The NHS is facing recruitment challenges. That could be the understatement of the century as the UK’s national health service is in the grips of the worst staffing crisis in its history.

Not only does this threaten our health services’ ability to deliver care, but it’s also extremely costly, with HSJ reporting that recruitment consumes two-thirds of NHS trusts’ spending.

But how did we get to this point? What challenges are facing NHS recruitment? And perhaps most importantly, what action must be taken in the long road ahead to dig ourselves out of this hole?

On this page, we’ll tackle this complex topic and explain the root causes of the NHS workforce crisis. We’ll also talk about the software being used by recruiters that makes hiring healthcare staff a faster and cheaper process.

What is The Current NHS Staffing Crisis?

As of March 2023, the health service has around 112,000 unfilled NHS job vacancies.

Labour market conditions have made it harder for NHS recruiters to keep up with demand, and as a result, our current workforce is bearing the brunt of being stretched thin. It means today’s doctors are working longer hours, experiencing worsening stress, and suffering from low workforce morale.

All the while, the NHS waiting list is growing—reaching a staggering 7.5 million in May 2023.

As a result of the staffing crisis, NHS trusts are being forced to bring in more and more locum staff—i.e. temporary replacements to permanent doctors. This recruitment model comes with higher costs, with £3 billion being spent on locums in 2022, making it an unsustainable long-term option.

So, that’s the position we’re in today. If current trends continue, the NHS will be short of 571,000 staff by 2036. Action must be taken sooner rather than later if we are to avoid the worst effects of this workforce crisis. 

NHS Workforce Crisis: 5 Biggest Challenges Faced by The Healthcare Industry

The NHS workforce crisis has been aggravated by the intersection of many factors, some of which have been brewing for years. We’ll try to uncover the real picture of what’s happening here.

Uncompetitive salaries

For the first time in its 106-year history, the Royal College of Nursing chose to ballot its members for strike action in October 2022. Soon after, unions representing ambulance workers, junior doctors, and NHS consultants decided to join them in solidarity. By and large, the union members voted to strike.

As of October 2023, this industrial action is still ongoing, and the single biggest reason is due to uncompetitive wages in the NHS. In fact, when factoring in inflation, NHS workers have experienced a decline in their real-terms income for 15 years straight. So, when the UK’s cost-of-living crisis began to bite, it was the final straw for many.

Progress is being made in this regard—with talks ongoing and a permanent 5% pay rise being announced for all NHS pay points for 2023/24.

However, it’s impossible to ignore the differences in medical professionals’ salaries in the UK vs other similar countries. For instance, foundation (junior) doctors in the UK may be paid as little as £32,398 in their first year of practice. Compare that to another English-speaking country, Australia, where entry-level doctors typically start on a salary of AU$112,508 (£58,625). With such a large pay difference, and reports of a less demanding working environment, it’s no surprise that the UK to Australia pipeline is a popular choice for junior doctors. This has only added fuel to the fire of the NHS staffing crisis.

NHS staff retention issues

Staff retention is another huge issue for the NHS, with workers quitting their jobs in droves due to uncompetitive salaries and mounting stress. This problem is increasing year on year, with the NHS trusts reporting their staff leaver rate to have increased from 9.6% in 2020 to 12.5% in 2022.

Essentially, this means that the NHS now has to replace 12.5% of its workforce every year—which amounts to an extremely costly annual recruitment cycle. And because less money is left in the pot, it means it’s harder to afford current NHS workers a pay rise, leading to a vicious positive feedback cycle.

The plain answer to this problem is to inject new funding into the NHS budget. However, until these wishes become a political reality, NHS trusts must find other ways to save money, such as cutting the cost of recruitment processes.

Regional imbalance

Like many countries, the UK experiences a high degree of regional imbalance.

In particular, our population, capital, and public infrastructure is mostly concentrated in large cities, especially London. Consequently, most young people (including junior doctors and nurses) choose to live in cities to find high-paying jobs and a reasonable commute to work. The NHS workforce, which is composed of a younger cohort than the average cross-section of society, is therefore mostly found in cities.

In contrast, older folk tend to prefer countryside life when they retire. Since our bodies suffer from worsening health conditions as we age, the result is that rural NHS services face higher influxes of patients as a proportion of their local populations. And, with fewer people to fill job positions in these areas, it only aggravates the staffing problems felt across the NHS.

The NHS recruitment and inclusion framework has listed several strategies for boosting talent acquisition in these areas, such as removing barriers to the workforce, or better advertising these positions to the public.

Visa/immigration issues

The NHS is a diverse workforce, with 16.5% of its staff being foreign nationals. This means that any changes to visa rules have a knock-on effect on how easily the NHS can source staff.

A prime example of this was when the UK officially left the EU bloc on the 31st January 2020, which effectively ended free movement to and from the continent. Since EU nationals no longer have the automatic right to live or work in the UK, it has restricted the talent pool that NHS recruiters can hire from.  

Shortly after, the UK adopted a new ‘points based’ immigration system from 1st January 2021, which restructured eligibility criteria for work visas. While this has created a new administrative loophole for foreign nationals to come to the UK, it has increased the likelihood of so-called ‘skilled workers’ being granted a work visa.

