WALLDORF — One in two small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in the United States and France and three in four in the United Kingdom find it difficult to identify and secure qualified candidates for jobs, according to a survey released today by SAP (NYSE: SAP).

Conducted on behalf of SAP by WideOpen, a customer strategy consulting company, the survey focused on companies of 500 employees or fewer in the retail, hospitality and healthcare industries.

More than nine out of 10 human resources (HR) and related functional roles (97 percent in the United States and 96 percent in the United Kingdom and France) believe that identifying qualified candidates is the greatest challenge in the recruitment process. Companies of this size need a solution designed to meet their unique hiring requirements, with 86 percent of respondents in the United States, 75 percent in France and 82 percent in the United Kingdom indicating that some form of applicant management software would enhance their ability to efficiently fill their talent pipeline and optimize their recruiting process.

Other challenges noted in the survey indicated that:

• Coordinating job postings is one of the largest obstacles in the recruitment process, with 82 percent of respondents in the United States, 73 percent in France and 81 percent in the United Kingdom feeling overwhelmed by having to manage job posts on multiple boards.
• Managing candidate pools is a concern, according to 91 percent of U.S. companies, 83 percent of UK firms and 65 percent of French companies. Eighty-four percent of U.S. firms, 69 percent of French companies and 83 percent of UK companies said they were unsure about how to properly categorize candidates from various application channels.
• Peer collaboration during the hiring process is lacking, with 86 percent of those surveyed in the United States, 81 percent in the United Kingdom and 83 percent in France reporting that they wish they were more able to consult with their colleagues during candidate assessment.

Meghan M. Biro, CEO and founder of Talent Culture and author of a new e-book titled “The Must-Have Tools SMBs Need to Recruit Talent Today,” summarized the survey findings: “To maintain their growth, small businesses need to reassess their talent-acquisition process. This survey shows that hiring decision makers are ready to embrace digital tools in an effort to quickly and efficiently secure the talent necessary for continued success.” For more details, refer to the e-book (coming soon), which will outline the current hiring climate, insights revealed from the study, and tools that ease the pain of hiring.

WorkConnect by SAP, a cloud-based recruitment solution, was developed to specifically address these challenges. It enables small businesses to reach multiple job boards with a single click. Users can track and manage candidates via one centralized dashboard. The dashboard also allows users to ask for and receive feedback on candidates from colleagues and quickly consolidate those inputs to make faster hiring decisions.

“Attracting, managing and securing top talent has become a difficult task for small businesses; however, it is one of the most critical pieces of the business and one that is vital to long-term business success,” said Simon Bouchez, CEO of France-based Multiposting, now part of SAP. “By offering tools like WorkConnect by SAP that automate, streamline and enhance the hiring process, we are empowering HR and recruiting professionals — or in many cases business owners — to do more for their businesses.”

WorkConnect is an easy-to-use application with no training required, simple onboarding and an even easier purchase process. It can be purchased seamlessly online at SAP Store with just a few clicks and a credit card — for as low as US$27 per month. Once purchased, the tool enables users to start better managing their hiring processes right away. Available initially in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and France, SAP plans to expand it into other markets soon.

For more information, visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.

Methodology
The survey was conducted by WideOpen on behalf of SAP, and consisted of feedback from 2,341 decision makers from the HR and related functional roles of companies with between 5 and 499 employees. These companies spanned three countries, primarily focused in the retail, hospitality and healthcare industries. Those surveyed participated in a 15-minute Internet-based survey made up of approximately 25 questions, which included a mix of multiple-choice, rating-scale and open-ended questions.

Access to the report is available to media upon request.

Media Contact:
Cindy McKendry, +1 (503) 231-7274, cindy.mckendry@sap.com, PT

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