The 5 most important recruitment marketing trends in 2023

In this blog, we will tell you which 5 trends we see for your recruitment marketing in 2023.

1. Rising costs for recruitment marketing

We see the costs of recruitment marketing rising in 2023. And that's because of several things. The number of job openings has risen to record highs and is barely decreasing next year. Competition for your media campaigns is increasing, driving prices higher. At the same time, the average conversion rate (the % of your visitors who apply) on career websites has dropped significantly since Corona. Where you used to get about 4-6% conversion, that has now dropped to 1-3%. Candidates are less and less willing to apply via the traditional way (with a CV and cover letter). So you need more people on your job site to get the same number of applications. Combined, this results in a much higher cost per acquisition.

Conclusion: In 2023 you will have to pay more for the same number of applications due to increased competition and decreased conversion on your career pages.

2. Continuing market tightness

In 2023 the economy will be struggling more. Words like "declining consumer confidence" and "recession" are being heard more often. Yet the tightness in the labor market will continue. This is partly due to the continued aging of people. In the Netherlands specifically, Intelligence Group expects around 230,000 people to leave the labor force in 2022 while only 207,000 enter. This trend will continue in 2023, causing more and more people to disappear from the labor market. At the same time, uncertainty in the market is causing people to change jobs less. We also saw this during the Corona crisis and previous crises and will cause additional tightness next year.

Conclusion: Labor market tightness will continue due to aging and (greater) uncertainty.

3. Personalization of your recruitment marketing

In 2023 personalization will play a bigger role in recruitment marketing. Cookies will soon be a thing of the past, reducing (re)targeting possibilities from e.g. your website. Interaction and engagement will become more important. You can retarget on social media. For this, you need appealing, personalized content that responds to your specific target group.

To personalize the candidate journey, in 2023 it will also be important to get people out of anonymity as quickly as possible. Only then can you respond to personal questions and concerns and personalize communications. The earlier in the marketing funnel you come in contact with potential candidates, the sooner you can communicate in a personalized way. In traditional marketing, this has been happening for some time already through marketing automation campaigns, but in 2023 we will see it increasingly in recruitment marketing strategies.

We also expect to see push messaging much more within recruitment marketing next year. According to Marketing Insider Group, as many as 50% of people allow companies to send push messages to their phones, with less than 1% unsubscribing to a few daily messages. So this is a great opportunity.

Conclusion: Personalization within your recruitment marketing strategy offers new opportunities to reach and engage candidates.

4. The end of traditional job applications

The tight labor market has placed candidates in the driver's seat. There is an increasing need for a (more) equal application process. In which candidates do not have to go through an application traditionally with a CV and cover letter. As a result, new ways of applying are on the rise. Lead generation and recruitment marketing automation solutions are gaining popularity. This was true in 2022 but will continue in 2023.

Data also shows that traditional job application is under scrutiny. According to Marketing Insider Group, candidates want to quickly speak to a person who has answers to their specific questions. That means more and more informal communication channels are needed. In the traditional process, the only forms of contact are directly applying or calling a recruiter. And that is a high threshold these days. Therefore, we see it becoming easier in 2023 for candidates to get in touch with companies.

Conclusion: Companies are choosing a more equal application process with more informal communication channels.

5. Trust building is essential

Partly because of Covid-19, new generations are more distrustful of working life and institutions. The perception of work has also changed because of remote working. People experience more distance from their work, but also from their colleagues. We, therefore, see that trust building is going to play a big role for companies to still attract candidates. Among other things because culture and freedom within an organization are becoming increasingly important. But themes such as inclusiveness will also play a bigger role in 2023. According to research by Facebook, 71% of people expect inclusiveness to be taken into account in marketing.

Conclusion: To attract even more candidates, it is important to build confidence in your organization as an employer.

Want to know more?

Would you like to talk to one of our experts on the most important trends of 2023 (and 2024)? Plan a Speeddate with one of our consultants. In about 30 minutes they will walk you through the most important trends for your specific situation.