It’s expected that these rules will make it easier for the NHS to source its employees from foreign countries outside of the EU. However, it’s also worth noting that the BMJ has expressed concerns about the legislation’s effect on social care in particular. Namely, that the law requires all applicants to have a job offer in place before they can be accepted into the country. NHS recruiters are in uncharted territory and will need all the expertise they can get to navigate the road ahead.

Recruitment fallout from Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic placed extraordinary demands on the NHS, with new social-distancing rules, PPE requirements, and millions of extra hospitalisations and vaccinations. This only exacerbated the stress, anxiety, and diminished work/life balance felt by NHS employees.

It also contributed to the chronic staff shortages that we’re seeing in today’s health service, with burnout and loss of morale causing a ‘great resignation’ of NHS staff.

Are There Specific Areas Within the NHS That Face More Severe Recruitment Challenges?

The NHS is massive. It’s not just the biggest employer in Europe, but it’s also the biggest employer of skilled professionals in the world. It’s not surprising that there are some areas that are suffering from worse recruitment challenges than others.

For starters, there is the geographic disparity, with healthcare workers being predominantly located in the UK’s big cities. Naturally, this has placed extra recruitment burdens on NHS trusts in rural areas, in particular in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Then there are the recruitment gaps in particular NHS sectors, which can be found on the UK government’s ‘shortage occupations’ list. As of October 2023, all medical professionals are included, meaning foreign nationals have an easier route to obtaining a work visa. Among the list, professions such as physiotherapists, radiographers, and paramedics are highlighted as being in high demand.

How Is the NHS Dealing With the Recruitment Crisis?

NHS trusts have been forced to rely on agency staff to plug the holes of its workforce crisis. However, this is more of a sticking plaster than it is a genuine solution—being both expensive and unsustainable. As such, trusts are increasingly adopting new techniques to Hire NHS top talent:

• Apprenticeship schemes: The NHS has recently placed more of an emphasis on offering apprenticeships to young people, in the hopes that it will grow a pool of home-grown talent. It offers an alternate route in the healthcare industry that especially benefits disadvantaged students who are put off by the cost of university tuition fees.
• Retire and re-join: The great resignation saw hundreds of thousands of doctors and nurses leave the NHS, but it doesn’t mean that they’re gone for good. The retire and re-join scheme launched in April 2023, allowing NHS employees to take their pension and top it up with a continued salary on as many hours as they wish.
• Flexible working hours: In recent years, NHS trusts have embraced the concept of ‘flexi time’, recognising its advantages for staff morale and work/life balance. This trend is expected to continue not just in the NHS, but also in other areas of the workforce.

What Impact Do Recruitment Challenges Have on Patient Care in the NHS?

The NHS staffing crisis has had severe repercussions for patient wellbeing. Whether it’s an accident requiring urgent medical care, or a long-term condition in need of a check-up, there simply aren’t enough healthcare professionals to keep up with demand.

As we mentioned earlier, the NHS reached 7.5 million in May 2023. On top of that, ambulance wait times for category one ‘life threatening’ emergencies reached nine minutes and two seconds in 2022, far higher than the seven-minute national target. As for category two emergencies, such as a heart attack, wait times were over 51 minutes long.

For those who can’t afford private treatment, wait times could be putting their lives at risk. 

Are There Initiatives to Recruit Healthcare Professionals from Abroad to Fill Vacancies in the NHS?

Yes. The NHS has multiple initiatives to attract diverse talent from around the globe. In fact, ethical international recruitment is listed as a workforce priority in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Currently, the points-based immigration system is intended to make it easier for qualified overseas professionals to come to work in the UK. Additionally, the Department of Health and Social Care is piloting a scheme for refugee nurses to come to the UK for the opportunity to rebuild their lives. And if you’re an EU national who worked in the UK before Brexit, you can apply for a visa under the EU settlement scheme.

How Can Individuals Interested in Working for the NHS Navigate the Recruitment Process?

The NHS recruitment process is notoriously labyrinthine—and rightly so, given that these workers are on the frontlines of our nation’s hospitals and clinics. Not just anyone can become a healthcare professional; it requires extensive education, background checks, and a process of onboarding.

Doctors have a relatively clear-cut route to working in the NHS, following the standard Foundation Programme application after completing a medicine degree at university. Likewise, nurses have a standardised pathway through the GPN Foundation Programme, which requires a nursing degree.

However, there are also many other roles within the NHS, such as healthcare assistants and non-clinical staff, that don’t require a degree. Applicants should research the relevant schemes in their local authority or get in touch with an NHS recruiter for advice.

Hire the Top Talent You Need With Software Specifically Built to Support NHS Recruitment

The NHS recruitment crisis has highlighted the need for long-term planning and restructuring of the workforce. It’s more important now than ever to make the switch from agency workers to permanent doctors and nurses.

Everything starts with recruitment. Without a tried-and-tested hiring cycle, and the tools to support it, the UK’s health service has no chance of attracting the top talent it deserves. That’s why we built Oleeo’s NHS recruitment platform. Our software integrates with NHS Jobs and Electronic Staff Record, and automates manual workloads like pre-employment screening.

Join the 145 NHS hospitals and 216 private hospitals (each with 2,000+ full-time equivalent job roles) that use Oleeo to assemble their diverse and competitive workforces.

