Post Recession Hiring Picture Looks Good

According to a press release, technology, customer service, and sales are the top three areas in which employers expect to add jobs first once the economy rebounds. When the pace of hiring begins to accelerate, entry- and staff-level workers can expect to benefit the most in terms of new opportunities, as 32% of hiring managers indicated they plan to hire staff-level professionals, and 28% will hire entry-level workers.

Despite high unemployment rates and an expanded pool of available talent, employers continue to report difficulty locating skilled professionals for open positions. Employers said that, on average, 44% of resumes they receive are from unqualified candidates. The press release said 47% percent of hiring managers cited under-qualified applicants as their most common hiring challenge, followed by the reluctance of qualified candidates to leave secure positions (22%).

Employers are open to paying more for hard-to-find talent, the reports shows. Sixty-one percent of hiring managers said their companies are willing to negotiate higher compensation for qualified candidates.

What employers are unwilling to do is accelerate the hiring process, as they reported an average time of 4.5 to 14.4 weeks to fill full-time positions – the same as in last year’s report. In addition to spending time reviewing and screening out a high volume of resumes from unqualified applicants, employers said they also are more carefully evaluating those job candidates who are invited for interviews in order to avoid costly hiring mistakes.

Adding to the positive job market outlook, four in 10 employers expect the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to create jobs in their organizations over the next two years.

As hiring increases post recession, employers would be wise to focus on retaining top talent. The EDGE Report finds more than half of employees polled plan to make a career change or go back to school when the economy recovers. Nearly half of workers polled (49%) said the most effective way to keep them onboard will be pay increases. Twenty-eight percent said they actually plan to ask for a raise once the economy improves, according to a press release.

Another 20% of employees said they hope for better benefits and perks once the economy turns around. The top perks workers expect are technology upgrades, followed by tuition reimbursement or subsidized training.

Forty percent of employers indicated that increasing pay will be their primary method for retaining top performers.

The Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations (EDGE) Report is based on an annual survey by Robert Half International and CareerBuilder. More than 500 hiring managers and 500 workers participated in the study, which was conducted by International Communications Research from April 30 to May 31, 2009.

A free copy of the EDGE Report can be requested from www.rhi.com/EDGEReport2009 .