1. 4th Annual Report
2015 India Staffing Trends
Build, engage, and recruit more by staying ahead of these industry changes

2. Introduction
​To win in 2015, search & staffing leaders need to stay
ahead of the latest trends. Technology advancements have
begun to disrupt the staffing industry, setting the stage for
a dynamic and exciting future.
About this survey
We surveyed 1,993 staffing leaders in 19 countries to
understand what’s keeping them up at night and where
they see the industry headed in 2015. In India, we
surveyed 202 staffing leaders. Get a head start on 2015:
tap into our insights and chart your course for success.
02 Introduction
03 Executive summary
04 Part 1: The staffing industry in 2015
08 Part 2: Sourcing
14 Part 3: Brand
18 Part 4: The future of staffing
2India Staffing Trends

3. Executive summary: 2015 India staffing trends
3 must-know staffing trends to amplify your 2015 strategy
2 Sources of placements:
Social professional networks have grown
over 4 years to become the #1 source of
quality hires for Indian staffing firms.
1 Organizational priorities:
Acquiring new clients and being a
strategic partner to clients are the
top 2 organizational priorities.
“Think about the key quality hires that your
organization made in the past 12 months.
Which of the following were the most
important sources for those key positions?”
45%
37%
34%
28%
Growing our base of
new clients
Being a strategic
partner to my clients
Improving sourcing
techniques
Improving quality of hire
% Agree
“Think about your (talent acquisition
organization's/ firm's)top priorities for the next
12 months. Which of the following choices
would you consider to be the most important
and least important areas of interest for your
organization?”
3 Brand channels:
Online professional networks become
the top channel for promoting a firm’s
brand; firm websites and job boards
decline.
3India Staffing Trends
46%
63%
60%
66%
10%
30%
50%
70%
2011 2012 2013 2014
Social professional networks
Internet job boards
Internet resume databases
Employee referral programs
62%
67%
72%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2012 2013 2014
Online professional networks
Our firm's website
Friends/family, word of mouth
Traditional Job Boards
“Which channels or tools have you found
most effective in promoting your business?”

4. Part 1: The staffing industry in 2015

5. Gap between hiring volumes and budgets decrease
Indian placement budgets and volume continue
strong growth
A whopping 81% of Indian staffing leaders project a
placement budget increase. The gap between hiring volume
and budget narrows.
“Considering only full and part-time professional employees, how do
you expect the hiring volume across your organization to change this
year?”
“How has your organization's budget for recruiting solutions changed
from last year?”
Part 1: The Recruiting Industry in 2015
88%
82%
86%
89%
76%
65% 64%
81%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2011 2012 2013 2014
Hiring Budget
Hiring Volume
% with increase
“What are the things that your competitors have done or may plan on
doing that would make you most nervous?”
20%
28%
30%
22%
27%
27%
28%
30%
Invest in new recruiting
and/or sales tools (e.g.
ATS, CRM, LinkedIn,
etc.)
Build and nurture strong
talent pools or pipelines
Learn to use social
networking and social
media more effectively
Further invest in their
existing recruiting and/or
tools (e.g. ATS, job
boards, LinkedIn, etc.)
India Global
Investments in recruiting tools, social media, and
talent pipeline are the top competitive threats
Significantly more Indian firms are concerned about their
competition investing in existing/new recruiting tools.
5India Staffing Trends

6. Priorities: Top firm priorities are growing new client
base and being a strategic partner to clients
Growing new client base and being a strategic
partner to clients are top priorities
Indian staffing firms prioritize improving quality of hire
significantly more than global staffing firms do
Small firms stay competitive by prioritizing client
business development and brand
Small staffing agencies are significantly more likely to prioritize
business growth, efficiency building and brand. We define small
agencies as organizations with fewer than 10 recruiters.
“Think about your firm’s top priorities for the next 12 months.
Which of the following choices would you consider to be the most
important and least important areas of interest for your
organization?”
“Think about your firm’s top priorities for the next 12 months.
Which of the following choices would you consider to be the
most important and least important areas of interest for your
organization?”
Part 1: The Recruiting Industry in 2015
24%
20%
30%
46%
53%
26%
28%
34%
37%
45%
Recruiting/sourcing highly-
skilled talent for my firm
Improving quality of hire
Improving sourcing
techniques
Being a strategic partner to
my clients
Growing our base of new
clients
India Global
54%
40%
19%
1%
39%
31%
10%
8%
Growing our base of
new clients
Improving sourcing
techniques
Investing in and
measuring our firm's
brand
Mobile recruiting
Small agencies Large agencies
6India Staffing Trends

