Today’s Recruitment Trends

2024 is off to a fantastic start and the contract recruitment market has had an incredible start to the year. As with most things, contract recruitment is ever evolving, and I wanted to share some trends that I have been seeing and some thoughts on the market as a whole.

💡 Contract recruitment remains a popular option for many companies on-island to employ qualified immediately available candidates to suit their business needs. This could be for maternity or sick leave coverage, a project-based role, or for a company to explore a contract-permanent placement.

💡 As the nature of work continues to evolve, candidates are embracing the flexibility that comes with contract recruitment and many talented professionals are open to short-term contracts and projects in exchange for the flexibility it offers. Many candidates opt for contract roles to gain diverse experience, pursue passion projects, or achieve a better work-life balance. Consequently, employers are adapting their recruitment strategies to accommodate this trend, offering shorter-term contracts and project-based roles in order to fill gaps in their business with top talent.

💡 The most common contract roles this year so far have been in Accounting, Administrative support, and project-based roles that require a specific skillset. Accounting remains the top need amongst our clients and these roles range from Accounts Assistants to Bookkeepers to qualified Accountants. We have had a couple of projects kick off already this year that have required skilled Project Managers, Technical & Process Analysts, and Financial Analysts. Proving once again that contract work continues to require skilled candidates and companies are not just looking for “bums in seats” to do menial work. Companies are seeking professionals with niche and varied expertise to drive innovation and stay competitive. We expect this trend to continue and we also typically see contract roles for Marketing, HR, and Legal Support and expect this year to be no different.

💡 Last year, we saw over half of our contract roles transition into permanent roles or contracted employees transition into a permanent role as a direct result of their contract work experience. We expect this trend to continue into 2024 and have already worked on a number of roles that have the potential to transition into permanent roles after a contracted period of time. Contract roles remain a fantastic way to gain work experience while building your professional network and making a lasting positive impression on employers. You never know what might happen as a result of embarking upon a contract position!

💡 SteppingStones is committed to paying all Professional Contractors a living wage and offering competitive benefits. It is important to note that contract work can be just as lucrative as a permanent position! Our clients are kept well-informed on the current market and are aware that in order to attract and retain top talent then they will need to offer a competitive compensation package for their roles. We work alongside our clients to ensure that contract work remains a competitive career option for our candidates.

We are only 2 months into 2024 and have already seen a lot of exciting opportunities in the contract recruitment market and we can’t wait to see what the rest of this year holds! If you would like to join our growing team of Professional Contractors or would like to discuss how contract recruitment might suit your business needs, then please do get in touch today!