Global Exposure

Think back to 2002, and you will see how much has changed thanks to technological advances. The main impact has been via the internet and mobile technology, which has changed how we function in business and our personal lives.

What about the next 20 years? It is hard to predict changes so far into the future, but fortunately, some people specialise in doing precisely this kind of thing.

Ian Pearson is a futurologist who analyses trends and statistics to form evidence-based predictions. He has made some key forecasts suggesting how technology will change our lives in the next 20 years.

Over the last ten years, we have already seen how reliance on devices has become integrated into our daily lives. This trend is likely to continue with more aspects of our lives becoming reliant on Smart technology.

More homes will have their heating, lighting and other equipment connected to a home hub to be controlled and reset. This aspect of robotics is very likely to grow as the need for energy saving for climate change becomes more urgent.

It is not hard to see that as generation Z become homeowners themselves, they will drive the inclusion of Smart technology in their homes – such as Google Home and smart meters etc.

Ian Pearson suggests that robotics may be the next stage where robotic devices work around the home. It could happen as early as 2030 and would see a revolution in the same way as vacuum cleaners, and washing machines changed housework back in the 1950s. This technology could be closer than you think, with Samsung exhibiting their concept for a robot which would help around the house and complete basic chores. Please see below the video that they showed at CES 2022.

The growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will absolutely continue to impact industry and personal devices as it forms the foundation of computer learning. AI allows computers to learn from data to make optimal decisions in a short amount of time compared to humans.

We already see AI operating in our smart devices, cars, healthcare systems – such as Viz.AI which is a diagnostics AI built to detect diseases as early as possible, and even in popular apps like Siri – so future development will see it used more effectively across other sectors. We will see AI help with breakthroughs in cancer research and cutting edge innovations across different industries as ever more complex algorithms are put in place. This growth within the industry has led to a rise in the number of contractor roles within AI,  with the number of AI job roles increasing by more than 160% since July 2020.

Is there anyone who doesn’t use a Smartphone now? In fact, in  March 2020, 87% of people in the UK were smartphone owners. 

There has also been enormous growth in other personal devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. It is a possibility that the next stage of this development will be the implantation of chips to do the same kind of processes.

Elon Musk is one of the leaders in this field, and he has been exploring more radical uses of microchips. He is currently testing chips implanted in the brain to conquer paralysis, and he is also interested in working with mental health conditions and autism.

The problem with microchip implants is that there is a lot of suspicion. The wider public was overwhelmingly hostile in an experiment where a Wisconsin company used implants for easy security.

There will likely be a more positive response for medical implants, especially if it creates a cure for patients with paralysis. Still, opposing views may halt the growth of implants designed purely for convenience.

In 2021 Honda was the first manufacturer to produce a legally approved driverless car at a Level 3, which means the driver can take their eyes off the road. In Tokyo, Toyota promoted a Level 4 car where drivers could also take their minds off the road.

The primary growth of this technology seems to be in the taxi industry, with Uber pursuing a new program that is soon to roll out in Santa Monica in the US. We are already seeing an expansion of driver free delivery robots in places like Milton Keynes in the UK.

The issue with driverless technology, also known as autonomous vehicles (AVs), is public opinion about safety. Statistics are yet to reassure the 75% of people who would not feel safe in a driverless car.

With the industry promoting driverless cars that will make the roads safer, the current $54 billion investment in AVs will likely mean that they will take over. Predictions indicate that there will be over 33 million AVs on the road worldwide by 2040.

The advantage for many is that it could reduce the necessity for people to own their cars, which will significantly impact climate change. Even in the next decade, there will be considerable growth in self-driving vehicles as taxis, improving accessibility and cost.

Renewable energy is an area that is urgently under investigation. The world is committed to using renewable energy sources to combat the destruction of the environment.

Fortunately, technology has helped discover alternative energy sources such as ITER, nuclear fusion, solar and shale gas. Bill Gates is one of the people behind the acceleration of miracle energy solutions.

With fuel prices rocketing worldwide and the urgency of changing to renewable sources, investment in this area will surely continue. By 2050 there is a need to stop producing any more greenhouse gases.

Breakthrough Energy is calling for an unprecedented technological transformation that will create the innovation required to allow everyone access to clean, affordable and reliable renewable energy.

Virtual reality is not a new thing. Second Life by Linden Labs created a virtual world with avatars back in 2003. There were up to 3 million users in its heyday, although that figure has dropped below 1 million more recently.

Creating a metaverse is a product favoured by Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. The drive towards VR has created a race with tech giants Google, Apple and Microsoft to produce affordable headsets for mass production.

The growth of virtual reality has led to a large increase in the number of job roles within the industry, with Statista claiming that over 23 million jobs will be enhanced by VR by 2030.

The vast investment in this area is almost sure to change the way we interact, certainly in gaming and leisure, but if Meta has its way, also in business.

