New research from hiring platform IrishJobs has shown that the competitive hiring market has led to increased workload and stress for recruiters, putting many of them at risk of burnout.
According to the survey, a third of recruiters described themselves as heavily, or very heavily, physically and mentally stressed due to their workload.
With the labour market close to full employment, 51% of recruiters reported that their workload had increased over the past two to three years as they navigate a highly competitive market for talent.
The research found that an increase in the amount of time needed to fill job vacancies was creating additional complexities in recruitment.
The impact of slower hiring was greatest among large companies, where 72% of firms have seen the average time taken to fill positions rise.
IrishJobs research published earlier this year showed the growing impact of AI tools and technologies in automating recruitment.
Recruiters using AI reported that reducing the time spent on manual and repetitive tasks was a key benefit of the technology, with sending candidates reminders, tracking application status and scheduling job interviews among the most common ways in which the technology was being used to automate the recruitment process.
"With unemployment set to remain close to historic lows and businesses across Ireland navigating an exceptionally tight labour market, the IrishJobs recruiter snapshot survey provides a timely insight into the challenges facing recruiters as they compete for talent," said Sam Dooley, Country Director of The Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs.
"While it is widely recognised that job hunting can be a stressful experience for candidates, it's important to acknowledge that the process can also be pressurised for recruiters."
"It is important that employers create an environment where the well-being of staff is prioritised and regularly check in with recruitment teams to ensure they have sufficient support," Mr Dooley said.
The survey polled recruitment decision-makers in 250 businesses across Ireland.