Get in touch today

In 2023, the recruitment industry is changing, and RPO models are seen by many as the answer to sourcing top talent.

Compared to the monolithic and lengthy task of traditional recruiting, outsourcing breaks down hiring processes into a modular system. It gives in-house talent acquisition teams the freedom to delegate manual workloads to external recruitment providers and affords them extra time to scale their operations.

It’s also opened up a brave new world of recruitment software that delivers faster and better results at each stage of the journey. With access to top industry expertise, it’s thus easier for businesses to create talent pipelines and avoid the scourge of unfilled job vacancies.

Don’t just take our word for it either—according to a 2023 study, the RPO market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.2% until 2027. 

Looking to get started? This page covers everything you should know about this new and increasingly popular recruiting model.

What is RPO?

So, what is recruitment process outsourcing (RPO)? In short, it’s when companies use third parties to help with finding and hiring talent.

The idea has its origins in agency recruitment—a model that uses an intermediary organization to link jobseekers and employers. Believe it or not, the first recruitment agency set up operations way back in 1653.

It wasn’t until the early 2000s, however, that the modern understanding of RPO model recruitment emerged. This recognized the need for a more bespoke approach, where businesses required flexibility and agility to find the best candidates in the labor market. It was also spurred by the growth of the Internet and the globalization of the workforce that ensued.

RPO recruiting models can come in different shapes and sizes depending on what an organization is looking for. For instance, some companies may be inexperienced with hiring and choose to outsource their entire recruitment cycle (akin to agency recruitment). Others may pick and choose the modules they need help with—e.g. posting job adverts or screening candidates—and handle the rest in-house.

The beauty of RPO is there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. You can outsource the areas your HR team is struggling with and retain the parts you want to manage yourself. Each part of the puzzle is then tied together with collaborative recruitment workflow software.

What Are the Key Components of RPO Models?

Let’s now consider the key components of RPO models in recruitment. These can be tailored to meet the specific needs of a business, which makes RPO an adaptable solution for optimizing the recruitment process.

A centralized recruitment platform

The RPO recruitment model is defined by a strategic partnership, where both the provider and the hiring business can view, track, and manage job applications. Cloud recruitment software makes even remote collaboration a seamless experience for both parties.

If you’re getting started with RPO, you may want to keep an eye out for these types of software.

• Applicant tracking systems (ATSs). These allow you to create and post job ads, collect applications, and manage candidate data from one central location. This means you no longer have to switch between countless job boards and career websites. 
• Candidate relationship management software (CRM). This is a relationship-building platform for engaging with the most promising prospects in your industry. The aim is to engage with candidates over time, even before there are specific job openings, to create a talent pipeline.

Candidate sourcing, screening, and evaluation

Depending on the working arrangement, RPO providers will handle some (or even all) of the hiring business’s needs. These are the most common areas for them to manage:

• Candidate sourcing. Since the RPO provider already has knowledge of relevant job boards and industry events, they’re usually best placed to source candidates.
• Screening. It can take a long time for inexperienced businesses to perform criminal background checks or confirm references from employers/educational institutions, which is why they might hand these tasks over to an external party.
• Evaluation. Likewise, an RPO provider can take some of the burden off the hiring business’s shoulders by conducting interviews and evaluations on their behalf.

Client involvement

The main difference between RPO models and agency recruiting is the level of client participation.

With the former, the hiring business is still very much involved with recruitment. Through the medium of cloud software, they have visibility over their hiring campaigns and can switch things up in an instant.

Contrast this to the arms-length approach of agency recruiting that often keeps the client business in the dark.

Cost management and feedback

RPO software, whether it’s an ATS or CRM, also comes with data analytics tools for tracking trends and mapping the outcomes of your recruiting campaigns.

Beyond making sure a recruitment cycle stays within budget, this offers a chance to see which job adverts/sources are delivering the best candidates (and therefore, the best value for money). This allows the RPO provider to hone their recruitment approach and the hiring business to work on feedback given to them.

What Are the Benefits of Recruitment Process Outsourcing?

There are many benefits of RPO, and that is exactly why it is an attractive option for organizations looking to optimize their recruitment processes.

Rapid recruitment at scale

Perhaps the biggest advantage of RPO-style recruitment is it removes the bottlenecks associated with hiring top talent. Since a company is only as successful as its employees, this factor often holds small businesses back from parity with their competitors (at least in the short-term). 

An RPO model, however, flattens the recruitment learning curve and means businesses can scale their workforces faster.

Access to top-quality talent

Recruiters are experts in their field—they know all the tips and tricks for attracting the best employees. Under their guidance, you can hire quickly without compromising on the quality of candidates. 

This will also set you up for the long run, with CRM software providing the basis for a positive employer-employee relationship from the off, and by extension, a higher staff retention rate.

Cost savings

According to a report by the Society for Human Resource Management, the average cost-per-hire for a worker in America is $4,700. However, this only includes hard costs, which are things like advertising/marketing expenses and background checks. 

Businesses must also consider the soft costs of hiring, such as the time managers spend supporting HR leaders. The attractiveness of RPO recruiting is that it significantly cuts these, taking time-consuming tasks out of managers’ hands and leaving them free to focus on improving your business’s bottom line instead. 

