More than half of UK jobseekers ‘Opt in’ on email being platform of choice
One of the UK’s leading HR and recruitment specialist Gi Group has asked thousands of job seekers what their preferred platform of communication is, with more than half of today’s candidates saying email remains king.
Despite more than 1,900 job seekers outlining email as a preferred platform of communication across the UK, Andy Carpenter Managing Director at Gi Group (pictured above), said in a world of rapidly developing AI and digital communication it still remains paramount that job seekers of all ages can access recruitment services with the option to speak with an expert face-to-face.
He said: “There is a real fear in the recruitment world of losing the chance to have face-to-face conversations as we see rapid adoption of AI. Our new data has revealed that across all generations most UK jobseekers prefer email as opposed to phone or text.
“57.1 per cent of candidates tell us this is the case, and while this is true across all different generations, email is most widely preferred by millennials (59.8 per cent).
“We know as a nation we love an email, but we also don’t want to underestimate how important it is to be able to still speak face-to-face – whether you are an 18-year-old looking for your first job or 64 and wanting something part-time. A lot of recruitment firms have moved away from traditional methods of communication in recent months following a tech boom, but high quality in person communication is something we will always value and prioritise at Gi Group.”
The full data set revealed a strong agreement across generations that email is the preferred communication platform of choice over and above phone (25.5 per cent) and text (17.4 per cent):
- 18 to 24-year-olds – 54.7 per cent
- 25 to 34-year-olds – 59.8 per cent
- 35 to 44-year-olds – 57.5 per cent
- 45 to 54-year-olds – 57.3 per cent
- 55 to 64-year-olds – 57.2 per cent
Carpenter added: “While email remains king as jobseekers' platform of choice, we shouldn’t lose sight on the importance of verbal communication within the workplace. Many of the management issues we see arise as a result of a reliance on written or digital interactions alone highlights the importance of getting the balance right to avoid misunderstanding in communication or missed deadlines.
“Our new data will be a helpful guide to employers to understand how different generations prefer to be contacted but also ensure they strike a balance for optimal team working.”
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