Q4 Job Forecast
Recruiting Trends provides a summary of CareerBuilder and USA Today’s Q4 Job Forecast and there are some interesting trends. First, according to the survey workers are postponing active job searches but are open to a change if the right one comes along. Of the 6,100 workers surveyed, 38% are planning to sit tight for the next year and wait for the economy to swing back while 41% plan on staying until retirement.
This “squatting” will create some tension in that 23% of employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in the next three months and 34% say they are having a hard time finding qualified candidates, especially in highly-skilled areas. Not surprising, is it?
Finding the right candidate will be difficult over the next 3 months. The holidays are a difficult time, in general, to fill positions. This holiday season will be even more of a challenge. Posting ads through the big job boards or local newspapers will probably not produce the results you are looking for. I would suggest making a strong push through your network as your primary sourcing channel. This approach will provide the best chance at finding, and hiring, the right candidate.
Posted By Lee Fratzke | Hiring,Sourcing,Trends | | 
Comments(2)
Interesting stats given the economic climate. The big question is how deep the demographic issues in the workforce really are at this time. Is the lack of skilled talent so deep a problem that it outweighs a recession?
I think Labor Dept. stats show a shortage of 35,000,000 workers by 2010. That’s pretty deep.
One thing for certain – it is interesting times.
Seems to be a convergence of factors at work – lack of skilled workers in some areas, economic pressure to keep costs down and a new landscape around operating credit & consumer finance.
As to availability of qualified candidates out there in Q4, I would like to believe that the number of squatters who choose to sit tight is more than the number already laid off and looking for work – that would shift it to a ‘candidates market’ and help folks like me. However, I believe that lay-offs and down-sizing will continue to grow the ranks of the underemployed, keeping it a ‘hiring market’. at least for the short term.