The document discusses challenges with recruiting and retaining blue-collar workers in the UK. It finds that nearly half of UK employers struggle to recruit these workers, with issues most acute in industries like hospitality, catering, leisure and retail. Retention is also a problem, with low pay, unsocial hours and lack of career progression cited as major reasons workers leave their jobs. Recruitment and retention difficulties lower business productivity and growth. Brexit is predicted to exacerbate staffing issues, with many employers expecting it to negatively impact future recruitment of blue-collar roles.

1. Audience,
Channels and Content
Samuel Chatelain
August 2019

2. Half of UK employers struggle to recruit and
retain blue-collar workers
It found that nearly half (49%) of UK employers struggle to recruit blue collar workers, with the same percentage reporting challenges around retention.
Issues with recruitment and retention were discovered to be most acute in industries such as hospitality, catering & leisure and retail. In addition, larger
businesses (those with a workforce of 250 to 500) are more likely to face challenges compared to smaller-sized businesses.
Regionally, businesses in London and the East of England are most likely to struggle to recruit workers into manual or elementary service roles.
The research also uncovered some key reasons why these recruitment and retention challenges exist.
When asked to identify the key frustrations of their workforce, 33% of UK employers cited low pay as a major grievance, with 32% saying it’s the main
reason employees quit. Similarly, a quarter (25%) quoted unsocial hours as significant problem, with 23% saying it’s the main reason they lose employees.
A lack of career progression among manual and elementary service workers also causes employers to lose staff, with 22% saying it’s a notable grievance,
and 24% citing it as main reason for their employees quitting.
One fifth (19%) of employers also claimed lack of flexibility in the workplace as a major complaint among their workforce – with 17% saying it’s the main
reason why workers quit their jobs. Indeed, despite reported increases in flexible working among manual or elementary service workers in recent years,
there is more that needs to be done.
Retention and recruitment are also having a huge impact on productivity. The study calculated that skills shortages – which come about as a by-product
of poor retention and inability to recruit blue-collar workers – result in an average drop in business growth of 9%. This figure is marginally higher in
healthcare, hospitality and logistics businesses (each 10%). Employers estimate that these skills shortages result in a 10% dip in productivity.
According to Quinyx’s research, business leaders working in organisations with a blue-collar workforce predict that they will lose 18% of that workforce as
a result of Brexit, with over a fifth (22%) saying they expect to lose 31% or more. Particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in the workforce are logistics and
healthcare businesses.
Looking further ahead, many businesses are wary about talent pipelines post-Brexit. Nearly half (49%) of employers said that they expect Brexit to have a
negative impact on their future recruitment of anual and elementary service workers – with 15% expecting it to be severe.
8th March 2019 – Research from Workforce management expert Quinyx in collaboration with
Development Economics and Censuswide

3. Workforce Demographics
Gen Z (1996
and later) -
18-24 years
old: , 10%
Millenials
(1980-1995) -
25-44 years
old, 56%
Gen X (1965-
1979) - 45-54
years old,
26%
Baby
Boomers
(1946-1964) -
55-64 years
old, 8%
Millenials do not fear change and
likely to move job to job looking for
the right fit (i.e. promote social
causes); social native
Gen X want jobs that provide
income and flexibility that
their family lives demand;
open to change in the
workplace but prefer a
structured environment;
independent and goal-
oriented; connect online and
through digital
Baby boomers ‘live
to work’; look for
job opportunities
online but value
personal
interaction above
all
Text; Email; Phone
Email; Phone; Text, LinkedIn messaging
Phone,
Email,
Text
Phone,
Email,
Text

4. Candidate Segments
Happily
employed
candidates or
super passive
candidates
22%
Passive
candidates /
Silver platter
passives
42%
Tiptoeing
candidate /
Career
Managers
15%
Active
candidates
21%
Happily employed
candidates are
employed and would
not consider a new
opportunity. They are
not interested in new
job opportunity
Passive candidates are
employed but open to
new opportunities.
They are not actively
looking, but they are
open to new
opportunity
Tiptoeing candidates aren't
actually applying for jobs
but are preparing to move,
gently asking their
networks about
opportunities. They are
thinking about moving
Active candidates are actively looking
for a new job. But unemployment is
at a record low and they aren't active
for long - the very best talent is often
off the market within 10 days. Yet
they don’t have a job right now, hate
their current job or they see no
future for them where they are.

5. What our target audience really want
in 8 key success factors!
1 - The top motivations in looking for a new role are salary (41%) and looking for a fresh start (31%).
2. Channels used to search for roles
• 43% said Job Boards
• 29% said Search Engine
• 24% said Company Website
• 23% said Recruitment Agencies
4. Mobile Responsiveness
3. Candidates are customers too!
• 73% agree a negative recruitment
experience does impact how they
then engage with a brand.
• 38% share a negative experience
with family & friends, and 33% of
those won’t use services/products
again
5. The Recruitment Process Application
• 75% of applicants expect a
confirmation of application
• 39% expect a confirmation within 24
hours
• 78% expect to be informed of an
unsuccessful application
• If there is no contact within 5 days, 25%
assume they are unsuccessful.
Timeliness of engagement is key
• 73% of candidates expect to be
interviewed within 2 weeks
• 91% expect to be offered a job within 3
weeks!
6. People Success
Priorities
• Company Culture
• Career Development
• Learning
Opportunities
7. People love perks
• Work/Life Balance
• Healthcare & Pensions
• Happiness & Well Being
8. The best office amenities
• Birthday off
• Free Tea/Coffee
• Gym Pass
• Quiet Workspace
• Duvet days
• Sleep podshttps://www.eploy.co.uk/about-eploy/theblog/may-2019/recruitment-insights-what-your-target-audience-rea/?category=