7. Obstacles: Biggest obstacle in 2015 is offer made
by the client
Offer made by the client is the #1 obstacle
Availability of quality talent and competition follow closely
as top obstacles to recruiting talent.
Smaller agencies grapple with small recruiting
team sizes. Large agencies battle the skill set
issue.
“What are your firm's biggest obstacles to attracting the best talent?”
Part 1: The Recruiting Industry in 2015
“What are your firm's biggest obstacles to recruiting talent?”
45%
60%
41%
39%
41%
48%
Competition
Availability of quality talent
Offer made by my client
(includes compensation,
role, location, etc)
India Global
7India Staffing Trends
34%
9%
13%
23%
Recruiting team too
small
Recruiting team skills
Small agencies Large agencies

8. Part 2: Sourcing
8

9. Top source for quality hires: Professional networks
Social professional networks rise to become
the top source for quality hires in India
Social professional networks are the most important and
fastest growing source of quality placements, closely
followed by job boards. Referral programs making a
comeback.
“Think about the key quality hires that your organization
(placed/made) in the past 12 months. Which of the following were the
most important sources for those key positions?”
Large agencies have taken to social professional
networks slightly more than small agencies
Large agencies use social professional networks to place high
quality talent. Small firms are more likely to use ATS/internal
candidate databases.
71%
22%
60%
29%
Social professional
networks
ATS/internal candidate
database
Large agencies Small agencies
“Think about the key quality hires that your organization (placed/made)
in the past 12 months. Which of the following were the most important
sources for those key positions?”
Part 2: Sourcing
9India Staffing Trends
46%
63%
60%
66%
10%
30%
50%
70%
2011 2012 2013 2014
Social professional networks
Internet job boards
Internet resume databases
Employee referral programs

10. Sourcing: Social professional networks and
job boards provide best quality and quantity
“How significant were each of the following as a source of white collar professional hires
for your organization in the past 12 months?” (>15% quantity of hires)
Sources of hire for quality and quantity in India
“Think about the key quality hires that your organization (placed/made) in the past 12
months. Which of the following were the most important sources for those key
positions?”
54%
of global staffing leaders believe
they’re not doing a good job
tracking return on investment on
sources of placements. There’s
lots of room for improvement.
Part 2: Sourcing
10India Staffing Trends
Internet
resume
databases
Internet job
boards
Social
Professional
networks
ATS/ internal
candidate
database
Employee
Referral
programs
Company
career
website
General
career fairs
Print newspapers/
trade journals
Company CRM
system
%mostsourceofquantityhires
% most source of quality hires
Best quality & quantity

11. Passive candidate recruiting: India at average levels
A large majority of staffing firms recruit passive
candidates. However, India lies at global
average levels.
Why passive candidate recruiting works
Globally, 75% of professionals consider themselves “Passive.”
Because availability of quality talent is the #2 obstacle to hiring
for Indian firms, it’s important to consider this large passive
talent pool. Use different sources to target passive versus
active candidates, and have a different message for warm
outreach.
75%
Passive
25%
Active
Global Candidate Breakdown
Active candidate definition:
 Actively looking
 Casually looking a few times a week
Passive candidate definition:
 Reaching out to personal network
 Open to talking to a recruiter
 Completely satisfied; Don’t want to move
“How would you describe your job search status?”
Source: LinkedIn’s Talent Trends 2014 study
“To what extent does your recruiting organization focus on reaching
out to passive talent?” To some extent or very much so.
Part 2: Sourcing
United Kingdom 95%
China 94%
United States 91%
Canada 89%
Southeast Asia 88%
Australia 87%
India 87%
Brazil 84%
France 84%
Nordics 82%
Netherlands 72%
87%
Global
average
11India Staffing Trends

