In 2019, information technology in human resource management will be more important than ever before. Software-based talent management, recruitment through social media channels and new technologies such as people analytics and artificial intelligence are increasingly gaining ground. Another important trend is reverse recruiting.
Human resources is constantly evolving. There will be important changes in 2019. The digitalisation of HR will continue. Experts predict that next year, new technologies such as robotic process automation, artificial intelligence and predictive analysis will emerge and evolve. The existing trends for multi-sourcing and collaboration will continue. Talent management will be taken to a new level by software solutions such as those from rexx systems and will become ever more important in the context of demographic change. At the same time, data analysis is becoming increasingly significant.
Stefan Heeke, Head of HR Data Science, Insights & Innovation at Deutsche Bahn, wants to proactively manage the demographic change in the workforce, improve team performance and integrate digital and mobile devices into production. In HR, he focuses on customer-centric communication. The IT structure should be cloud-based and easy to use. Decisions should be backed up by data. Interaction between the HR department and employees – i.e. managers and employees – should be easier and more effective. HR initiatives should be more targeted and effective.
IT is becoming increasingly important – reverse recruiting gains ground
In general, IT will become more important in human resource management in 2019. Sourcing software will make it possible to tailor the search to find the right candidate. Sourcing algorithms search through CV databases, social media and business networks to find suitable talent.
The trend continues with active sourcing, i.e. the direct approach in various channels. Another new trend that HR departments are increasingly implementing is reverse recruiting, such as that provided by finest jobs, the rexx systems job board, which offers a rapidly growing talent pool of more than 37,000 motivated and qualified people each month. In this personnel recruitment process, the employer applies to the employee who is looking to be hired, not the other way around.
Recruitment chatbots are still in their infancy, but trailblazers will start to gain their first experience with this new communication tool in the coming year. According to a study by the University of Bamberg, 50% of candidates would like to use chatbots to make the interaction more effective.
SEO recruiting is also gaining in importance, as interested parties rely on Google. Therefore, companies should ensure that their own job advertisements rank highly in search engine algorithms.
Data protection still a hot topic
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been in force since 2016 and legally valid throughout the EU since the end of May 2018. However, it is still far from being consistently implemented in all companies. There is still a great deal of uncertainty. In the coming year, HR departments will be required to adapt their processes to comply with the provisions of GDPR and, in particular, to comply with the provisions of paragraphs 13 and 14 (rights of data subjects). E-privacy will also become more significant in the new year.
Conclusion and outlook
The demographic change must also be accompanied by a digital transformation in HR. IT is therefore becoming increasingly important in 
human resources departments. Software solutions such as those from rexx systems make a significant contribution to supporting HR managers. They gain more time for other important tasks, particularly personnel development through education and training strategies. Other issues such as new work with flexible working hours and places of employment are becoming increasingly important in the face of persistent shortages of skilled workers and near full employment.
The old ‘Post & Pray’ (posting jobs and praying) does not really work in recruiting any more. Employers therefore need to adopt new approaches and attract talent using social media, even though that is often difficult in practice. Applicants today are increasingly digital natives and often access the Internet with a smartphone rather than a laptop or desktop PC. In addition to recruiting chatbots, mobility will become increasingly important in recruiting.
Topics such as search engine optimisation (SEO) and AI-based data analysis are used to accelerate pre-selection using the requirement and applicant profiles in order to gain more time to engage in more in-depth discussions with candidates.
