2020 did not follow any previously established pattern in the Swiss recruitment world. In Q1, we already had started seeing some drop-off in candidate movement related to APAC and the (at the time distant) pandemic.

Q2 was an interesting moment. The Swiss employment market slowed almost to a halt in some key sectors, but the underlying caution at the regional level ensured that it never felt catastrophic. Key positions and some essential contract/project roles contributed to movement in the employment market.

Q3 saw some recovery, as the realisation that some sectors were performing well versus the essential restructuring in others set in. Thankfully, the budgeting season we have historically seen always increase recruitment activity came back, albeit later (mid, rather than beginning of, November).

We can speculate quite confidently that some essential headcount had to be approved, and in some cases fixed-term contracts replaced permanent positions as a (hopefully) temporary measure.

So, what of 2021? A useful indicator EMEA Recruitment uses at year-end is January performance.

If January continues as busily as December, then we can predict at least a good first half of the year, as companies catch up with recruitment moves replacing or backfilling from the moves at the end of the preceding year. It is necessary to add a caveat here, though. Many clients remain apprehensive about the potential end date of lockdown, as well as the economic repercussions, which some feel we have yet to see.

Regardless, we can all agree these are exciting times, and recruitment requirements in Finance in Switzerland remain unpredictable. We certainly hope to see focus gradually swing back to technology (automation and predictive analytics) and how this can improve the efficiency of international Finance functions.

We would love to hear about your experiences in 2021 so far and how you think the pandemic may impact your recruitment processes moving forwards.

Contact our Director - Finance, John Bower, on [email protected] to discuss further or for any assistance with your recruitment needs.

When Jacob Morgan released his book, The Employee Experience Advantage, in 2017, he brought a realisation for many about the importance of employee experience. For many companies it is now the key battle ground to attract and retain top talent.

Graeme Johnson, former HR leader at Virgin Media, speaking in Las Vegas in 2016 perfectly exemplified the cost of a bad candidate experience which for them stood at $5 million per year. We discussed this topic further with Silvina Layani, who advises companies on how to create a fabulous employee experience, and we agreed the following guidelines in regards to the candidate process:-

• The Application: Candidates must understand the process and what to expect.
• Communication throughout the process: Keep in touch with the candidate once they have applied. A ”black-box” process will frustrate, demotivate and detract talented individuals who will share the lack of ”human-touch” with their friends and contacts. That means communication with us, the Recruiter, so that we in turn can communicate with the candidates.
• Interviewing: Interviewers should apply a human-touch rather than simply reading a series of questions like a robot. This is an opportunity for a ”customer conversion” and should be treated with undivided attention. It's important that interviewers sell the benefits of the company and the role.
• Feedback: Providing feedback to candidates, even if not lengthy, will keep the experience positive and help them develop further. This will ensure that all candidates, including those who are not retained, will have a positive experience and might create positive brand advocacy in return.