Recruiting During Corona: Changes and Next Steps

The article analyzes COVID-19’s impact on recruitment using Softgarden’s Recruiting Dashboard data, as discussed by Mathias Heese of Softgarden. It documents an initial sharp decline during the first lockdown in April, with fewer applications, job postings, interviews, and hires as firms froze recruitment and faced financial strain. May and June brought a gradual recovery, with June showing notable gains: 49% more applications, 26.7% more interviews, and 13.8% more hires than May 2020. The uptick continued into July and August, including a substantial year‑over‑year rise in hires (79.9% in July vs April 2020). The summer allowed IT hires to bolster remote work and online commerce capabilities, though August postings declined due to seasonal factors. Analysts warn that renewed November restrictions could dampen numbers again, especially in hospitality, gastronomy, events, and retail. The piece closes with practical tips for recruiters: accelerate processes, highlight security, embrace virtual recruitment and onboarding, and maintain flexibility amid ongoing uncertainty.