Over the last 20 years, technological advances have been driven by information, communication and creating a global community. The following 20 years will probably be determined by climate change and the need to develop more energy efficiency and access to clean energy.

Other areas of technology like space tourism will only be available to the very wealthiest in society, so they are unlikely to experience the growth seen in other areas. Investment drives new technology, so the next 20 years will see governments investing in climate change while the tech giants will continue to promote technology that makes life more convenient.

If you are looking for help recruiting qualified and experienced IT and Technology staff, contact us at Lucid Support.

Written by Lucid Support

Lucid is an award winning, well established, reliable and trusted IT Employment Services and IT Project Delivery provider throughout the UK. To keep up to date on all things technology and recruitment trends, follow us on LinkedIn or head over to our website: www.lucid-support.com.

A typical day in the life of our Senior Candidate Consultant, Megan Blissett, has proven to change over the past 2 years. Since going into lockdown almost two years to the date, Megan went from a fast-paced job and busy social life, to working from home and having the same routine for months! Now we are back to ‘normality’, and she has returned to the office full-time, everything has started to pick back up for Megan, especially her career!

As a Senior Candidate Consultant, Megan works closely with the Account Management team here at Lucid and allocates the Candidate Consultants with dedicated resource for the jobs needing worked on for that particular day.

No day is the same here at Lucid, however, Megan is fantastic at working closely with all the departments to ensure resource and support is allocated and prioritised for the most urgent roles needing filled. Depending on the role, Megan and the Candidate Consultants aim to qualify a minimum of 5 candidates a day for each role. This gives our clients several contractors to choose from, as we understand how crucial it is that roles are filled with the best possible talent.

10:30am = Morning Break

1pm = Lunch Time

3:30pm = Afternoon Break

Hiring the right people is an essential part of successfully running any business. That’s why using a specialist recruitment agency can be so beneficial.

For IT recruitment, it is vital to find the right people with the relevant experience and qualifications to fill a role. Software may promise to make the process easier and quicker, but does it achieve the same level of success as recruiters who have accredited knowledge and success?

Right now, there is a considerable increase in the use of technology and automation in the recruitment process. It’s about time we look more deeply into recruitment automation software pros and cons.

The software’s ability to filter through an enormous number of CVs means that it can reject all the unqualified candidates at the outset. Clever use of algorithms that can discard all inappropriate candidates can be one of the most timesaving aspects of automation. 

A good recruitment agency will have built an extensive database of skilled candidates. It can be a mammoth task to sort through them all, especially where many will have multiple avenues of experience. Letting an algorithm condense the pool takes away some of the initial groundwork. For example, the use of Virtual Recruitment Assistants provide smarter screening, filtering and prioritisation when it comes to separating applicants into specific categories required for the job role. Recruiters can then focus their attention on the remaining candidates who have met the essential criteria and use their practised judgement to put forward the best suited candidates for interview. Automation could undoubtedly improve the efficiency of the recruiting process.

Automating the administrative side of recruiting makes it possible to free up recruiters time to concentrate on higher-value tasks. If the software takes care of tasks like notifying candidates and scheduling interviews, it leaves more time for other aspects of the recruiter’s role. Since building relationships and making connections is a vital part of successful recruitment, it is a huge benefit to use software that increases the amount of time available for this aspect of recruitment.

Recruiting software allows users to retrieve candidate files easily and track the progress of applications. It certainly eliminates the possibility of losing any information.

The software can be beneficial as it allows for encryption to protect personal information by conforming to GDPR. Automation can also improve the workflow by reducing the recruitment cycle thanks to the information, updates, and comments added to the system.

One of the hardest parts of the process for candidates is waiting to hear how they are doing, particularly if they have applied for more than one vacancy. Since recruitment software speeds up the initial process and keeps track of progress, it is easier for candidates to be kept well informed and even have access to the system to check for themselves.

Since filtering potential candidates for suitability is based on a strict list of criteria, the software may pass over someone who has skills that could benefit an employer. So, a person who does not have a certification but has many years of experience could be rejected by the filtering system.

Automation could reject a candidate who brings a wider skillset to the table in industries where requirements are complex and varied. Recruitment software often filters out perfectly valid candidates, software isn’t always aware of the different titles and abbreviations that represent the same role – this means that they often miss out on qualified candidates. Recruiters are better at picking this up, and they are aware of every job title variation.

Avoiding unconscious bias in the recruitment process involves a great deal of understanding of the unintentional discrimination difficulties that can be attached to different descriptors. With AI, this means ensuring that specific keywords are not favoured, leading to a lack of diversity.

Quality Compliance Systems stresses the importance of humans taking time to review decisions to ensure that all aspects of equality are considered. Since the initial programmer is the primary influence on AI, any biases can be intensified during the filtering process.

It is possible that software could reject excellent candidates due to formatting issues with their CV or application. If recruiters do not pick this up, they could miss out on interviewing someone who would have been perfect. In essence, the software is only reliable if recruiters check it often and deal with problems quickly.

