Millennials constitute over half of the workforce and by 2025, that number will rise to 75 percent. Unlike previous generations, Millennials often anticipate working for many companies, even in different fields throughout their career paths. Social media and the web make it easy for millennial to find and apply to many jobs, yet they often put less thought into the positions they apply to compare with older generations.

That job opening you just posted? It is likely that some of the millennial applicants have not even read the job description, let alone researched your company. The result: companies are receiving more resumes, which does not always translate into good applicant fit or quality. On top of that it, sorting through resumes is time-consuming. This is where applicant tracking systems or ATS comes in.

According to diginomica, employees in 2016 want the fallowing in an ATS:

• 82% want it to be easier for employees to use
• 73% want integrated data and analytics
• 66% want a cloud-based solution
• 56% want integrated talent management

ICIMS is just one of many companies which provide SaaS and received top ratings from users on TrustRadius based on their recruiting software platform in 2016. Users praised ICIMS ease of use (cloud-based), availability, usability, and overall performance. But how can companies like ICIMS make their software even better? GetApp released their 2016 report on HR in the Cloud, which reveals some trends to look out for. These trends should help companies choose the best ATS to meet their HR management needs.

1. More Cloud and SaaS

Cloud applications will account for 90% of software spending in the next six years according to a study from 2014. Cloud simplifies information access by allowing you to use the software whenever and wherever, as well as enabling easy instillation. According to Louis Columbus writing for Forbes, “Global SaaS software revenues are forecasted to reach $106B in 2016, increasing 21% over projected 2015 spending levels.” On average, large companies have seven HR systems on record primarily due to company mergers and acquisitions. Cloud-based HR systems provide an opportunity for system consolidation.

2. Consolidated Workforce Management Solutions

Although employees want their systems to be easy to use, they also want a “one stop shop” to consolidate their management needs. The number of features is fast becoming the defining criteria in purchase decisions. Integration streamlines your HR needs and makes your data centrally located for simplified retrieval. Payroll, time, and attendance management are just some of the features that will become more useful, particularly in the U.S. due to the changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act. Self-service rather than relying on a vendor will also increase in popularity.

3. Expanded LMS

Learning Management System (LMS) is a system used for corporate learning and is generally a separate entity from other HR management systems. LMS has been slow to develop mobile-based capabilities, instead opting for mobile-responsiveness. Gamification and social learning are, and will continue to be useful strategies for LMS. ARI, xAPI, and Tin Can essentially refer to software that is able to integrate with employee learning software. This software is even able to track activities like monitoring presumably wasteful employee activity, for example, cat videos.

4. Improved Security

Due to recent security breaches, employees and applicants are more likely to feel apprehensive about providing private information (such your debit card number). Companies will need to do their best to improve trust, such as being transparent about how they will use the provided information. The software will as always strive for improved safety, and displaying safety certifications (on websites for example) will help make applicants and consumers feel more at ease.

ATS is becoming increasingly important and complex in order to meet the changing business environment. Where will the future of ATS take us? Only the future will tell. One thing is for sure, through observing the current environment and looking at employee preference data, ATS can continuously be improved.