Mass recruitment, also called bulk hiring or high-volume hiring, is the process of fast onboarding multiple candidates.
An approach that grew to revolutionize fast-growing industries, for example: technology, cybersecurity, construction, financial services, e-commerce, education, etc.
Mass recruitment is a game-changer for these sectors because they tend to experience higher turnover rates.
So why would companies need mass recruitment?
It’s like having a spare tire ready—you don’t want to need it, but when you do, it keeps things rolling.
Mass hiring comes down to two main things, getting the right people on board, and not wasting your resources in the process.
The Foundation of Mass Hiring: How It All Started:
Mass recruitment has its roots in the industrial era. When businesses, especially in manufacturing, retail, and customer service, needed to hire large workforces fast to meet high production demands.
Initially, these processes were manual, involving walk-ins and mass interviews—a far cry from today’s approaches.
So, as technology evolved, recruitment did as well. Companies started incorporating data analytics, AI, and automation tools to simplify recruiting.
This transformation converted mass recruitment from a labor-intensive process to a fast and efficient one.
The History and Evolution of Mass Recruitment:
Modern mass recruitment has evolved significantly from its early days. When it was all about gathering large groups of applicants and conducting on-the-spot interviews.
The manufacturing bang in the 20th century drove mass hiring, with companies immediately needing hundreds, if not thousands, of workers.
The problems recruiters had before are the same as today; difficulty in managing candidate volumes due to lack of automation.
But as industries grew and globalized, the demand for mass hiring amplified & the need for a solution also became apparent…
The Internet has easily become the most effective way to disseminate information about job openings and available talent.
The introduction of the Internet came just in time to mark a turning point. Not only in bulk hiring but in recruitment in general.
A magic box that allowed recruiters to reach out to an audience (no matter where they were) through job boards and online applications.
The first official job board was launched in 1992 when Bill Warren introduced the ‘Online Career Center.’
Originally a Bulletin Board System (BBS), it eventually merged with Monster in 1995, setting the stage for modern digital recruiting.
40 million resumes are posted on Monster.com, the largest Internet job site.
As expected, job boards back then took a generalist approach, still better than the limited, local reach of newspaper classifieds but still, it was not enough to succeed in mass hiring.
Today, the emergence of AI and automation changes that completely.
Bulk hiring as we know it today, is powered by sophisticated algorithms that match candidates to roles in seconds.
Predictive analytics are used to predict hiring needs and see how well a candidate might perform in the company.
Automated systems make the mass hiring process practical, efficient, speedy & sometimes “realistic”.
Imagine a company needs to hire 1,000 talented individuals in just two months.
Without automation, this task would feel like a pipe dream—because, honestly, it would be nearly impossible. But with the right tools in place? doable with a higher rate of success.
Mass Recruitment Stories: Amazon & Walmart
Mass recruitment has proven essential for companies navigating periods of rapid growth or high seasonal demand.
In September 2020, Amazon announced its plan to hire 100,000 new workers across the U.S. and Canada.
This was part of Amazon’s response to the surge in demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Customers shifted to e-commerce during lockdowns so more warehouses and delivery staff were needed.
So, Amazon went on a major hiring spree, which delivered positive results—until recent years (as they’ve had to scale back and lay off over employees).
In light of its mass recruitment efforts in 2020, Amazon was able to meet unprecedented demands, expand its logistical capabilities, and maintain customer satisfaction.
The mass recruitment also helped reduce unemployment during a period of economic uncertainty.
Amazon’s rapid expansion during this time reinforced its market dominance. Customer loyalty grew due to reliable service during the pandemic.
The large-scale hiring also helped them improve HR technologies like automated recruitment and workforce management systems.
In March 2020, Walmart announced it would hire 150,000 new employees, notably, for the same reasons as Amazon.
This decision led to a significant expansion that allowed Walmart to strengthen its online shopping and curbside pick-up services, cementing its position as an omnichannel retailer.
However, training & maintaining quality customer service became difficult with the influx of employees.
While they faced pressure around worker safety, with employees concerned about exposure to COVID-19 due to the high foot traffic in their stores.
This decision helped many people who were laid off from other sectors to find jobs in such difficult times.
They successfully put applicants on board within 24 hours. As a result, Walmart was able to quickly grow its workforce for short-term needs.
To sum up
The two companies’ rapid expansion came with challenges, such as increased scrutiny of working conditions and the need to quickly train & integrate many new employees.
Still, these efforts drove significant business growth and reinforced both companies’ dominance in the retail space.
Amazon’s revenue in 2020 surged 38% to $386 billion from $280.5 billion in 2019. While Walmart achieved an increase of about $35 billion or 6.7%.
These examples perfectly demonstrate the double-edged nature of mass recruitment—it offers fast solutions and growth potential. Yet, requires careful management to uphold workplace standards.
Gini Talent is a mass recruitment agency that delivers fast, effective solutions to your business needs. Contact us to get started.
