Science companies were four times more likely to use recruitment agencies than social media, according to a new report. 

The report by company culture consultancy EnviableWorkplace.com and scientific, environmental and renewables recruiter Cranleigh Scientific, found that while 100% used recruitment agencies, only 25% used social media.

Most of the employers said they used between one and three recruitment agencies.

The report was based on interviews with HR professionals in 20 science companies, including Abbott Diagnostics, Johnson Matthey, Siemens, Givaudan, SC Johnson and Synergy Health. 

It found there was a widespread desire among employers to use social media, but that this was not born out in reality. A spokesperson for EnviableWorkplace.com tells Recruiter: “Most companies we spoke with said they were not using social media because they find it hard to measure the ROI (return on investment) for the amount of time they spend on it and haven't been able to justify the time investment so far.”

The report also found:

• 55% used traditional print advertising 

• 80% thought job boards were important, however only 40% used them 

• Recruitment 4.0, defined as the mixture of agencies partnering with HR departments, the use of online tools to promote vacancies, and the development of a network of ‘passive’ candidates for both agencies and companies meant nothing to the majority of HR professionals.