviews (39%) some of the most common ways in which the technology is being used to automate the recruitment process.
The IrishJobs Recruiter Snapshot survey shines a light on the positive potential of AI to support recruiters and alleviate some administrative burdens. More than 1 in 4 (28%) employers in Ireland have already introduced AI to their recruitment processes, according to IrishJobs research.
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 1 in 4 firms (24%) have already established an organisation-wide AI policy, indicating the potential adoption of the technology to rapidly rise as more concrete workplace guidelines are established.