What Are the Challenges of an RPO Recruitment Model?

Hiring new staff is not a simple task, but RPO recruitment models come with their own set of challenges. That said, the best RPO providers will acknowledge these drawbacks and provide you with mitigation strategies. 

Here are some points you should bear in mind:

• Less control over recruitment. A feature of the RPO model is that HR leaders must relinquish some control over recruitment decisions (e.g. sourcing strategies, assessment methods, selection criteria, etc). This means you really have to trust that your provider is capable of finding the best candidates on your behalf.
• Communication gaps. Another big challenge is communicating to your RPO provider what type of candidate you’re looking for. This can lead to wasted time in recruitment cycles if job descriptions aren’t written in the correct way.
• Being tied into contractual obligations. Depending on the provider, you may be charged according to either a cost-per-hire or subscription-based model. If it’s the latter, you might face being stuck with the same recruiter until the end of your billing period—even if you’re not happy with their services. 
• A higher risk of data breaches. Sharing sensitive candidate and employee information with external providers obviously requires an element of trust— your data is now only as secure as they make it. So, only consider providers that promise strict regulatory compliance.
• Harder to build a company culture. Your internal staff will always have the best understanding of which candidates align most closely with your organization’s culture and values. This is not something RPO providers can always replicate.

What Types of RPOs Are There—and What’s the Difference?

Recruitment Process Outsourcing is a dynamic field with various models designed to cater to the diverse needs of organizations, so let’s now look at the different types of RPOs that are out there.

Recruitment technology RPO

A popular approach to RPO is to use software created by recruitment experts. Whether you decide to use an applicant tracking system (ATS), a candidate relationship manager (CRM), or both, this should streamline your workload and help your business to scale.

When selecting recruitment technology, be sure to look for tools that offer extensive analytical options. Features like automatic report generation or a recruiting metrics dashboard will make it easier to monitor the success of your campaigns, allowing you to better hone your recruitment strategy moving forward.

Full-service RPO

Other businesses may prefer an end-to-end recruitment solution—one that covers all aspects of the hiring process, from candidate sourcing to onboarding. This is similar to agency hiring, in that you’ll have less control over talent acquisition but more time to focus on other endeavors. It will, however, come at a higher cost.

Hybrid RPO

For a middle-of-the-line approach, a hybrid RPO model means picking and choosing which processes you want your provider to handle. For instance, if you can’t stand the manual workload of writing job ads and doing background checks, you can delegate these tasks. But if you want to make an informed final decision on candidates, you might choose to conduct interviews yourself.

How Do I Decide Which RPO Model is Right for My Business?

Deciding which RPO model is right for your company is an important decision—and rightly so, as employees are the bedrock of any business.

For those looking to improve their current recruitment strategy (i.e. find more candidates and increase retention rates), selecting a solid ATS and CRM software can be a good first step. On the other hand, startup companies with little hiring experience may prefer to delegate more of these tasks through a full-service or hybrid RPO.

What’s right for you ultimately depends on your needs, and you can always switch strategies if things aren’t working out.

Oleeo’s Powerful Suite of Recruitment Software Can Help You Hire Faster and More Effectively

At Oleeo, we appreciate just how crucial technology is for HR and recruitment processes. It’s why we’ve developed some of the best AI & automation-powered talent acquisition software on the market.

Our ethos is not just to sell cookie-cutter tools but to build comprehensive and fully configurable software to match every organizations’ needs. Working with some of the biggest businesses worldwide, we know the ins and outs of recruitment, and we want to help you next.

Why not get in touch today?

The NHS recruitment process is notoriously thorough; although this has the disadvantage of also making it notoriously long.

With widely reported staff shortages, and ever growing pressures from all sides, it’s more important than ever that NHS recruitment is as planned and well-organised as can be.

Here’s everything you need to know about NHS recruitment, and how to make it as efficient as possible.

How Long Does NHS Recruitment Take?

The processes needed to Hire NHS Top Talent can be lengthy. It’s not uncommon for NHS recruitment processes to take as long as six months. 

Here’s an example of an NHS Recruitment Process Flowchart.

What is different about the NHS recruitment process?

So, why does NHS recruitment take so long? The differences in the NHS recruitment process contribute to making it longer than most. These differences include:

• Rigorous pre-employment checks to ensure all potential staff are properly qualified
• The need to juggle recruitment with maintaining regulatory compliance, while simultaneously lowering costs
• Occupational health checks, DBS/CRB checks, and right to work checks
• Confirmation that candidates are registered with professional bodies

While other recruitment processes may include several of these checks, the NHS is distinct in requiring almost all available checks to be carried out on applicants prior to employment.

Learn more about Oleeo’s Applicant Tracking Software for the NHS

What Are the Stages of NHS Recruitment?

Once an advert for NHS Job Vacancies is made public, applicants usually have between 1 and 2 weeks to submit their application.

NHS managers then review the online applications, and begin the process of shortlisting candidates. This process can take anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks.

Shortlisted candidates are invited to interview, while unsuccessful candidates are informed that their application won’t be proceeded with at that time. The official time period for sending out the time and date of interviews is one day.

