With the advent of AI and with a persistent workforce crisis in some parts of the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, HR professionals, recruiters and service leaders in the sector need to be equipped with up to date knowledge and strategies to ensure they build solid and sustainable talent pools in the new year.

In the piece below we explore five ways that these professionals can ‘hire with purpose’ in 2025 and beyond, based on recent research conducted by organisational consultants Korn Ferry.

‍

1. AI is not a quick fix

For many the integration of AI has proven to not be the ‘quick fix’ many were hoping for. Key elements of the hiring process, such as identifying talent gaps, and recognising potential ‘beyond the resume’ are still out of scope for many of the tools presently available.  

A number of the talent specialists surveyed for the research noted that relying too heavily on AI in recruitment made the process impersonal, and caused them to miss out on high quality candidates.

Moving forward experts recommend a ‘hybrid’ approach to hiring, with human insight working alongside AI to make the most impact. Employers should ensure that their people are trained and given ‘guardrails’ to ensure their use of AI is consistent with the desired outcomes, and should emphasise to their teams the importance of aligning tech integration with the organisation’s overall business and talent acquisition goals.

‍

2. Professional development matters

Nearly 70 per cent of the employees surveyed by Korn Ferry indicated that they would stay with an organisation if they were offered upskilling and advancement opportunities—even if they hated their job. A lack of career growth was stated as the second-biggest reason employees said they would leave their role.

Given that employees are increasingly considering professional development opportunities as a core aspect of evaluating their choice of place to work, organisations should prioritise talent development initiatives, and look to upskill their team to meet identified skill gaps.

Sometimes termed secession planning or ‘growing from within, offering customised training which is tailored not only to the needs and interests of individual employees but also to the needs of the organisation.

3. Aligning the employee value proposition (EVP) to company culture

Prospective employees increasingly have access and insights into what working in a particular organisation is like thanks to social media and other methodologies.

Alongside this employees are increasingly willing to walk away from roles or organisations which are not a good fit for them.

Therefore strong company culture is increasingly important, as is having employers who are consistent in their behaviours, and who deliver on their promises.

Almost half of the HR professionals involved in the research (45 per cent) indicated that integrating cultural values will be key to successful hiring strategies for 2025.

Critical to this is creating an authentic employee value proposition (EVP) which integrates core company values. Leaders, then, need to weave these values into messaging throughout the hiring process.

‍

Read full article here