6. Recruitment Process
Frustrations and Annoyances
18%
15%
14% 14%
11%
8%
6% 6%
Interview
process
Writing a CV
and keeping it
up todate
Writing cover
letters
Searching for a
job that seems
interesting
Taking time
out of work for
interviews
Finding an
open job that I
am qualified
for
Finding time to
search for a
job
Interesting
companies
rarely respond
to me

13. Marketing and recruitment funnels

14. Channels and Touch points at each stage of the funnel
Discover
Networking events, conferences and rountables within reach of our local branches like industry conferences, training events or even social events
Career fairs and campus events within reach of local branches
Own networking events at local branches but shouldn’t just be just a job fair
News websites and PR — watch for changes in industry and within our local branches
Engage
Organic social media connections: Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn; Follow, like and connect with candidates
Portfolio/work sample sites
Review sites like Glassdoor
Partnerships with competitors and professional bodies
Attract
Job boards and job search engines
Rich media advertising
Native and display advertising (long and short form)
AdWords or PPC
Social advertising: Facebook, Google and LinkedIn
Nurture
Employee referral program or referrals by a known and trusted acquaintance or source with or without an incentive but make it social (WOM)
Own files from candidate database or the Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Blog as a source of information that people want to turn to and ask questions
Apply Gi Group Careers site and ad hoc landing pages

15. Google
Main use:
Google is search (especially in Europe) and attracts a
huge amount traffic, including jobseekers at the start
of their recruitment process.
Future:
Expect to see AdWords incorporated into Google for
Jobs. This will be a huge recruitment advertising
opportunity for many. It’s one of the most powerful
online advertising platforms with a huge amount of
reach and the ability to retarget candidates who may
have visited employer sites previously.
Pros:
Great volume
Cons:
Everyone will want to be there, so expect to pay a
premium.
The conversion rate may be lower if people are only at
the research stage rather than apply stage of their job
search
Limited opportunities to showcase employer branding
until after people have clicked.
Indeed
Main Use:
Indeed is the world’s number one job board. Positioned as first or
second in 27 countries and active in 60. They consequently attract a
huge number of active job seekers.
Future:
We’ve already seen Indeed acquire Workopolis and Glassdoor in the
last couple of months. Expect to see this trend continue with more
job boards and acquisitions as Indeed expands its Global footprint.
Pros:
Indeed delivers good levels of ROI as visitors will be actively looking
for a new job and will be ‘apply ready’.
Great volume
Fantastic organic (free) results. Can generate a huge amount of
organic traffic and applications.
Cons:
Indeed (like other job boards) only attracts people who are actively
looking for a new role, meaning you can’t reach passive job seekers.
Minimal employer branding opportunities (but this will no doubt
change thanks to their recent acquisition of Glassdoor).
Once your jobs are posted on Indeed, there are no opportunities to
target specific types of candidates, so it can be difficult to control
who applies.
LinkedIn:
Main Use:
The work social network, used for sourcing
white collar, passive candidates.
Future:
Having been acquired by Microsoft, I think
we can expect to see it being increasingly
integrated into a number of MS suite
products.
Pros:
Able to source high quality, white collar
professionals
Cons:
Like all social, people aren’t necessarily
looking for a new job right now, so response
and conversion rates will be lower.
Great candidates in skill shortage areas will
increasingly become fed up of being
approached.
Likely to be expensive
Not always the best tool if you are looking for
blue collar workers.
Facebook:
Main Use:
Almost everyone is on Facebook. It offers a new
and exciting opportunity to reach passive
applicants, especially blue collar candidates who
may not be active users of job boards.
Future:
With such a new tool, it will be interesting to
watch how Facebook for Jobs will develop.
Conversion will definitely be an issue, as will
dealing with people largely on their mobiles. The
application form will need to be replaced with a
more active, mobile friendly application
method….probably Chatbots.
Pros:
Best for blue collar jobs and millennials.
Excellent opportunities to promote employer
branding.
Great reach (you could hypothetically reach nearly
everyone using Facebook).
Through Facebook targeting you can reach your
ideal candidates.
Cons:
Like all social, people aren’t necessarily looking
right now, so response and conversion rates will be
lower.
People don’t like being approached on it.
Likely very expensive
Need a good way to convert people to applying.
https://ukrecruiter.co.uk/2018/06/29/google-indeed-linkedin-and-facebook-how-recruiters-should-use-them/

16. Content at each stage of the funnel
Discover
Showcase company culture, mission and values; Show off our expertise; Present our company as exclusive, efficient, and beneficial to their careers;
Working for a dream company
Employee value proposition (EVP): accurate picture of what our organisation is about
How to guides for specific roles
Engage
Better pay or benefits; Job promotion; The opportunity to relocate; Growth opportunities at our company
How to guides about recruitment or career progression
Employee advocacy
Colleagues talking about their work in a role
Day in the life of... a role
"6 months in…" - interviews with new recruits
Quotes from colleagues
Life at Gi Group
Hiring Advice & Tips
Blogs from employees
Attract
Killer Job Postings; The job is remarkable - describe the big challenges in the job and why the job is important; compensation doesn’t matter if the
job isn’t a career move
The hiring manager is a true leader
Q&A sessions with senior leaders
Why work for Gi Group
Project case studies, projects we work on
Solutions already made