An NHS interview typically lasts 30 to 45 minutes, and consists of applicants answering NHS interview questions from a panel of interviewers.

In the next step of the NHS job offer process, candidates are typically notified of the results of their interview within a week. Successful applicants receive a conditional offer letter at this point.

Once an offer has been formally made, applicants undergo an NHS employment check. This is carried out by their assigned hiring manager, and should be completed within ten days of the applicant receiving their conditional offer letter.

NHS employment checks include:

• A DBS/CRB check to check whether the candidate has any criminal convictions
• Health checks
• Qualification checks
• Employment history checks
  • References
  • Relevant experience
  • Reasons for dismissal

Providing that the results of these checks are satisfactory, the candidate will then join their assigned post. The statement of terms and conditions are issued eight weeks after they begin working in their post, at which point the candidate is officially selected as an employee of the NHS.

5 ways to make the recruitment process faster

There are a few ways that the NHS recruitment process could be sped up:

• Advise applicants of the hiring timetable from the offset
• Make applicants aware of everything they’ll need throughout the recruitment process so they can have it ready. This includes:
  • Acceptable references
  • Acceptable photographic ID
  • Properly filled out CRB/DBS application
• Introduce online facilities for carrying out interviews, inductions, etc.
• Provide regular updates on the recruitment process to keep applicants engaged
• Utilize automated, AI powered recruitment software to communicate with candidates 

4 ways to speed up the NHS shortlisting process

As we mentioned in the previous section, one of the most effective ways to speed up recruitment in the NHS is to speed up the shortlisting process. There are a few steps that can be taken to achieve this:

• Automate pre-employment document verification
• Implement pre-screening criteria to weed out unqualified candidates early in the process
• Automate right to work checks
• Integrate your recruitment software with services such as NHS Jobs for quick access to a deep talent pool

If you are enjoying this article you may also want to find out what the main NHS Recruitment Challenges are

What Responsibilities Fall to HR Professionals When Recruiting NHS Staff?

HR professionals assume many of the responsibilities involved in recruiting NHS staff. These include:

• Approving job advertisements
• Reviewing job applications
• Ensuring compliance with the NHS Recruitment And Inclusion framework
• Inviting applicants to interview
• Arranging interview timetables
• Compiling and distributing interview packs
• Drafting and sending requests for references
• Drafting and sending formal offer letters
• Creating employee personnel files upon hire

NHS Recruitment Process Made Easy with Oleeo Software

Oleeo’s NHS recruitment software is designed to provide end-to-end talent acquisition for the NHS, helping you to hire the right person for the job quickly, every time.

Pre-screening criteria can be implemented to reduce the time spent sifting through unqualified applicants, while automated, personalised communications help you to keep applicants informed throughout the process, with minimal time investment on the part of your recruiters.

Oleeo Recruit for NHS provides an unrivalled user experience, and is fully mobile optimised so that it can be used even while on the move. 

Perhaps most importantly, Oleeo puts the emphasis on helping you to Attract Diverse Talent to the NHS, helping you to hire the most innovative, most profitable teams possible.

Book A Consultation today and see what Oleeo can do for you when it comes to hiring for the NHS.

FAQs About NHS Recruitment Process

1. What types of positions are available within the NHS?

A wide variety of positions are available within the NHS. These include doctors, surgeons, and nursing positions such as adult and children’s nurses, mental health nurses, and theatre nurses.

Other positions include ambulance service team members, allied health professionals, psychological professionals, public health experts, pharmacy technicians, and administrative staff such as clerks,  receptionists, and switchboard operators.

2. What are the basic requirements for working in the NHS?

The basic requirements for working in the NHS vary depending on the role.

For example, administrative roles typically require moderate to high grade GCSEs and/or relevant work experience, while nursing roles typically require a nursing degree.

3. Is there any training provided for NHS staff?

Yes, training is provided for NHS staff.

Continuing professional development (CPD) schemes provide courses, workshops, e-learning, and on-the-job learning.

4. What are the pay and benefits like for NHS employees?

The NHS pay structure is ‘fair and transparent’, with pay varying from role to role.

In terms of benefits, NHS employees receive one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK, alongside paid sick leave, NHS discount schemes, access to training courses, and a minimum of 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays.

Overwhelmed by the concept of RPO metrics? Many organizations are turning to external service providers to help them take some of the stress out of talent acquisition. If you’re thinking about outsourcing your recruitment processes, chances are you want to know they’re in good hands. But how do you find out? RPO metrics are a great place to start.

What Is RPO and What Does It Stand For?

RPO stands for recruitment process outsourcing. It refers to the process of an employer transferring responsibility for their recruitment processes to an external service provider.

Recruitment process outsourcing is just one example of business process outsourcing (BPO). Many organizations choose to outsource key business processes in order to reduce the amount of time, and money, they spend on HR tasks and administrative duties. This gives them more time and resources to dedicate to other, more valuable, core business objectives.

What Are RPO Metrics and Why Are They Important?

RPO metrics are a series of criteria used to measure the effectiveness of an RPO solution. A variety of different key performance indicators (KPIs) can be used to achieve this, including:

• Job listing views
• Number of applicants
• Time to hire
• Cost per hire
• CVs received to interview ratio
• Interview to offer ratio
• Offer to acceptance ratio
• Quality of candidates
• Diversity of candidates
• Candidate satisfaction

Some of these metrics are quantitative, while others are qualitative. 