Since keywords will drive the software filtering system, it could be possible for shrewd candidates to play the system and build effective keywords into their CVs.

On the other hand, some other applicants may miss out on essential keywords and yet possess all the criteria required, just with different descriptors. Narrow criteria will reject candidates who use different words or have issues with spelling even though they may be the best person for the role.

In recruitment systems that include a chatbot, candidates will have an initial assessment conducted by AI that can classify responses based on metrics and data. Chatbots are an efficient way to collect information in real-time, with Forbes suggesting that it can greatly enhance and speed up the process.

However, Valoria found that 82% of candidates interviewed by a chatbot report that the process is impersonal and often frustrating. It is certainly true that candidates like to feel valued by recruiters and build a relationship with someone who can support them in their career progression.

Recruitment software can ideally make some aspects of the recruitment process more efficient, especially regarding storing information and tracking processes. As a replacement for experienced professional recruiters, it is limited in what it can achieve.

Successful recruitment is about building great relationships with both clients and candidates. By making these connections, recruiters can act as consultants who have a broad understanding of the sector and match talent with employers to help businesses thrive.

It can be argued that even with its limitations, recruitment automation software could lead to better quality recruitment where time is freed up for recruitment consultants to evaluate candidates more thoroughly and make better recommendations to their clients.

IT recruitment relies on knowledge and understanding of clients’ needs, with staff often required at short notice to complete a project. Recruitment software as an enhancement rather than a replacement seems to be the fundamental solution.  

Written by Lucid Support

Lucid is an award winning, well established, reliable and trusted IT Employment Services and IT Project Delivery provider throughout the UK. To keep up to date on all things technology and recruitment trends, follow us on LinkedIn or head over to our website: www.lucid-support.com.

According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace, only 15% of employees are engaged in the workplace.

But what exactly is employee engagement?

“Employee engagement describes the level of enthusiasm and dedication a worker feels toward their job. Employee engagement can be critical to a company’s success, given its links to job satisfaction and employee morale. Engaged employees are more likely to be productive and higher performing.”

When employee engagement is prioritised, a business will see a huge improvement in employee retention as employees will know their contributions are recognised, appreciated, and rewarded. Not only that, but they will also feel much more part of a team than just an employee. According to HubSpot, 69% of employees say they’d work harder if they were better appreciated.

The team at Lucid Connect have outlined 3 key factors we believe boost employee engagement.

Employee wellbeing and engagement go hand in hand. Professionals will feel even more valued if their health and wellbeing is taken into consideration by their employer.

So, what can you do to prioritise workplace wellbeing?

Firstly, invest in workplace mental health first aiders and responders. At the Lucid group, we have invested in 2 Mental Health First Aiders and 1 Mental Health Responder on site. This instils confidence in employees knowing they have people on hand to go to if and when they need to, and those people will have particular skills and techniques to respond to any mental health issues, conditions, or episodes in the most appropriate manner.

Additionally, as an employer, it’s important to remain flexible to your employees’ needs. The past 2 years have shown us that professionals can work from anywhere and still give 110% effort, therefore, maintaining that level of flexibility and understanding to family commitments and health needs will increase employee engagement.

Stay interacted and up to date with your employees and the favour will be returned in commitment and good performance.

Over 91% of HR professionals believe that recognition and reward make employees more likely to stay. Having good work recognised and rewarded not only motivates professionals to work harder, but also to feel inspired to keep up to receive more recognition, thus boosting workplace morale.

At Lucid, we promote reward and recognition all year round through the following:

• Sales promotions, including financial rewards and incentives
• Increased holidays after a certain number of years worked at Lucid
• Early finishes on a Friday
• Free extra holiday at Christmas
• Uncapped commission and referral bonus schemes

Achievements, no matter how big or small should be recognised and rewarded by your employer. It increases a positive working environment, which in turn improves employee wellbeing and increases employee engagement.

In a major long-term study, companies that had the best performance-enhanced cultures, encouraged leadership initiatives, and highly appreciated their employees, saw their customers and owners grow by 682% in revenue (x4). Having a shared culture not only promotes consistency across the business but also allows companies to benefit from a healthy and positive working environment.

At Lucid, we actively promote an open-door policy, encouraging employees to talk to their line managers about the good and the bad without the worry of it affecting their jobs. Having transparency between employer and employee is vital to ensure trust between the team.

Moreover, you should emphasise company culture in a fun and engaging way. At Lucid, we highly support a work-life balance and understand the importance of switching off. We have a designated kitchen to take your lunch, as well as a pool table, darts board and Nintendo switch to allow breaks to be active but take you away from your computer screen multiple times of the day.

What more could you ask for?

