Regional insights for new talent
How do you find new talent in an increasingly tight labour market? And perhaps even more importantly: how do you ensure that people want to stay with you? These questions were central to the regional editions of Mediaminds. On Tuesday 14 April, entrepreneurs, HR professionals and marketers gathered at the TT Circuit in Assen. This was followed on Wednesday 13 May by the Limburg edition at the Limburgs Museum in Venlo.
Two different regions, but with one clear common thread: the labour market demands a different way of looking at things. Not just at job vacancies, but above all at people, development, visibility and the reputation you have as an employer.
Tim van Oost, Labour Market Business Developer, kicked off the session. In this role, he is responsible for the further development of Banenrijklimburg, Limburgvac and Banenrijknoord. Three regional job boards that demonstrate on a daily basis just how rapidly the labour market is changing.
Whereas job boards used to be mainly about posting vacancies and finding candidates, today it is about much more. Employers want to be visible. Candidates are looking for jobs differently. And the region is playing an increasingly important role in the choice of work. Or as Tim summed it up during the introduction: “Standing still is going backwards.”
That statement actually formed a nice common thread for the rest of the afternoon. Because if the market changes, employers, recruiters and labour market platforms cannot continue to do what they have always done. Anyone wishing to attract new talent must look more closely, communicate more effectively and understand what motivates people.
The labour market is creaking under the strain
The first substantive session was led by Jeroen Meuwissen, a labour economist at Etil. He took the audience through the current state of the labour market and looked ahead to what employers can expect in the coming years. The picture was clear: the labour market is under pressure.
Sectors such as healthcare and welfare, retail, industry and business services play a particularly significant role in terms of job creation. At the same time, unemployment is low and labour force participation is high.
That sounds positive, but there is also a downside. If many people are already in work, it becomes increasingly difficult to find extra staff. Especially when demand for staff remains high. Added to this is the fact that the potential labour force will decline towards 2040. Due to a shrinking population and an ageing society, there will simply be fewer people available. The pool from which employers fish is therefore getting smaller.
The pressure isn’t just coming from outside
Labour market shortages are often seen as a recruitment problem. There are vacancies that need to be filled. That makes sense. But during Mediaminds, it became clear that the pressure runs much deeper.
When teams are structurally understaffed, the workload increases. This can lead to absenteeism, staff leaving and lower productivity. Sometimes employees are physically present, but they are no longer performing at full capacity. That, too, has an impact on the organisation. Staff shortages then have a domino effect. A lack of staff creates pressure. Pressure leads to absenteeism. Absenteeism leads to even greater staff shortages.
That is why it is too simplistic to simply say: we need to hire more people. The better question is: how do we organise the work more intelligently?
Not more recruitment, but a different way of thinking
Labour market shortages cannot be solved by recruitment alone. Of course, it remains important to ensure vacancies are clearly visible. But anyone who focuses solely on new recruitment is missing a large part of the solution.
Working smarter starts with insight. What skills do we currently require from employees? What can people already do? How is the work organised? And what will change in the coming years? This shifts the focus from the perfect candidate to people’s potential. It’s not just about looking at qualifications and experience, but also at skills, learning ability, motivation and development potential.
That may require a bit more thought than simply posting a job advertisement online. But it is far more future-proof. The perfect candidate is becoming increasingly rare. And if such a person does exist, they are probably already working somewhere else.
Don’t just look for who someone was
Many employers are still looking for someone who fits the mould perfectly. The right qualification. The right number of years’ experience. The right skills. Preferably available immediately and, of course, enthusiastic, flexible and affordable too. That’s quite a wish list.
During the event, an important question therefore arose: are you looking for who someone was, or who they can become? That question is now more relevant than ever. The world of work is changing rapidly. New technology, shifting customer expectations and societal developments mean that job roles are constantly evolving. An employee who cannot do everything today might be exactly what your organisation needs tomorrow – provided you are willing to invest in their development.
This also places demands on platforms such as Banenrijklimburg, Limburgvac and Banenrijknoord. They must not only display vacancies, but also assist with career guidance. What opportunities are there in the region? Which employers are a good fit for a particular person? What does the work actually involve? And how can someone take the next step? A regional job board is therefore becoming less and less of an end point where someone simply applies for a job. It is becoming more of a starting point for career guidance.
Employer branding is not a campaign
Following the labour market data, Joël Darius offered a different perspective: employer branding. A clear message: Employer branding is not something you only do once a vacancy arises. By then, you’re already too late.
Candidates want to know who you are as an organisation. What is your story? What is the culture like? What impact do you make? And can people see themselves working there? It’s not just about nice words on a ‘careers’ page. It’s about relatability. About stories. About real people. About showing what it’s like to work somewhere
People aren’t just looking for a job. They’re looking for a place they can identify with.
That’s why employer branding isn’t a campaign, but an ongoing process. You need to build it systematically – even if you don’t have any vacancies at the moment.
From searching to scrolling
Another key insight concerned visibility. Candidates no longer just actively search for vacancies; they also come across employers whilst scrolling through their social media feeds.
On LinkedIn, it’s often about work and careers. On Instagram and TikTok, it’s more about feeling, atmosphere and experience. News platforms, on the other hand, offer reach and trust. And through employees, a story can gain extra credibility, because they are closer to day-to-day reality than a campaign ever can be.
That doesn’t mean every employer should suddenly start dancing on TikTok. It does mean, however, that every channel has its own role. What works on LinkedIn doesn’t automatically work on Instagram. And a job advertisement that’s fine for your careers site is usually not suitable as a social media post.
One size fits none. A painful truth for anyone who likes to post a single message everywhere at once.
Show what isn’t perfect too
A striking theme during the session was authenticity. Employers are often inclined to present the perfect picture. But candidates are seeing through that more and more quickly.
It is precisely the real stories that make an employer credible. Show what the work is like. What people experience. What they’re proud of.
Which can sometimes be tricky. And why they keep coming back every day. It doesn’t have to be messy, but it can certainly be human. An employer who’s too polished can quickly feel as though someone has buffed the atmosphere with polish. Just a touch too smooth, in other words.
Creativity brings work to life
The closing remarks came from René van Leeuwen, known from Dumpert. He demonstrated how creativity can help bring work to the fore in a different way. His key lesson: tailor your content to the user and the platform.
What works on one channel can fall flat on another. With video in particular, it’s all about timing, tone and relatability. Content must fit the context in which someone views it.
It also needs to feel as authentic as possible. Not too contrived. Not too contrived. Not too corporate. That might be a challenge for organisations used to ironing everything out perfectly first. But it is precisely in a tight labour market that authenticity can make all the difference.
What employers can take away from this
The regional editions of Mediaminds made it particularly clear that labour market communication has broadened. Simply posting a job vacancy is not enough. Neither is a nice ‘careers’ page. And merely proclaiming that you are a great employer won’t make the difference.
Start with insight. Know what’s going on in your region and in your sector. Then look at your own organisation. What sort of people do you need? What sort of people do you already have? And how can you make better use of them, develop them and retain them?
Next, develop an employer brand that rings true. Not just on paper, but in practice too. From the job advertisement to the interview. From the first day at work to the day they leave. Every point of contact contributes to the image people have of your organisation.
The labour market is changing rapidly. Candidates are changing with it. Expectations are changing with it. So, as an organisation, you’d better make sure you don’t stand still.