Quantitative metrics are measurable, and use numbers to score and rank performance. For example, when examining cost per hire, a lower number will indicate that an RPO provider is efficiently hiring candidates at a low cost to the customer.

Qualitative metrics are more language based, and often require more interpretation. For example, candidate feedback can be investigated in order to learn first hand about the kind of recruitment experience an RPO provider creates.

RPO metrics are incredibly important in helping organizations assess the quality of their RPO provider. They help businesses understand whether the RPO provider they’re using offers a good return on investment (ROI), and therefore whether or not they’re getting good value for money by outsourcing their recruitment processes.

Organizations can also turn to RPO metrics in order to determine which aspects of their recruitment strategy can be improved. This helps them and their RPO provider offer a smoother recruitment process in the future, allowing them to find, hire, and onboard candidates more efficiently, and more effectively.

What Are RPO Providers and What Do They Do?

RPO providers are companies which specialize in recruitment processes. They have the technology and expertise to carry out recruitment more efficiently and more effectively than their customers could manage with an in-house solution.

Organizations which offer RPO solutions will also often offer market intelligence and predictive analytic services. In this way, they use data and insights to constantly improve the recruitment services they provide.

The services offered by RPO providers can vary, but they’ll commonly include:

• Developing recruitment strategies
• Communicating with candidates and recruiters
• Handling critical recruitment processes
• Interviewing and assessing candidates
• Onboarding new hires

RPO models can often be easily scaled to meet the needs of companies of all sizes, providing solutions that address their specific recruitment needs. Some RPO providers even offer other services, such as workforce management and talent transition services, which continue to support an organization after the initial recruitment process has been completed.

How RPO providers manage recruiters and drive performance

One of the main ways RPO providers help to drive performance in the recruitment process is by aligning the recruitment strategy of a business with their overall organizational goals.

This ensures employees are recruited who are well suited to the culture of each individual business. Recruiters with expertise in the client’s particular niche are used where possible, ensuring that their recruitment strategy is well-informed, and aligns with current industry trends.

RPO providers will source candidates from a wide variety of channels, giving them the best possible chances of finding the right person for the job. This could include job boards, agencies, and social networking sites such as LinkedIn. 

One of the biggest ways that RPO providers continually drive performance is by paying close attention to recruitment metrics. A wide variety of metrics is regularly monitored and analyzed in order to identify areas for improvement. 

Processes are standardized throughout recruitment in order to ensure consistency and efficiency, and these are continually reviewed and improved as necessary.

How do RPO providers report and analyze KPIs?

RPO providers employ a range of tools and techniques when reporting and analyzing KPIs. 

Most RPO providers make use of an applicant tracking system (ATS), which allows them to accurately track metrics such as applicant volume, cost per hire, and time to fill. 

An ATS can be used to store and sort resumes, input and edit candidate profiles, and manage job postings. As such, it provides a central location for data capture and analysis, allowing for a variety of metrics to be tracked and reported from one location.

How Do You Measure RPO Performance?

Measuring RPO performance can be achieved through the tracking of various metrics and KPIs for recruiters. Tools such as applicant tracking systems can be used to gather data relating to these metrics, which can then be analyzed and reported in a variety of ways.

Top 4 metrics to measure your RPO performance

There are four key metrics that should be tackled in order to measure RPO performance.

Cost per hire

Cost per hire (CPH) measures the average cost incurred to hire one new employee. Expenses such as advertising, recruiter salaries, onboarding costs, and RPO costs should all be included when calculating cost per hire.

A low CPH indicates that your RPO provider is efficiently hiring new employees, and is therefore providing a better return on your investment.

Time to fill

Time to fill measures the number of days a position is open before a candidate is placed into the role. It begins as soon as the job advert goes live, and ends once a candidate has accepted an offer and their start date has been scheduled.

A short time to fill indicates that your RPO provider is able to quickly and effectively Attract High-Quality Candidates, and efficiently move them through their recruitment processes.

Interview to offer ratio

The interview to offer ratio is used to determine what percentage of interviews are yielding job offers to candidates. Spending time interviewing candidates who are unlikely to be offered positions is a waste of time and energy for you, your RPO, and the candidates.

A high interview to offer ratio indicates that high-quality candidates are being selected for the interview process, and that the candidate criteria your RPO provider is using is aligned with your company values and requirements.

Offer to acceptance ratio

Offer to acceptance ratio measures how many offers of employment are accepted by the candidates they’re presented to.

A low offer to acceptance ratio may indicate that your RPO provider isn’t making expectations clear to candidates, or to you.

A good RPO provider will determine a candidate’s seriousness about making a career move early on, and will work to find candidates whose needs and motivations align with what you can offer as an employer.

How Can a Recruiting Metrics Dashboard Help Your Business?

A Recruiting Metrics Dashboard is a tool which allows you to visually track and analyze your various hiring metrics. By gathering all your metrics into one place, you’re presented with a single source of truth which allows you to draw accurate conclusions about your RPO provider.

