Workforce Trends 2013 By Hire Dynamics CATEGORY: Blog POSTED: March 5, 2013 Hire Dynamics’ CEO, Dan Campbell, spoke on workforce trends during the Gwinnett Chamber’s General Membership Meeting in February. There were over 150 Gwinnett Chamber members in attendance to learn the latest in workforce and employment trends and what this means for the Gwinnett and metro Atlanta business community. Below is a summary of his presentation. Today’s Jobs Landscape Jobs picture is improving slowly (7.9% unemployment and 181,000 jobs per month created in 2012) but the U.S still has a deep hole to climb out of (12 million Americans are still unemployed and will likely take until 2016 before total jobs reach their prerecession level. Also, at the current pace, we will not reach 5% unemployment until at least the year 2020. 2013 Hiring Plans For 2013, employers’ hiring plans reflect a mix of optimism and caution: 26% of employers expect to hire full-time, permanent employees (up from 23% last year). 40% of employers plan to hire temporary and contract workers (up from 36% last year). The trend in temporary or contract hiring is expected to continue beyond this year for several reasons: labor flexibility due both to economic uncertainty and a global economy that can change quickly, a growing acceptance on the part of quality candidates to work for a staffing company, and uncertainty and cost concerns relating to government regulation including the impending Affordable Care Act. Companies are hiring for… According to CareerBuilder’s 2013 Job Forecast, the top two positions companies plan to hire for in 2013 are Sales and Information Technology, which are also where employers expect to see the biggest salary increases; Customer service, engineering and production jobs round out the top 5 most in-demand opportunities for 2013. Seven of the most in-demand positions for 2013 require a Bachelor’s degree or higher. The unemployment rate for college graduates is only 3.7%, far lower than the national rate of 7.9%. Workers in these positions will be harder to find. Impact of the Skills Gap With the unemployment rate at 7.9%, there are still 12 million people currently out of work in the US. Yet, there are over 3 million jobs that are unfilled because employers are unable to find qualified talent. As companies work to remedy the situation and get qualified talent in the door, workers should be on the lookout for three trends: Employers scouting talent at other organizations Employers “re-skilling” workers to create the talent they need Increasing Compensation Most Difficult to Fill Positions Cloud Developers (10 jobs for every cloud developer actively seeking employment) CDL Drivers (5 jobs for every job seeker) CNC Machinists & Financial Analyst (3 jobs for every job seeker) Healthcare Case Managers Account Executives America’s Skilled Labor Challenges There are currently 185,000 new skilled tradesman needed every year. There is a growing shortage – for every four trades people who retire, the industry is producing one replacement. Best Bachelor Degree Jobs for 2013 (CareerBuilder & Economic Modeling Specialists Intl.) Technology and engineering occupations comprise six of the top 10 positions on the list, but workers should also see more opportunities in production-related fields, marketing, health care and financial services. The competition for educated, specialized labor has intensified as market demands increase in both the manufacturing and services sectors. What Does This Mean to You? A strong culture is critical! Because of the skills gap and shortage of qualified workers for many position types, one of the implications is to build and maintain strong relationships with your employees (especially “A” players). A study conducted by Clearly Rated Research found that 71 percent of workers said that searching for new opportunities is part of their “regular routine,” whether they are employed or not, with 27 percent searching as frequently as once a week. The Average Person Uses 15 Sources to Look For a Job 84% use search engines; 75% visit company sites; 67% visit company Facebook pages Why Job Seekers Apply The top reason that job seekers apply to a particular job is not salary. Location was the number one reason candidates submitted an application (45%), followed by desirable industry (33%), reputation of the company (25%), interesting assignments (23%) and advancement opportunities (22%). Hire Dynamics is known as being a thought leader in the area of workforce trends. Campbell has been recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Leaders in the Staffing Industry for the last two years (Staffing Industry Review) and is currently the Vice Chairman of the American Staffing Association and becomes Chairman this October.