12. Number of placements is the most
valuable metric for staffing firms in India
Client satisfaction, quality of placement and pipeline
of placeable candidates aren’t far behind in
importance.
“What is the single most valuable metric that you use to track your
recruiting team's performance today?”
Part 2: Sourcing
7%
18%
28%
29%
15%
19%
24%
25%
Pipeline of
placeable
candidates
Quality of
placement
Client
satisfaction
Number of
placements
India Global
12India Staffing Trends
Extract value from top
ROI sources in 2015
Next steps for your strategic planning
1. Arm yourself with data to stay competitive.
Use LinkedIn’s free Talent Pool reports on
SlideShare to size your target market and
understand talent supply & demand.
2. Consider different search tactics for passive
vs. active candidates (i.e. Boolean search
strings, indirect search, conceptual search).
3. Craft tailored messages to target candidates
so you can attract them after you find them.
Understand what would motivate them to
switch jobs.
4. Define what ROI means for your firm and
measure it across your sources of placements.

13. Part 3: Brand
13

14. Brand: It’s a priority and key to business growth
Most firms value brand
Most Indian staffing leaders agree that brand is a priority.
However, brand resourcing and measurement are still
catching up. Companies can get ahead by funding a
proactive brand strategy and tracking its success.
“Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the
following statements as they relate to your firm’s brand.”
Part 3: Talent Brand
78%
74%
72%
72%
53%
50%
Our brand has a significant
impact on our ability to grow our
business
Our brand is a top priority for
our firm
We will increase our marketing
activities to improve our firm's
brand
Our brand has a significant
impact on our ability to engage
great talent
Those responsible for our brand
have enough resources to do it
well
We regularly measure the
health of our brand in a
quantifiable way
% Agree
Top 5 reasons agencies invest in their brand
The number one reason Indian agencies invest in their brand is
due to an increase in client demand. Indian agencies are more
likely to cite this and “movement into new geographies or sectors
where you haven't previously recruited” as a reason to invest in
brand than global agencies. Global companies are more likely to
invest to increase awareness.
“For what reasons are you spending more on your firm’s brand this year?”
Directed to leaders who report spending more on brand this year.
51%
40%
46%
36%
46%
36%
44%
49%
51%
57%
Need to raise general
awareness
Increased competition
Increased belief in the impact
of our firm's brand
Movement into new
geographies or sectors
where you haven't…
Increase in client demand
India Global
14India Staffing Trends

15. Brand: Top 4 channels for promoting it
Small and large agencies rely on online
professional networks
Both small and large agencies rely on social professional
networks to promote their brand, likely due to its cost
effectiveness. Large agencies differ significantly from small
agencies in relying on public recognition and awards.
Online professional networks grow as top
channel for promoting brand
Firm websites and traditional job boards are steadily
declining as effective sources for promoting firm brands.
“Which channels or tools have you found most effective in promoting
your business?”
Part 3: Talent Brand
“Which channels or tools have you found most effective in promoting
your business?”
68%
16%
78%
6%
Online professional
networks (e.g.,
LinkedIn)
Public
recognition/awards
Large agencies Small agencies
15India Staffing Trends
62%
67%
72%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2012 2013 2014
Online professional networks
Our firm's website
Friends/family, word of mouth
Traditional Job Boards

16. Brand: Indian firms are above average in
prioritizing and acting on their brand
Indian firms can remain competitive by
investing in and managing their brand
Southeast Asian and Indian firms lead the way in
agency branding. Indian firms have an opportunity to
amplify their brand by:
 Articulating your competitive advantage so
clients and candidates know why you’re the best
firm for their industry, function, career, etc.
 Using cost-effective social channels to make
your brand known. Start with free LinkedIn tools
like individual recruiter profiles, your company
page, and attracting followers.
 Benchmarking your brand budget against other
investments — is your brand funded in line with
other priorities?
 Measuring your brand using metrics like Net
Promoter Score (NPS) of your clients and
placements, company followers, # recruiters with
updated LinkedIn profiles.
Part 3: Talent Brand
Brand is a top priority for our organization
Mycompanyhasabrandstrategy
US
UK
Australia India
Nordics
Brazil
Southeast
Asia
China
Netherlands
France
Canada
16India Staffing Trends