If you like what you read and want to find out more about the Lucid team and what we offer our employees, get in contact today! Who knows, you could start your Lucid journey as easy as 1,2,3.
T: 01908 690 000 / E: info@lucid-connect.com

Lucid Connect is dedicated to executive search and permanent recruitment. We are passionate about connecting talented technology professionals with modern and ambitious companies. If you wish to discuss any of our current vacancies or learn more about industry trends and insight, please reach out to our experienced team on www.lucid-connect.com / info@lucid-connect.com.

Written by Lucid Connect

Improvise, adapt, and overcome… 3 terms that many organisations have had to adopt due to the changing landscapes of business over the past 2 years. In 2021, we saw growth in home-working and E-learning as a result of multiple lockdowns, however individuals adapted to these changes efficiently and businesses benefited in a multitude of ways. With that in mind, below we have listed 3 key business technology trends we expect to see continued growth in 2022.

The metaverse is a digital reality combining social media, online gaming, augmented reality, virtual reality, and cryptocurrencies to allow virtual user interaction. The term was first used in US author, Neal Stephenson’s, 1992 cyberpunk novel ‘Snow Crash’. In the book, the main character is a hacker who is able to jump between a dystopian Los Angeles and the so-called ‘Metaverse’ – a virtual world where avatars interact.

In many ways, it looks like Stephenson’s concept has already become a reality and will continue to grow in 2022. We have already seen such technology advances relating to the metaverse through AR, VR, and consumer tech products such as smart speakers. We can expect the Metaverse to offer an entire ecosystem for developers, apps, ads, and new digital innovations in years to come.

In the last 2 years, people have had to adapt to changing environments in both their personal and work life. Hybrid working has taken lead with the preferred way of working across many organisations worldwide. However, those who are set to work remote full time can feel somewhat isolated from their colleagues and miss the ‘old norm’. This is where the metaverse will improve quality of working relationships and convenience for businesses. With the aid of VR and AR, you will be able to join a business meeting with your boss at 11am and have lunch with a family member halfway around the world at 1pm; all thanks to the power of the metaverse. Research commissioned by Lenovo reveals close to 1/2 of employees are willing to embrace a metaverse workplace, presenting an opportunity for businesses to usher in the future of work. Ken Wong, President, Lenovo Solutions and Services Group: “The pandemic challenged us all to adapt to new ways of work – forcing organisations of all sizes to evolve at an exponential pace. The metaverse presents businesses with new opportunities but also more complex technological challenges, such as the need for more computing power, better integrated hardware, and simpler and more flexible IT solutions.”

AI has become an integral part of our lives, whether that be from a personal or business perspective, artificial intelligence has shown a vast improvement in efficiency worldwide. In 2015, an algorithm was built that could recognise faces with an accuracy comparable to humans. For example, Facebook’s DeepFace is 97.4% accurate, just shy of the 97.5% human performance. In comparison to the FBI’s well known recognition algorithm which only reaches 85% accuracy. Facebook was able to achieve this as it figured out how to get two essential components of a human-level AI in place; architecture that could learn facial features and high-quality data labelled by millions of users who had tagged their friends in shared photos. In 2022, we should expect to see more strategic AI thinking, particularly from industry players.

Language is humanities most vital invention. It connects us all, in one way or another, and defines our human intelligence. The ability for computers to effectively understand all human language will completely transform and open up virtually limitless opportunities for brands, businesses, and creations across the world. Natural language processing (NLP) is a branch of AI within computer science that focuses on helping computers to understand the way that humans write and speak. This can prove difficult as it involves a multitude of unstructured data i.e., tone of voice is unique to individuals and is constantly evolving. Google’s Director of Engineering Ray Kurzweil predicts that AIs will “achieve human levels of intelligence” by 2029.

Additionally, we should expect to see growth in AI Engineering. AI Engineers are in high demand this year and for good reason. These particular engineers have an impressive understanding of software engineering, programming, and data science. AI Engineers can build machine learning algorithms that can be used by businesses to make effective decisions, affecting the entire organisation, therefore increasing business value.

Cloud computing infrastructure is the backbone of the delivery pipeline of almost every digital service, from social media and streaming entertainment to the autonomous internet of things (IoT).

A study by IBM found that 2 in 3 businesses (64%) shifted to more cloud-based activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cloud computing (74%) and artificial intelligence (53%) are the top technologies expected to deliver the highest business results this new year.

Governments, organisations, and individuals that adopt sustainable technology in 2022 will allow better protection of natural resources, biodiversity and peoples health and well-being. According to Forrester, there are three key technologies that will affect sustainability; edge, IoT and networking. There will be an increase in demand for sustainability-related services powered by edge and IoT that will grow for energy efficiency and include resource management, supply chain processes and environmental monitoring.

Edge – edge computing, in its simplest form, moves portions of storage and compute resources out of the central data centre and closer to the source of the data itself. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 75% of enterprise-generated data will be created outside of centralised data centres. One benefit of Edge technology is it can be used to keep data close to its source and within the bounds of prevailing data sovereignty laws, such as the EU’s GDPR, which defines how data should be stored, processed, and exposed.

