JOB MARKET: Where Did Everybody Go?

by Human ResourcesRecruitment Advertising

In this post-pandemic era, recruiters and candidates are playing a more aggressive game of hide and seek. Candidates are more difficult to find due to a variety of market realities. And there is even more pressure on talent acquisition professionals to find that needle in a haystack.

Let’s take a look at some valuable numbers and information that you could be monitoring to keep your finger on the pulse of a market’s “recruitability.”

Your talent market could be shrinking due to cost of living.

Markets where costs, taxes, etc. are out of control have seen an exodus of talent moving out for greener (like in more money for you) pastures.  Residents in the states below are rushing to more affordable states – most of which are located in the south and the central time zone.

Most Expensive States to Live in 2022

1                 Hawaii

2                 Washington DC

3                 New York

4                 California

5                 Massachusetts

6                 Oregon

7                 Alaska

8                 Maryland

9                 Connecticut

10              Rhode Island

Your talent market could be shrinking due to employee participation.

Take a look at your state’s labor participation rate. This represents the number of people in the labor force as a percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population. In other words, the participation rate is the percentage of the population that is either working or actively looking for work.

That number has fallen nationally in recent years meaning that a smaller part of the workforce is holding or seeking employment.  Look at some of the states with the lowest rates. Remember that some states may be more highly affected by the number of retirees.

Participation Rate

West Virginia      55.2
Mississippi           55.3
New Mexico       56.5
Arkansas              56.8
South Carolina   57.0

Your talent market could be shrinking due to lower productivity.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says this about productivity, “With growth in productivity, an economy is able to produce—and consume—increasingly more goods and services for the same amount of work.” Simply said, lower productivity requires a larger workforce to produce the same amount of goods and services.

Feeding a drop in productivity are those who are allegedly engaging in “quiet quitting.”  That means the employee slowly reduces their engagement, eventually doing only the minimum work required by the job description. I’m not sure how true this supposed trend is but an annual Gallup poll shows engagement going down and disengagement trending upward in recent years.

Here are some markets where productivity has dropped from 2020 to 2021.

States with the steepest drop in productivity

Alaska                  – 3.0%
Wyoming             – 2.9%
Rhode Island      – 0.8%
Hawaii                  – 0.8%
Delaware             – 0.7%
Florida                 – 0.5%

Want to discuss the “recruitability” of your marketplace in greater depth? Let’s talk. Call your SCG representative.

Energize your Recruitment Efforts

by Human ResourcesRecruitment Advertising

As a woman of a certain age, I’m actively working to slow aging and stay physically fit, looking forward to an active retirement.

A good friend convinced me to join Orangetheory Fitness (OTF). OTF works for me because I get bored easily and no two workouts are quite the same. Our coaches push us through a mix of treadmill, rower and weight floor activities that build strength and endurance.  I often sing, dance and joke through a workout. Today wasn’t one of those days. We ran hills (treadmill elevation) and I was doing okay. No speed records but getting it done. Then the weight floor did me in. As coaches swung by to offer advice and adjust my form, I struggled with arm work using light weights and was left frustrated and discouraged.

A lot of my talent acquisition friends are feeling the same way about Recruiting. They do the work, modify their form and if they are lucky enough to get applications, the candidates ghost the process or don’t make it through, all while employees are leaving out the back door.

There are NOW HIRING signs everywhere you look. So why is recruiting so difficult?

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) allows you to get results faster than working out at a steady moderate pace. We all need to work smarter rather than harder. Progress comes when you push yourself.

  • Are you posting and praying that candidates will see the ad and apply, or actively sourcing?
  • Are you crafting your message and strategy from the perspective of the target audience? You have to understand your target and speak their language.
  • Are you giving them a reason that they should consider working for you? I passed several billboards recently that said JOIN OUR TEAM! and WE’RE HIRING. That’s it. No reason why I should work for that employer? What do you have to offer that another employer doesn’t?
  • Are you creating brand ambassadors within your current employee population by using testimonial videos, social media sharing, and a culture that they want to brag about?
  • Are you taking your message to the candidates in their day-to-day life with Mobile Display Ads, Streaming TV, branded coffee sleeves, text messaging, Pizza Box ads, and more….
  • Are you actively retaining your current employees?

If you didn’t answer yes to every question, you have some work to do. I’d love to help you fill in the gaps and I’d be happy to share an OTF class pass so you can build the strength to continue pushing through. I will be back at it, starting fresh, next week and will running the annual Atlanta Mission 5k tomorrow.

Employee Retention

Employee Communication Beyond the Welcome Letter

by Human ResourcesRecruitment Advertising

Employee communicationYou’ve nurtured the candidate relationship and made the offer. They accept. Yay!

Now the real work begins. How do you keep employees, in a highly competitive labor market? As in most relationships, communication is key. Start early and communicate often.

Consider touchpoints through the critical first two years:

  • Welcome the New Hire
  • One month
  • 6 months
  • 1 year
  • 18 months
  • 2 years

The pace and sequence of information will vary based on your specific culture and team structure, but the effort will pay off.  Here are some ideas of things you can do:

  • In larger organizations, give new hires a Newbie Badge, so that employees can welcome them warmly and provide direction if they seem lost.
  • Use a variety of communication methods. Many ATS/CRM tools have built-in onboarding communication modules. Take advantage, but email, text, postcards, flyers, multi-page brochures, custom screen savers, dedicated intranet pages, branded promo items or apparel with a campaign theme are all valid.  In most cases the appropriate method will align with the message easily.
  • Be sure to market an employee referral program early, while they are still in the honeymoon phase. Good recruiters will ask references about their own career aspirations and openness to opportunities. You want to take full advantage of this opportunity to brand the organization and fill open roles.
  • Invite new hires to lunch and learn more about how the reality of the environment matched their expectations.
  • Remind new hires of available benefits. This is often glossed over in orientation and paper information packets. I can’t tell you how many focus groups I’ve facilitated where employees gripe about lack of a benefit that is actually available, but not communicated effectively.
  • If you offer retirement savings make sure they are taking full advantage. An employer match is free money (or at least part of the total compensation package).
  • Remind new hires of your Performance Evaluation process and timing. If you follow the generational archetypes, millennial workers crave constant feedback. Older workers may be fine with annual touchpoints but don’t ignore those who need feedback more frequently.
  • Make sure any Employee Service Program (ESP) is shared and promoted as a benefit to employees. Make it easy for employees to deal with any life hassles that could become a distraction so that they are highly efficient at work.
  • A good onboarding/internal communication strategy will not only keep new hires engaged but will also get them talking about the organizational culture and benefits.
  • If you do happen to lose a star employee, give them a Return Ticket that allows them to return within 30 days if they change their mind. Most people know their value but providing tangible proof of your commitment could take any ego out of it and make it easier to admit that the grass wasn’t greener.

What’s your favorite employee/onboarding communication tip? If you’d like to talk about any of these strategies, we’d love to hear from you.