International Recruitment: Astonishing Growth Forecasted in 2021
Recent trends highlight that international recruitment has a bright future ahead of it in 2021.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused an economic crisis of unprecedented magnitude. Containment measures that have become widespread around the world have impacted more than 80% of the global workforce, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). Whilst the Covid-19 crisis has had an impact on the hiring strategies of companies, Approach People Recruitment, which posted a record January, is happy to report that it hasn’t put them at a standstill. Internationally, certain sectors, such as IT and pharmaceuticals, continue to offer interesting opportunities to multilingual talent seeking opportunities abroad.
German industry resists
According to Émilie Narcy, Operations Director of Approach People Recruitment, “Germany is an economy that has shown itself to be the most resistant during this crisis. Hailed at the European level for its management of the Covid-19 pandemic, the country has been able to stay on course.” Indeed, Germany has succeeded in limiting the damage because of its industrial sector, which weighs heavily in its GDP and was less affected by the containment measures.
As a result, the recovery process has already begun in Germany. Approach People Recruitment, headquartered in Dublin but with a branch in Berlin, is seeing a steady upsurge in the demand for international profiles, especially within marketing, sales and engineering.
Holland and Spain innovate
The good news is that Germany is not an isolated example. Holland and Spain also continue to offer opportunities to those who would like to add an international dimension to their career. “In recent years, the Spanish market has become very technological. Many multinationals – especially American ones – have chosen to set up there, many of which are from the pharmaceutical industry,” illustrates Émilie Narcy based on the experience of Approach People Recruitment’s Barcelona and Madrid branches. Even with the health crisis, international profiles of engineers and business directors are coveted in these two countries who are both focused on technological innovation. This is also the case for sales and marketing profiles, especially if they are multilingual.
French tech shines
France is also seeing a similar trend. French tech start-ups, for example, offer a source of international jobs. Particularly now that investors are on their side again. “During the crisis, fundraising for start-ups was frozen. Some even had to lay off their employees. Since November, our Paris branch has registered an upturn in activity which has led to recruitments in France and several European countries,” explains Émilie Narcy. This recruitment activity is not limited to solely tech profiles, it includes professions in finance, marketing and administration at both executive and intermediate levels.
Covid-19 exacerbates the war for talent
With shut down of certain sectors such as hotels, restaurants and retail, the health crisis has highlighted other sectors that have seen their needs explode in recent months. This is the case in particular for Life Sciences and IT. Already faced with a shortage of qualified profiles prior to the Covid-19 crisis, these sectors continue to have significant needs unmet in terms of QA Engineers, IT technicians, cybersecurity etc.
When borders reopen, the already competitive war for talent will undoubtedly become fiercer. This positive boost in activity will force companies to become more creative in convincing future employees to move in the midst of this crisis. “Vaccines bring hope for companies, who believe in the future and are preparing for recovery. Companies that’ll rebound, will be those who are able to adapt their business in this new reality,” says Émilie Narcy.
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