IoT – the Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a system of interlinked, internet-connected objects that are able to collect and transfer data over a wireless network without human intervention. Examples we all know are Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home devices known as conversational artificial intelligence (AI) which are affordable and efficient for home use.

Networking – network technology uses data systems to handle and deliver digital resources through a computer network. In its simplest terms, network technology is used to exchange and transmit data between large and small information systems and are utilised mainly by institutions and companies. There are two types of network technology; based on transmission and based on scale.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 40% more green energy was generated and used in 2020; IEA expects continued growth in 2022. Additionally, we should expect to see massive growth in the production and usage of solar and wind technology, creating more value in the renewable energy technology sector. Most tech giants will spend 2022 implementing measures aimed at helping them achieve their net-zero carbon goals.

Unfortunately, the chip shortage will hinder overall IoT market growth by 10% to 15%. The world is suffering from a systemic shortage of chips. When you do a Zoom call, cloud data centres full of chips are working away to make that happen. Demand for cloud computing services from providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure is growing rapidly, but supply is struggling to keep up. Additionally, the automotive industry was hit hard by the microchip shortage.  The average car in 2010 contained US$300 worth of microchips. As cars become increasingly digital, that figure will likely rise to more than US$500 in 2022. One company that has managed to overcome this shortage is Elon Musk’s Tesla. Tesla sold 936,000 cars globally in 2021, an 87% increase for the year. When Tesla couldn’t get the chips it had counted on, it took the ones that were available and rewrote the software that operated them to suit its needs. Now companies such as Mercedes and Ford are hiring engineers and programmers to design their own chips and write their own software. Some analysts predicted that it could sell 2 million cars this year. However, Forrester predicts that this shortage won’t be resolved until mid-2023 so it will be long before supply reaches demand.

Written by Lucid Support

Lucid is an award winning, well established, reliable and trusted IT Employment Services and IT Project Delivery provider throughout the UK. To keep up to date on all things technology and recruitment trends, follow us on LinkedIn or head over to our website: www.lucid-support.com.

With a new year comes new technology, and 2022 has got off to an exciting start with the recently wrapped up CES event in Las Vegas. CES is a tech focused event with over 2100 companies committed to showcasing their new and exciting innovations within a whole host of various categories.

With many major brands pulling out of the event such as Amazon, Meta/Facebook, Microsoft, Lenovo, and more due to Covid-19, this presented an opportunity for other brands to claim some of the limelight and show off their latest and greatest projects for the upcoming year/years.

With the scope of CES being so large in terms of what forms of technology are on show, we’re here to focus on some of the biggest reveals and announcements within software development, AI, machine learning, sustainability, and robotics.

AI or Artificial intelligence has flourished into a ‘must-have’ technological advancement for tech companies in today’s world (“The global AI market is predicted to snowball in the next few years, reaching a $190.61 billion market value in 2025” source: SEMRush)

With Amazon Alexa, Google Home, self-driving cars, facial recognition in smartphones, navigation apps going to and from work, and even having new music being suggested to us based on what we’ve previously listened to on streaming apps, AI has undoubtedly worked it’s way into our day to day lives.

With the announcements made from this year’s CES event… it doesn’t look like AI is going anywhere, anytime soon. From voice AI and microwaves that can understand instructions and action just by speaking to them, to delivery robots for use within the retail industry and airports, AI is progressing at quite an accelerated pace.

With robotics and AI seemingly shaping the future of technology within certain industries, it comes as no surprise to see one of the leading tech giants to reveal their plans for robot assistants helping people carry out their daily chores and improve the overall efficiency and productivity of our daily lives.

The two robots spoken about at CES 2022 were given the names Samsung Bot i and Samsung Bot Handy. The Samsung Bot Handy is supposedly able to help you out with all of your day-to-day tasks whether that is ‘setting up an emergency video conference meeting’ or ‘setting out the table’.

Last year, Samsung had shown a robot with similar, less ‘advanced’ features where their display robot could only pick up one item at a time. But with Samsung’s new telepresence2 and manipulation3 technology, this problem is a thing of the past.

From Samsung’s official website, the developers behind the two robots described their newly implemented technology and the benefits that it brings to their user experience. “This enables the robot to recognize objects at home and skillfully pick them up. Whereas at last year’s CES, we showcased a technology that could pick up a single object based on learning, this year, we will introduce a scenario called “tableware handling”. This technology enables the robot to pick items up after recognizing multiple objects and analyzing the surrounding environment.”

Samsung official website: https://www.samsung.com/uk/explore/experiences/ces2022/

Orcam is a company that creates assistive devices for people who are visually impaired or have loss of hearing by helping them to identify products, voices, and objects through technology.

At CES 2022, they have continued their journey in developing such devices by announcing technological advances that they have made with their hearing aid products (Orcam Hear). Their latest innovation revolves around a hearing aid that uses visual cues to amplify certain sounds.

