The New Year can be a busy time for recruiters. Employers optimistically looking towards taking on fresh recruits to nurture company growth, whilst employees are looking for new opportunities to embark on fresh challenges in the New Year. Yes, it’s safe to say, the recruitment sector is bustling with buoyancy at the start of the year.

Needless to say, there are plenty of trends bubbling in the recruitment pipeline for 2017. Committed to staying abreast of the latest trends and developments within the industry, we take a look at some of the leading recruitment trends forecast for 2017.

Recruiting technology to become more advanced

2016 saw the recruitment industry relying more heavily on candidate data and analytics. An upgrade in recruitment technology designed to find the most suitable candidates quickly and efficiently is expected this year.

Two major recruitment technologies hailed as being at the forefront of recruiting methods this year is AI technology and mobile recruitment. AI technology, which automates parts of the recruiting process, namely high volume, repetitive tasks, such as screening CVs, are expected to dominate this year. As is mobile technology, enabling recruiters to auto-screen candidates whilst on the go.

Demand for tech professionals

A recent survey compiled by a leading jobs board and Robert Walters, a specialist recruiter, found the demand for IT professionals looks set to rise in 2017. 47% of the hiring managers interviewed for the survey said they expect demand for IT specialists to be higher in 2017 than it was in 2016. Cybersecurity professionals are expected to be the most in-demand this year, with 54% of employers planning to recruit cyber specialists in the months ahead.

A rise in sales, operations and engineering talent

In its ‘Trends that will Define Recruiting in 2017’ report, LinkedIn defines the areas that will be in biggest demand in 2017, as being sales, operations and engineering.

“As most departments across the globe will be focusing on sales, operations and engineering talent, recruiting teams have to start thinking more strategically about how to find and recruit these talent pools,” writes the LinkedIn report.

A surge in coaching development

It has long been recognised that employers which offer ongoing training and support are generally considered an attractive place to work and therefore attract a wider pool of talent. Though more established training techniques such as staff appraisals are slowly being replaced by a greater emphasis on skills-based coaching.

According to Human Resources Today, performance management and staff reviews are in decline and can act as a morale destroyer in the workplace. In their place, there will be a move towards a ‘coaching culture’, which prioritises developing skills through growth opportunities and regular feedback.

More diversity in the workforce

Diversity within the workforce had some negative press in 2016, with criticisms made that not enough diversity is present in many contemporary working environments. A survey by Glassdoor found that 67% of job seekers, active and passive, regard diversity as an important factor when considering job offers and employers. With this in mind, an increased focus on workplace diversity is expected this year.