How a Financial Giant Reduced Hiring Time From 89 Days to 21

For large enterprise organisations, recruitment speed is a critical driver of business continuity and competitiveness. Research shows that organisations that fill roles faster are twice as likely to outperform peers in revenue growth and maintain stronger employee engagement. One of South Africa’s leading financial institutions learnt this firsthand when a fragmented, decentralised hiring model began to affect the organisation as a whole. A prolonged average time-to-hire of 89 days was slowing workforce delivery, while inconsistent processes across business units created a disjointed experience for both hiring managers and candidates.

The issue went beyond simply filling roles. Because different business clusters were hiring independently, recruitment had become fragmented and inconsistent. Studies indicate that companies with siloed recruitment processes can spend up to 30% more per hire, while inconsistencies in employer branding can negatively impact candidate experience. Employer branding varied across teams, costs were rising, and hiring processes struggled to keep up with the pace of the market. What was needed was not more CVs, but a smarter, more joined-up way of running recruitment across the organisation.

To address these challenges, Kelly implemented a full-service Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solution designed to centralise recruitment operations and introduce consistency across the organisation.

By bringing communication and processes together for over 300 hiring managers, Kelly removed unnecessary complexity from recruitment and created a single, well-run talent pipeline. Research shows that organisations with centralised recruitment models reduce time-to-fill by up to 70%, making it easier for teams to stay aligned, take ownership, and make quicker hiring decisions while maintaining quality standards.

The change delivered results almost immediately. Hiring timelines were cut by 75%, dropping from 89 days to an average of 21.7 days, well within expected service levels. At the same time, better sourcing and streamlined processes reduced hiring costs by 30%. Over a three-and-a-half-year period, 1,600 roles were filled, with a consistent pipeline of around 120 candidates under offer. This proved that a centralised approach to recruitment can deliver sustainable results at scale.

The lesson here is that modernising recruitment goes beyond reducing day-to-day strain. It’s about building systems that are consistent, efficient, and fast enough to support growth over time. With the right RPO partner, even large, decentralised organisations can transform into agile, well-managed talent operations that perform at scale.

When recruitment is treated as a strategic function instead of a routine task, organisations are better equipped to handle market changes, support growth, and get the right talent at the right time.

To explore the full case study and learn how Kelly’s RPO solutions can transform your recruitment function, visit:
https://www.kelly.co.za/transforming-recruitment-for-a-leading-financial-institution/