LinkedIn: More companies focus on skills-based hiring–report

A LinkedIn report said that more companies in Southeast Asia base their recruitment on an applicant’s skills.

Screenshot of LinkedIn website

Skills now play a major to be hired in SEA

In a statement, LinkedIn said that companies globally, and specifically those in Southeast Asia, are shifting from hiring talents based on where an applicant studied or years of experience to based on a person’s skills for the job.

Data from LinkedIn

While this is a challenge for many companies, LinkedIn noted that skills-based recruitment will be a priority for the majority of hiring teams in the following months.

Globally, an overwhelming majority of recruiting professionals predict that skills-based hiring (75 percent) will be a priority over the next 18 months, and upskilling and reskilling their employees (81 percent) will be an important factor that will shape the future of recruiting over the next 5 years, LinkedIn noted.

In SEA, even more recruiters are prioritizing skills-based hiring (89 percent) and upskilling and reskilling their employees (87 percent), it added. 

LinkedIn also noted that recruiters are 25 percent more likely to search for candidates based on skills than they were just three years ago. More than 50 percent of recruiters are more likely to search for skills than by years of experience, it added.

The jobs portal said recruiters, specifically those in the SEA, are not just looking for hard skills, but also for soft skills like communication, relationship-building, adaptability, business acumen, and problem-solving.

Prioritizing skills in recruitment, will help expand the talent pool for companies worldwide by 9.4x, helping them meet the skills they need, LinkedIn said.

Meanwhile, learning opportunities have also become a key factor for applicants when considering a job.

In SEA, 'opportunities to learn new skills', 'advancement opportunities' and 'career growth' are within the top five priorities for candidates, LinkedIn noted.

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