If you work anywhere near recruitment, are hiring or are at all present on LinkedIn, chances are you’ll have heard the phrase: candidate-led-market.
We’re the first to admit, we say it a lot. But behind the buzzword, there’s actually a very real shift happening in the South Yorkshire labour market – and April’s labour market data backs it up perfectly.
First things first
Put simply, a candidate-led market happens when there are more vacancies available than there are suitable candidates to fill them.
And right now, South Yorkshire is looking very busy.
April’s labour market data showed:
- 43,166 advertised vacancies across South Yorkshire
- Strong hiring demand across Health & Social Care, Retail, Education and Manufacturing
- Median advertised salaries holding at £31,040
- Communication ranked as the number one requested skill by employers
In simple terms? Candidates have options and when candidates have options, it means employers have competition.
Why does this matter to businesses?
A few years ago, businesses could often afford to take their time with recruitment.
This looked like:
Long hiring processes.
Delayed feedback.
Three-stage interviews.
“We’ll let you know next week.”
In today’s market? That approach can become expensive very quickly.
Because while one business is still organising interview stage three, another employer has already made an offer.
And as much as you’d like to think that a candidate is putting all of their eggs in your basket, the strongest candidates are often involved in multiple processes.
The data tells us something else too…
One of the most interesting insights from April’s labour market data is the continued dominance of “people skills.”
The top requested skills across South Yorkshire included:
- Communication
- Leadership
- Customer Service
- Planning
- Organisational Skills
Which is interesting when you consider how much conversation currently revolves around AI, automation and technical capability.
Because while technical skills absolutely matter, employers are still prioritising people who can communicate effectively, build relationships and adapt.
In many cases, those transferable skills are becoming the difference-maker.
What should employers be doing?
The businesses attracting the best people right now tend to have a few things in common:
They move quickly
Good candidates rarely stay available for long.
They communicate properly
Candidates notice poor communication immediately – and they often associate it with company culture.
They sell the opportunity
Today’s candidates are assessing employers just as much as employers are assessing them.
They focus on candidate experience
Because in a competitive market, reputation matters.
At Glu Recruit, we work with businesses across South Yorkshire who are navigating exactly this challenge.
Sometimes the issue isn’t that there’s “no talent available.”
Sometimes the issue is:
- Slow processes
- Unclear messaging
- Unrealistic expectations
- Poor candidate communication
Labour market data gives businesses useful insight into what’s happening regionally – but understanding how to respond to that data is the real value.
If your business is struggling to attract or secure the right people right now, it may be time to look at not just who you’re hiring, but how you’re hiring.