The company’s main breakout piece of technology seems to be their hearing aid product, however, they have a range of assistive devices that boast impressive features.

For example, Orcam Read is an assistive reading device which helps people with visual impairments or those who have difficulty reading in low-light conditions or even those with dyslexia. The device scans the document/page, etc. that you’re reading and plays the information back to you through a hearing device similar to an earphone.

Orcam’s latest technology uses a camera to feed visual representations of real-world movements and events to then decipher and deliberate whether to amplify a certain sound or tone it down. For example, if you are at a party and want to hear the person you are talking to, Orcam’s hearing aid will amplify the sound of the person talking and tone down the sound of the music playing at the party.

Read more about Orcam here: https://www.orcam.com/en/

One of the big players at CES 2022 in terms of announcements were tech giants Qualcomm.

From partnering with Microsoft to develop chips that will be used within smart glasses, 4k movie streaming and infotainment solutions within a moving vehicle, to discussing the importance of 5G and why we should be adopting it into our lives at a more accelerated pace this year.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon made a strong case for 5G and how it can benefit more than just the everyday mobile phone or IOT (Internet Of Things) user. A use case of a small business in a confined space being able to connect to ‘blazing-fast’ 5G speeds, connect and utilise cloud computing, stream content for virtual collaboration, and have access to all of these features, and speeds at home as well.

Of course, with anything internet related at the moment, you can’t escape the word ‘Metaverse’. The Metaverse is a digital landscape of virtual worlds which have been created to let users escape into the world of virtual reality without having to leave the comfort of their own home.

With 5G offering enhanced speed and connectivity capabilities, this kind of technology is something that the Metaverse needs in order to offer all of the mind-blowing features that Mark Zuckerberg has promised to deliver. In-cabin multimedia experiences such as exploring new virtual landscapes within a headset in the comfort of your own home needs to be able to work flawlessly for a seamless user experience.

5G offers a solution to poor latency and connectivity issues if it can be rolled out worldwide through internet providers such as AT&T. With more developments coming out around the Metaverse, 5G connectivity will inevitably become an essential part of everyday life… including your 9-5 working routine.

With these blazing fast speeds regardless of where you are in your home, new and existing technology such as hologram interviews and video conference meetings can be accessible to anyone and everyone with an internet connection if 5G becomes as prominent as it is believed to be.

Within the next year or two, there will be a large focus on virtual reality in the workplace thanks to Meta. Being able to sit in a virtual office that mimics your actual office at work, communicate with your co-workers, and feel as though you’re not missing out on a sense of community and togetherness even when you’re in the comfort of your own home.

AT&T has teamed with Qualcomm as their first partners in their new venture to offer ‘wireless fibre over 5G’. The two giants in tech are looking to use 5G as a core technology for both ‘backhaul and direct broadband access’ so that a 5G network is accessible where you need it.

The development of new smart home appliances isn’t slowing down either, with Eve, Cync, TP-Link, Eufy, and Sengled all showing off their new products to make your home safer and… easier to use.

There wasn’t much in the way of ground-breaking announcements or advancements within this category, however, with smart-tech being such a big player in the market these days it would be remiss to not include a section on what has been released within this market.

Eve will be releasing their Apple HomeKit friendly floodlight camera in April which will set you back around $250 (£185) and features infrared night vision, 157-degree view, and infrared motion detection up to 30 feet.

TP-LINK, the budget-friendly gadget provider has also entered the ring when it comes to smart home technology with their brand new line of gadgets for us to set up our homes with. 

The brand is called Tapo and they’re looking to offer smart home solutions at an affordable price point. This includes smart lights, plug, and switch. You can take a look at the entire product offering from TP-LINK/Tapo here.But one of the standout future releases within this category, or certainly one of the most innovative, was the smart door announcement from Masonite. Featuring automated power, lights, security camera, and lock, the first residential smart door is going to be brought to market in the, potentially, near future. However, there is no release date or price point as of yet, but Masonite, in collaboration with Ring and Yale did debut the new M-Pwr smart door at CES 2022.

With a lot of the big players deciding not to take part in this years’ CES, more companies with interesting technological advances in their respective fields have shared some of the limelight.

Samsung have announced a potentially groundbreaking advancement in their own development of their robots (Samsung Bot Handy and Samsung Bot I) designed to help around the house for those who may be suffering from disabilities or need assistance with tasks such as doing the washing up, laying out a table for dinner, carrying heavy objects/furniture, etc.

2022 and years to come will inevitably be heavily focused around utilising AI and making life ‘easier’ for users of technology, whether that’s robots to help you with daily chores, voice assisted microwaves, smart door technology, or floodlight cameras that help with home security.