Using a recruiting metrics dashboard grants you many benefits:

• More easily identify trends in data, making it easier to spot patterns and identify areas for improvement
• Data is all gathered in one place, making it easier to take well informed, data driven decisions quickly, which increases productivity
• Full visibility of hiring funnel
• Improved Diversity Insights, and better visibility into other key areas of hiring policies
• More easily identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in hiring processes, and make well informed decisions about how they could be improved
• Better determine the value of a RPO provider, and demonstrate it to stakeholders

Leverage the Insights of RPO Metrics with Recruitment Reporting Software

Recruitment reporting software enables you to quickly and easily track and analyze your RPO metrics, allowing you to make good, data driven decisions based on your insights.

Oleeo’s recruitment reports boasts a series of pre-built metrics, analytics, and visuals to help you identify peaks, troughs, and trends in your recruitment data. Oleeo Insights takes things a step further, providing you with key insights into how your RPO provider is performing, and what changes you need to make to achieve, and exceed, your recruiting goals.

But that’s not all. You also get access to a range of other features, such as diversity analytics, data visualizations, and real-time results tracking. Everything integrates easily via API or spreadsheet upload, while remaining compliant with all the latest data protection regulations and privacy frameworks.

Why not book a consultation today, and find out just how much you can revolutionize your recruitment with Oleeo. 

The ideal Applicant Tracking System for UK companies will smooth out the high-volume recruitment process.

Oleeo’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS) levels up your recruitment process. Core features, AI, and automation mean that your recruiters and HR team can do more with less. 

Let the Oleeo applicant tracking system streamline your recruiting process!

Our cutting-edge ATS software builds AI and automation into every process of your requisition efforts. Our ATS solution frees up valuable time for your hiring managers, in-house recruiters, and other HR personnel. Not only that, but your candidates will have a much more positive experience and be more likely to accept your offer. 

We know how much you have on your plate when it comes to recruiting and hiring in the UK. You have job adverts, candidates, interviews, talent pools, new hires, onboarding, and so much else to organize and maintain!

That’s why we want to make things easy with our system. We offer more than a standard ATS. We provide highly tailored solutions for UK businesses that make acquisition and onboarding as smooth as possible. Our ATS takes the pain out of recruiting and helps your team work more efficiently.

It’s all about helping you attract and hire the best candidates while spending as little time and money as possible. 

Why Choose Oleeo’s Applicant Tracking System for Your Recruitment Software?

1) A UK applicant tracking system tailored to your needs

Most ATS solutions are US-centric. They don’t understand the finer details of recruiting in the UK market. You can’t force square pegs into round holes. Oleeo Recruit is custom-built around the High Volume Recruiting your UK business needs.

Speaking of “square pegs and round holes”, not every industry in the UK is the same when it comes to recruitment processes. Oleeo Recruit is a highly configurable solution which helps to ensure companies that use Oleeo have an ATS that works for them rather than against them.

Before you get started with our ATS, discuss what your hiring goals are. Do you need access to more job boards? Or are you struggling to recruit the right people? With answers in hand, we customize our software to meet your requirements. 

2) Secure diverse talent with the best ATS UK software

It’s not just on HR to promote inclusion and Diversity—it’s up to everyone at your company. Oleeo’s ATS helps you get started on the right track by removing barriers and unconscious bias from the recruitment process. 

Our AI scans and segments your UK talent pool without pre-existing notions. AI sourcing helps ensure your outreach efforts pull in diverse candidates. Anonymous screening automation ensures that your in-house recruiters aren’t unconsciously choosing candidates based on demographic information like gender, name, or location. 

You can expect a competitive advantage with a more fair and inclusive recruiting process.

3) Hire faster than ever before with the best UK-based applicant tracking system

You want your hiring team to find the right candidates as quickly as possible. Every day a position remains unfilled represents a loss of revenue—it also means you’re still spending money on acquisition!

Thanks to AI and Automation, our ATS can reduce your time to hire by 50%. That’s good news for UK businesses like yours because it means you can spend resources elsewhere. Our applicant tracking software can streamline the intake process for your HR team. You’ll fill positions quicker and get new team members onboard at a rapid pace.

4) Reel in high-quality candidates with the top UK applicant tracking system

Job candidates in the UK are looking to work with companies that blow them away. An engaging recruitment process will ensure you start your new relationship off on the right foot. Oleeo Talent Pool allows your portal to track every applicant and automate workflows to engage. 

Oleeo’s Search & Match tool can leverage your candidate bank so that whenever you create a new job, you will already have a ranked list of suitable candidates from your candidate bank that are ready to interview. Being able to go straight from job creation to inviting candidates for an interview on the same day massively cuts down on your Cost and Time to Hire! 

Our recruitment software comes with Interview Self-Scheduling allowing candidates to set and manage their interviews from the device of their choice. You can also automate offer management and pre-boarding workflows. All of this helps you give candidates rapid responses that keep the hiring process running smoothly. 

5) Oleeo Recruit applicant tracking system features

• Dynamic Workflows

Use ATS software to leverage data to automate tailored workflows across the source, select, and hire lifecycle. Our applicant tracking system will allow your hiring managers to reduce the time-to-hire and get your new employees up and running.

• Intelligent Job Posting

The Oleeo online applicant tracking system allows you to be smarter with your recruiting and target the best candidates with programmatic job postings and ad campaigns that help you find the right person for the role and your next great company asset.

