The time it takes to fill vacancies on the Russian labor market has increased by one and a half times

Against the backdrop of historically low unemployment, the time it takes to fill vacancies on the Russian labor market over the year has increased by an average of one and a half times, experts from the HR holding Ventra have calculated. In a third of cases, it now takes two to three months to fill a vacancy instead of the previous 30 days. The share of vacancies offered to applicants within three to six months increased 2.5 times, from 5% to 13%. Representatives of other recruitment agencies interviewed by Kommersant confirmed the trend towards an increase in the time it takes to find workers, but believe that it was still not so significant and was rather in the range of 5–25%.

Over the past year, the average time to fill a vacancy in the Russian labor market has increased by one and a half times, Ventra analysts calculated after analyzing recruitment statistics for the first half of 2023. The recruiting agencies surveyed by Kommersant generally confirmed the trend towards an increase in the time it takes to find workers, although they gave their own estimates of their duration.

Ventra data shows that in a third of cases, it takes two to three months to fill a vacancy—previously, the same share of vacancies could be filled in less than 30 days. Now, within a month, HR officers fill only 16% of vacancies (a year earlier – 25%). The share of vacancies on which recruiters need to work for three to six months has increased significantly, by 2.5 times. Previously, such terms were required by no more than 5% of vacancies, now – 13%. Ventra Marketing Director Anna Larionova claims that the average time to find and attract a candidate has increased by one and a half times in almost all industries.

Other representatives of the personnel selection market interviewed by Kommersant agreed with the existence of a trend, but differed in their assessment of how exactly the time frame for filling vacancies has increased. “SuperJob labor market benchmarks do show an increase in the time it takes to fill vacancies for various categories of personnel, but not so significant. For example, for a skilled worker over the year, this period increased by a quarter (26%), management personnel – by 11%, line specialists – by 15%,” SuperJob told Kommersant.

According to the staffing company Manpower, the number of vacancies with an average closing period (two to three months) increased by 5%, and with a long one – by 21%. This year there has been a noticeable increase in the time it takes to fill vacancies lasting from two to six months or more. Moreover, these are vacancies of different levels: from entry-level to managers, the company noted.

Director of CRM development for recruiting service Talantix Marina Khadina reported that according to the results of an analysis of the timing of filling vacancies in 2023, this figure was 22 calendar days, which is only 5% longer than last year. “For certain categories of personnel (in particular, workers and blue-collar workers with an index of less than two resumes per vacancy), the growth reaches 15%,” says the expert.

At the same time, notes Ekaterina Krutskikh, head of the group of consultants in the “Extraction and Fuel and Energy Complex” direction of ANCOR, in certain industries the opposite trend can be seen. If we talk about back office positions in the fuel and energy sector and the chemical industry, the duration of filling vacancies has decreased over the past year and a half.

In addition to the obvious reason for the increase in terms – a shortage of personnel, the recruiters interviewed by Kommersant also note the changed strategies for job searches by job seekers. “There are consequences of a demographic hole and low readiness of job seekers to relocate within the country,” says Ventra Marketing Director Anna Larionova. According to her, the trend will continue to be relevant in 2024. In the manufacturing sector, there remains a shortage of not only line workers, but also highly specialized, highly qualified professionals. Performers have become more demanding of working conditions, employers’ competition for personnel is growing, which is why in a number of segments there is an increase in salaries of up to 30%, the expert says.

Director for recruitment and outsourcing of the recruitment process in Russia, Manpower, Ekaterina Kaliyanidi notes that many companies are now delaying the selection process themselves: increasing the number of its stages, adding testing, security checks and polygraph examinations. “Businesses carefully weigh the candidate they want,” she says. As Ekaterina Petrova, head of the “Retail and Hospitality” and “Finance” departments of ANCOR, said, in the HoReCa service sector segment (hotels, restaurants, cafes) and in the financial block, the average hiring time has actually increased, also because in the conditions of the “candidate” market, applicants often refuse offers at the last minute. “The reasons may be different: a more advantageous offer accepted at the last moment from another company, or a counteroffer received from the current employer,” explains the expert. “In general, the emphasis on retention policy is an actively developing trend; companies have begun to make more efforts to maintaining the team or at least key specialists.”

Anastasia Manuilova