If you’re looking for more technology insights and articles about recruitment, head over to our blog section on our website https://www.lucid-support.com

Written by Lucid Support

The pandemic has rapidly changed the way in which we work and hire new talent over the past 2 years. With the rise of new technologies and many organisations adopting a hybrid approach to working, its vital businesses recognise these changes and adapt quickly to retain valuable staff. At Lucid Connect, we have outlined 5 key recruitment trends all businesses should be focusing on in 2022 to stay on top of their recruiting game.

Towards the end of 2021, we saw a significant shift in the market where there were more available jobs than there were candidates, thus making it a candidate driven market. We should expect to see this trend carry over to 2022, therefore, organisations should be adapting and creating tactical recruiting strategies. For example, candidates hold the power of negotiating better salaries and benefits, so organisations should be more willing to meet these standards if they want to attract and retain the best candidates. With over 35% of millennials working now, and boomers head for retirement, long were the days candidates desperately looked for jobs and took what they could. There is an abundance of options out there, so now is the time for businesses to cater towards the employee and their wants/needs from a career.

With data becoming more widely accessible in the past few years, it is important for companies to stay on trend with understanding the analytics that drive hiring decisions. According to the LinkedIn Global Talent Trends 2020 report, the number of HR pros with data analysis skills has increased by 242% over the last 5 years. Real time analytics ad insights allow recruiters and hiring managers to stay active and face changes in the market confidently and efficiently. Automation recruitment is one of the factors at hand here to help stay on trend. According to the survey provided in the Future of Recruitment report, 68% of recruiters point out investing in better recruiting tools and technology as the NO.1 performance booster over the next 5 years. In our industry, having an efficient CRM system, automated email marketing strategy, market analytics and social media insights free’s up a lot of the recruiter’s time to focus on engaging with candidates and clients, whilst delivering competitive and modern recruitment solutions. At a time of a skills shortage, particularly in technology, it is imperative to engage with a recruitment specialist that has established talent pools of proactive candidates, to ensure access to the very best talent.

According to McKinsey’s Diversity Wins report, companies in the top-quartile for ethnic diversity on executive teams are 33% likely to have bigger profitability. The necessity to grow a more diverse and inclusive workforce has increased a lot over the years and in 2022, it’s more prevalent than ever. It is no longer seen as a ‘nice to have’ but more a ‘must have’ for organisations as 49% of the surveyed recruiters from the 2021 Recruiter National Report have experienced candidates turning down an interview or a job offer because of the lack of diversity in the workplace. It’s clear that in 2022, businesses must centralise diversity, equity and inclusion to the company values and procedures in order to keep up with recruitment trends.

Embracing internal mobility for staff will not only allow businesses to keep on top of the ever-growing hybrid working trend, but it will also increase the retention of valuable employees as you can provide them stability alongside flexibility for work/life commitments. During the pandemic, the need to work from home was a must, but it demonstrated to organisations that recruiting virtually saved them time and money during the process. There’s no denying meeting a candidate and training them up in person will always have its pro’s, but the accessibility to national candidates and remote interviewing had a multitude of benefits that businesses can work from anywhere and be just as productive, if not more. According to LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning report 2021, businesses with high internal mobility have twice the length of tenure as those with low mobility. There are a number of ways organisations can remain competitive in the new world of work; create clear progression paths for employees, offer upskilling courses, and provide in house training and development. Engaging with the right recruitment partner will also enable organisations to attract the best talent.

A company brand and reputation are vital in the recruitment process. A strong employer brand can lead to a 28% reduction in staff turnover. Additionally, the more an individual knows about a business, such as their company culture, values, and mission, the more likely they will resonate with the image and have a positive view of the company and apply for a position. In order to boost recruitment and retain good quality staff, a company needs to clearly outline their brand identity in order to be portrayed in the best possible light. In 2022, we should expect an increase in businesses displaying their image through social media accounts e.g., LinkedIn and Instagram. By doing this, they are able to reach approx. 800 million active daily users and grow their online presence, image, and potential employee count.

Lucid Connect is dedicated to executive search and permanent recruitment. We are passionate about connecting talented technology professionals with modern and ambitious companies. If you wish to discuss any of our current vacancies or learn more about industry trends and insight, please reach out to our experienced team on www.lucid-connect.com / info@lucid-connect.com.

Written by Lucid Connect

Recruiting new staff can take up a lot of time – and quite a lot of money. Even if you attempt to do so independently, there is no guarantee that you will find the right fit straight away. 

An employee who isn’t a good fit for an organisation will be disinterested, unmotivated and will often leave within a few months – meaning that all the time and money spent will have been for nothing. 

Often employers need additional support when recruiting new employees. A recruitment agency can help to mitigate some of these challenges. By outsourcing recruitment efforts, a company can obtain quality staff without having to stress over every detail of the process – they can focus on the more important elements of the recruitment process, such as the interview stages.

Recruitment agencies work with businesses and individuals – granting them access to a large talent pool. Recruitment firms often contact and qualify job seekers from a range of job boards such as JobServe and CV Library which means that they have a variety of talent on hand at any given moment. CV-Library currently holds over 6 million CVs from quality candidates across the UK.

