Changes in The Job Market and What to Know
The American workplace has gone through extreme changes due to the pandemic. The crisis caused millions of individuals to rethink their careers and lifestyles. Social interaction has become a major concern for workers, as the pandemic led to social distancing and remote work. Here’s a look at job candidate expectations that recruiters should include in their hiring assessments.
1. Approach to job openings has changed
Today’s job openings should be treated the same way products are advertised to consumers. You can sell people on your job opening ad to stimulate interest. Many professionals with valuable employment experience have become picky about where they choose to work now and are skeptical of employment ads that seem too good to be true. Paying attention to job candidate expectations is now integral to hiring since people aren’t scrambling for work.
2. People aren’t jumping at new jobs
Events leading up to the pandemic caused the job market to slow down, especially the supply chain crisis. Many independent non-union truckers quit their jobs because they got tired of the lack of sufficient compensation, scheduling flexibility, and concern for workers’ wellbeing. The same is true with many other professions, as the working class revolted, and many chose new careers that were more flexible. Meanwhile, the pandemic posed higher health risks to minority groups, as human rights inequalities led to huge job losses in this sector.
3. Working Remote Has Become Popular
Although remote work was an immediate social distancing solution, it led to longer work hours for many workers. Remote work was popular initially because it allowed workers to spend more time with their families.
4. Toxic Work Environments
After getting accustomed to remote work and having more time with family, it is harder to hire for in-person jobs. Management has to provide an upbeat and healthy work environment in order to have job seekers consider working in office.
5. Declining employer trust and increasing surveillance
A survey conducted by Ricoh Europe found that 78 percent of employers use monitoring tools to track employee performance of remote work. This scenario has created a big gap in trust between employers and employees. It has caused workers to put a higher priority on work-life balance.
6. Massive job vacancies
Competition for job openings has diminished in the face of workers seeking greater work-life balance and flexibility. In 2022 there were nearly 17 million open job positions in the United States.
7. Prioritizing health over work
The spread of COVID-19 caused many workers to care more about their physical and mental health than employment. Labor shortages have led managers to overwork employees who suffer from burnout. Many people have shifted priorities to wellness and are avoiding jobs that don’t acknowledge this basic human pursuit.
Final Thought!
Getting in tune with job candidate expectations has become crucial to finding the right team players for a workforce. Contact us at Stan McKnight to explore more insights on job candidate applications. We are ready to help you refine your recruiting process to build a sustainable and happy team for your organization.