17. Part 4: The future of staffing
17

18. The future of staffing: Social professional networks
and sourcing passive candidates
Social professional networks and passive
candidate recruiting are here to stay
Global and Indian staffing leaders agree that social
professional networks and passive candidate recruiting are
long-term trends.
Trend spotting: Expanding emerging markets
and measuring quality of hires
The Indian staffing and recruiting industry is looking at growth.
Expanding into emerging markets, measuring quality of hires
and using “big data” to predict, top the charts.
“What do you consider to be the three most essential and long-
lasting trends in recruiting for professional roles?”
“Which of the following new and upcoming trends do you think will play
a significant role in shaping the recruiting industry for the next 5 to 10
years?”
Part 4: Predicting the Future of Recruiting
67%
52%
40%
39%
65%
59%
38%
32%
Utilizing social and
professional networks
Finding better ways to
source passive
candidates
Using an internal
database to manage
talent leads
Boosting referral
programs
India Global
43%
42%
41%
38%
34%
35%
29%
31%
51%
31%
Expanding into emerging
markets
Defining and measuring
the quality of our hires
Using "big data" for
predicting future talent
needs
Improved candidate and
job matching (personality
fit, culture fit, etc.)
Focusing on referrals as a
primary source of talent
India Global
18India Staffing Trends

19. Survey sampling and methodology
Data Comparisons
 Global comparisons are reported as un-weighted averages from the
noted countries
 Historical data comparisons are taken from 2011, 2012 and 2013
Global Recruiting Trends research, which had similar sampling
criteria and methodology to 2014:
– 2014 survey fielded August-September 2014 with 202 US
respondents
– 2013 survey fielded April-May 2013 with 292 US respondents
– 2012 survey fielded May-July 2012 with 416 US respondents
– 2011 survey fielded April-June 2011 with 376 US respondents
Survey Sample
 Survey respondents are talent acquisition professionals who:
– Work for a staffing firm
– Represent an even mix of small, medium, and large
firms
– Have at least some authority in determining their
company’s recruitment solutions budget
– Focus exclusively on recruiting professional hires for
clients
 Survey respondents are members of LinkedIn who have
opted to participate in research studies. They were selected
based on information in their LinkedIn profile and contacted
via email.
Brazil: 185
USA: 202
Canada: 201
UK: 201 China: 100
Southeast Asia: 201
India: 202
Australia: 200
Nordics: 100
France: 200
Netherlands: 201
19India Staffing Trends

20. About LinkedIn
Talent Solutions
LinkedIn Talent Solutions offers
a full range of recruiting
solutions to help organizations
of all sizes find, engage, and
attract the best talent.
Founded in 2003, LinkedIn
connects the world’s
professionals to make them
more productive and successful.
With over 300 million members
worldwide, including executives
from every Fortune 500
company, LinkedIn is the world’s
largest professional network.
Subscribe to our Blog: talent.linkedin.com/blog/
Follow us on Slideshare: slideshare.net/linkedin-talent-solutions
Follow us on Twitter: @hireonlinkedin
Follow us on You Tube: youtube.com/user/LITalentSolutions
20India Staffing Trends
Discover additional insights:
https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/staffing-agencies
Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1337

21. About the authors
Sam Gager
Research Consultant,
LinkedIn Talent
Solutions
Sam is an experienced
researcher on
LinkedIn’s Insights
team. He and his
colleagues uncover
data-driven insights
from LinkedIn’s
proprietary data.
Rachel Bowley
Research Associate,
LinkedIn Talent
Solutions
Rachel is a statistically
savvy number cruncher
and researcher. She
powers the insights
LinkedIn generates from
its data.
21​ India Staffing Trends
Megha Nayak
Associate Field
Marketing Manager,
LinkedIn Talent
Solutions
Megha plays enabler
in helping talent
leaders leverage the
power of LinkedIn.
Esther Cruz
Insights and Content
Marketing Manager,
LinkedIn Talent
Solutions
Esther is passionate
about connecting
people and
opportunities. She
enjoys creating
content and disruptive
thought leadership for
the talent industry.