Not only are recruitment firms able to provide a wider pool of applicants, but they more often than not provide the highest-quality applicants for the role, saving the business valuable time, especially when you’re trying to fill a gap, or multiple gaps, for a large scale project.

Recruitment firms act as an intermediary between the employer and the contractor/candidate – this allows candidates to get a better feel for the role and what an employer has to offer. It also allows firms to understand what a candidate is looking for, for example, day rate or salary expectations.

Ideal candidates are not always looking for work but would be interested if the right opportunity arose. Recruitment specialists have access to an extensive network of people and know where to find individuals. They take the time to get to know these individuals – this allows them to get a feel for what they are like as a person – not just as a contractor.

When advertising job roles, employers often fail to find prospective employees who are up-to-scratch. This could be for a multitude of reasons, but among the most common is poor marketing – staff that could be a perfect fit fail to see the role in the first place.

Recruitment specialists are well-trained in how to advertise a role effectively. They typically not only market online on job boards and job sites but also through various social media platforms. Another way in which recruiters find applicants is through outreach.

They directly reach out to potential applicants, typically through social media channels such as LinkedIn – many businesses would not have the time or resources to do this. A lot of recruitment firms have consultants that specialise within certain parts of a specific industry, for example IT roles within a government environment.

Recruiters are incredibly knowledgeable about current employment and remuneration trends. They will know what the average day rate is within your industry and what kind of benefits people expect as standard – this can help employers establish a baseline rate.

By working with a contracting recruitment agency, you are taking advantage of relationships that said agency has built with a long list of potential employers.

By leveraging these relationships as a contractor, you can discuss the employer/client with the recruitment agency that you’re working with and see what kind of project they’re working on, what kind of budget they have to play with, are there any possibilities for a long-term relationship, can you push for a higher daily rate, etc.

Recruitment agencies often conduct initial phone call interviews on behalf of the business in need of talent. This can help to narrow down the list of applicants and ensure that nobody is put forward for the role that would be unsuitable. 

Recruitment agencies can also carry out background checks, which saves the employer’s HR department from having to do so. Agencies have more time to get to know candidates and find out about their skill set in a non-intrusive, open and honest manner.

All of these things combined help to provide additional screening and help to ensure that everybody that gets through to the final stage is of high calibre.

With contracting work, the talent pool that you are looking at may span across different countries, or through candidates with varying levels of expertise.

These factors make the recruitment process of finding a contractor for your project or BAU (Business As Usual) a lot more time consuming and risky, especially if you are recruiting for a big client or high-worth project.

Using a recruitment firm is one of the fastest ways to fill open positions in a business.

Recruitment firms have access to software and systems, for example CRMs such as Hubspot and Vincere, specially designed to help locate skilled people, meaning that they can find prospects a lot easier than a business would be able to do by itself.

CRM systems allow better customer segmentation, retention and speedier communication between a candidate and organisation / client and organisation.

Recruitment specialists spend their whole day filling vacancies for businesses and, as such, have a very in-depth understanding of the job market – both locally and nationally. They understand employer needs – whilst also understanding candidates’ expectations.

This puts them in the perfect position to quickly and efficiently fill vacancies – keeping both parties satisfied in the process.

Using a recruitment agency for contracting positions is a tried and tested method to find valuable candidates More than 80% of the value of the industry is generated through temporary and contract placements, rather than permanent.

With temporary recruitment leading the way for recruitment agencies in terms of job placements, it’s in the recruitment agencies’ best interest to ensure that you are receiving the best quality candidates possible and achieving your goals through them.

Some recruiting companies specify within an industry, such as IT/Technology, Hospitality, Legal, meaning that they not only have an understanding of the job market at both a local and national level, they also know how this information specifically applies to you and your business.

This also means that recruitment consultants have a clear understanding of the specific requirements of the role, and the technical skills required.

This industry-specific knowledge also places them in a unique position to identify transferable skills. These transferable skills could be missed by a business, causing them to miss out on a potentially exceptional candidate.

Using a recruitment firm simplifies the recruitment process; for both employers and candidates. Agencies strive to provide their clients with the most qualified candidates as quickly as possible.

These candidates are often screened to determine whether or not they would be a good fit for the company as well as the role itself.

Sector-specific recruitment firms possess vast amounts of industry experience and provide access to candidates of the highest calibre through their extensive network of industry professionals.

Whether you need an in-house team working on filling your vacancies or a whole project delivered, we have you covered.

All of our clients have their own dedicated Account Management team, including an Account Director, Service Delivery Manager, Account Manager and Administrator. You can be confident that you will always reach the point of contact you need, and we can guarantee our team is 100% up to speed and fully accountable to each client.

Here at Lucid, we pride ourselves on our recruitment consultants and the quality of the services we offer. Get in contact with us today if you are looking for a reliable, honest and professional employment service: 01908 690 000.

Written by Lucid Support