Employers Concerned about Retaining Workforce

February 1, 2010 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - According to a new CareerBuilder survey, being able to provide competitive compensation (34%) is the top staffing concern of employers.

A CareerBuilder press release said maintaining productivity levels (33%) and being able to retain top talent (31%) are also top concerns for organizations’ in 2010. Employers surveyed cited a variety of retention issues, including worker burnout (30%), being able to provide upward mobility (25%), and difficulty strengthening employment brand after layoffs or cut backs (10%).

Strategies employers said they will use to hold on to top talent this year include:

• Offering more flexible work arrangements – 28%;
• Investing more in training – 21%;
• Promising future benefits (raises or promotions when the economy picks up) – 18%;
• Offering more performance-based incentives (i.e., trips, bonuses, etc.) – 16%;
• Providing higher salary without the title – 11%;
• Providing both higher title and salary – 10%; and
• Providing higher title without the salary – 7%.

Six percent of employers simply said they haven’t been able to hold on to top talent.

Looking ahead, companies also said they will face hurdles related to hiring. Twenty-one percent of employers are concerned that won’t be able to find qualified candidates, while 12% may not have the budget available to recruit, according to the press release. Five percent of respondents indicated they don’t have the time to recruit.

Rebecca Moore
editors@plansponsor.com