Some professionals, though, feel technology could engulf recruiters’ role in the talent acquisition process

Companies Use a Staffing Agency for Targeted, Faster Hiring -Talent IntelligenceHiring managers say their top recruiting challenges involve gaining access to candidates with specialized skills and speeding up hiring times — which are also the two main reasons managers decide to work with a staffing agency, according to a survey conducted by a jobs website, staffing association and a research organization.

The majority of respondents seem to currently value staffing firms’ input. When asked how a staffing agency might impact employers’ ability to connect with candidates who have the right skills for a job, two-thirds said they feel working with a staffing agency would be very helpful. Fifty-three percent of hiring managers believe a staffing firm would be a very helpful resource if their organization was trying to reduce hiring times.

The survey data presents a mixed view, however, of what staffing firms’ future may look like.

In general, hiring managers are eager to leverage the salary and other information a staffing agency can provide — including best practices for hiring new employees.

More than half (59 percent) of millennial hiring managers, though, strongly feel technology will reduce recruiters’ roles in their company’s talent acquisition process over the next five years. That sentiment may be at least partially influenced by the fact 50 percent of millennial managers say they’d prefer to place a job order online, rather than speaking with someone face-to-face or by phone.

Fewer Gen X respondents — 21 percent — believe technology will diminish recruiters’ role in their talent acquisition process in the next few years.

For a more in-depth look at the survey findings, view this information about the survey from CareerBuilder, Inavero and the American Staffing Association — or download a copy of the full survey results.