Nearly 60 per cent organisations are looking to hire talent for new positions, according to Mercer | Mettl’s State of Talent Acquisition Report 2021.

The survey report outlines the impact of COVID-19 on the current hiring landscape. It assesses the pandemic's implications on talent acquisition, how it has catalysed tech adoption and would shape the roles that are likely to dominate the market in 2021 and beyond.

The findings indicate that virtual hiring is the future of recruitment. Nearly half of those surveyed said they took the digital route during the pandemic. Around 81 per cent of participating companies chose virtual platforms in some form to hire talent during the pandemic.

Although job cuts and a rising unemployment rate were reported in 2020, the data looks promising on the hiring front in 2021. Recruitment managers are optimistic about returning to pre-pandemic hiring levels in 2021. This outlook gains more credibility as nearly 60% of companies surveyed said they were looking to hire talent for new positions.

Siddhartha Gupta, CEO, Mercer | Mettl, said, "The hiring trends have witnessed a sea change in the past 14 months of the pandemic. The State of Talent Acquisition Report 2021 details how the crisis has accelerated tech adoption and to what extent it would shape the future of work and skills. The report will encourage industry leaders to consider innovative approaches to hiring in 2021 and beyond."

The report further claimed that companies are creating multiple new roles while reviving some dominant ones in this new environment. About 53 per cent of industry leaders are looking to hire candidates for product and technology-related roles, followed by operations (39.42 per cent) and sales roles (39 per cent). Data suggests that equal employment opportunities are moving to the forefront in 2021 as companies shift towards a future-looking approach, which is essential to hiring a resilient workforce. Practices such as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are altering hiring processes. Such outlook among companies is likely to nurture a feeling of belongingness and create a robust talent pipeline – which is critical for organisational growth.