Organisations have been urged not to keep potential recruits in the dark during the average two-week time lag in the recruitment process, or face missing out on the best employees.
Some employers are not responding to candidates quickly enough, forcing highly-skilled workers to go elsewhere, according to recruitment firm Parity.
In the worst-case scenario, potential employees could be poached by rival companies, the firm said.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
In sectors such as IT, where skilled workers are in short supply, recruiters can no longer afford to keep valuable candidates waiting, Parity warned.
“Employers must remove time delays and drastically improve the recruitment experience for the candidates if they want to win over potential recruits,” said Simon Church, strategic sales director at Parity.