Recruiting software such as our applicant tracking system allows you to target qualified candidates best suited to the vacancy by creating a more accurate job description and posting to multiple job boards.

• Intelligent Writing

Oleeo’s intelligent ATS flags wording that is gender biased in job postings, suggesting alternative phrases that are more neutral. Helping you source more gender-diverse applicants who can bring new perspectives to your company culture.

• Intelligent Selection

Oleeo’s online applicant tracking system, designed with built-in intelligent automation for candidate screening, highlights great applicants and filters out unqualified candidates. Significantly reducing your talent acquisition admin.

• Tailored Applications

Employ ATS software to ensure an exceptional candidate experience with tailored application forms and social capabilities. When job seekers have a positive experience with your hiring process, it can contribute to their overall performance and help them demonstrate why they’re the best candidates for the role.

Plus, when it comes to recruiting for your next vacancy, they may even offer up employee referrals which can lead to more in-house talent acquisition!

• Manage Candidates

Applicant tracking systems allow you to manage candidates through automation and better organization: create flags, add priorities, leverage evaluation forms, capture notes, rejection reasons, and more.

The amount of automation you use is entirely up to you; you can tailor our applicant tracking system to conduct a wide range of steps, including video interviewing, or you can simply use it to track candidates.

6) Maximize your talent acquisition potential with applicant tracking systems

Improve the hiring process of your firm and make better use of your hiring managers’ time with Oleeo’s applicant tracking systems.

Looking for information on ATS Implementation? Read our guide

FAQs about ATS software in the UK

What is an applicant tracking system?

An applicant tracking system or ATS is software that streamlines the recruitment and hiring processes. It gives your hiring team a centralized hub to manage job listings, resumes, candidates, talent pools, offers and other processes. 

Advanced ATS platforms like Oleeo use AI and Automation to improve the way recruiters work and attract top talent. They also provide candidates with an engaging experience that gives them a great first impression of your company. 

An ATS is essential for businesses experiencing rapid growth or with high-demand job openings. 

How does an applicant tracking system work?

Oleeo ATS emulates the mind of your best hiring managers. AI technology scans resumes for keywords and criteria that would pique the interest of your recruiters. And it’s able to do this at lightning speed while Reducing Bias and promoting diversity. 

Automation feeds your team the best candidates while saving them from repetitive, manual tasks. It filters candidates based on qualifications and experience without human error. Besides rapid screening, an ATS makes recruiting easy to manage from one space with monitoring tools and automated workflows.

Do UK companies use ATS?

Most Fortune 500 companies and large organizations use an ATS. But any size business with high volume needs is likely to use applicant tracking software.

Due to growing demand, businesses are spoilt for choice with the amount of ATS software platforms available today. However, the majority of applicant tracking software is focused on US companies. The best UK applicant tracking system for any business is one customized for its needs. 

Recruiting software like Oleeo is built with unique features for startups, SMBs, and large businesses based in the UK. 

What are the benefits of a UK-based applicant tracking system?

There are many key benefits of a UK-based ATS. Platforms like Oleeo Recruit streamline the entire recruitment and hiring process. They allow you to post and manage job listings to multiple job boards with just a few clicks. 

AI and automated workflows eliminate mundane tasks, saving your team loads of time. Alerts, self-scheduling, and automatic replies help build your brand and better engage candidates. A central space to manage your entire talent pipeline promotes easy collaboration amongst your team. 

Applicant tracking systems UK recruiters need should help them work smarter with hiring analytics and reporting. Most importantly, Recruitment Software reduces the time to hire as well as the cost of recruitment.

What features should UK applicant tracking systems have?

Not all UK-based applicant tracking systems are created equal. The bare essential features you need from a solution include:

• Integrated publishing of job listings to career sites
• Branded job pages
• Online application forms
• Automated email replies to applicants
• Interview self-scheduling
• Candidate profiles and management portal

UK businesses are better served by ATS software that builds AI and automation into every step of the recruitment and hiring process. This includes automated workflows for screening, background and reference checks, and offer management. 

Other desirable features include intelligent job posting campaigns and inclusive writing tools.

Do applicant tracking systems improve the efficiency of UK recruitment and staffing firms?

Application tracking systems streamline many steps and processes involved in recruitment. UK-based staffing firms gain many of the same benefits as businesses using in-house recruiters. This includes easier job postings, automated screenings, and improved candidate management. 

Recruiting firms can use an ATS as a central place to manage their talent pool. Dashboard reporting and analytics give recruiters greater visibility into areas like the performance of individual job sites. These insights and more help them work smarter and cast a more efficient recruitment net. 

How much does an ATS cost in the UK? 

The average cost of an applicant tracking system is at a starting price of roughly £2,500 pa. Bear in mind with more customisation and advanced Applicant Tracking System Features, costs can escalate to £10,000 pa or higher. 

Additionally, many platforms are priced per license. So the bigger the recruitment team, the more it will cost. Oleeo tailors its recruitment software for UK businesses based on size and need. You can book a consultation today and find out how spending a little can save you a lot!

What is the best ATS for my UK business?

The best ATS for you is one that is focused on helping you elevate the way you recruit!