Candidate Loyalty Hinges on a Positive Experience, Good Communication, and Fast Placements: Bullhorn GRID Report

Contingent workers are reporting greater satisfaction with the recruiting experience, according to the latest GRID 2023 Talent Trends Report from Bullhorn. Almost seven in 10 (68% of) contingent workers say they’d work with their staffing firm again, up from 57% last year. 

Bullhorn surveyed over 1,000 contingent workers across the globe, finding that the percentage of those thinking about leaving temporary work for full-time employment dropped from 64% in 2022 to 57% in 2023. 

While these are signs of improvement, maintaining candidate loyalty will depend on staffing firms’ ability to deliver a positive experience from start to finish — survey participants say an overall smooth recruitment process would make them about 50% more likely to work with a staffing firm again. More specific factors that increase this likelihood include positive experiences with filling out forms (57% increase), the job fit (48% increase), and the interview process (44% increase). 

Regular, timely communication seals the deal

Communication plays a huge role in candidate loyalty. Candidates are 73% more likely to continue working with staffing firms that are prompt with their communications, and three in 10 candidates report walking away from a staffing firm after a lack of recruiter communication.

Six in 10 respondents say they’d like weekly updates from their recruiter, and this frequency would convince 84% to work with that recruiter again. Email is the preferred form of communication for 44% of candidates, making it the top channel. 

Candidates seek speedy job placement

For 31% of survey participants, access to desired jobs was a deciding factor in their choice of staffing firm — this was the top motivator for working with a particular agency. If their recruiter can match them with a job that’s a good fit, candidates are 48% more likely to work with that firm again. 

But even if the job is right, a slow placement causes 62% of candidates to stop working with an agency. Most candidates (72%) are hoping for a placement within four weeks of contacting the firm, but a smaller percentage (22%) want to secure a job within a week. Bullhorn notes that most staffing agencies average about two weeks.

For more insights on what drives candidate loyalty and improves the recruitment process, see Bullhorn’s full report.