Where are the workers? Small businesses struggle to fill jobs. –Chicago Tribune
Millions Are Out Of A Job. Yet Some Employers Wonder: Why Can’t I Find Workers? –NPR
Small businesses struggle to find workers as pandemic eases –CNBC
Businesses scramble for help as job openings go unfilled –Associated Press
If you’re trying to find workers to fill open positions in your company, you may be wondering where all the job candidates have gone. As the headlines above show, you’re not alone. Post-pandemic, it’s been hard to get everyone back into the office whether it’s due to enhanced unemployment benefits, ongoing troubles with securing childcare or managing the kids’ summer schedules, or maybe a reluctance to return back to a traditional 9-5.
So, what’s a small business to do? After all, it’s doubtful that you can offer thousands of dollars in salary increases or extra benefits as a lure on your job listings. But you need to find workers, and you need to find them fast.
That’s where we hope to help. Not only do we help companies fill their open positions with quality candidates, we also try to understand what’s motivating job seekers. And right now, you’re seeing a reluctance to doing business as usual after a year when nothing was usual and everything had to be done differently.
Take the results of our first-ever LinkedIn poll, for instance. In time for May’s Revise Your Work Schedule Month, we asked our LinkedIn audience what one permanent change they would want to make to their work schedule.
The results were very interesting:
While our poll results are not large enough to provide statistically valid data, the replies clearly show a desire among respondents to either work a four-day week or adopt a hybrid mix of in-office and WFH (work from home) days. Both these options allow working parents a little more flexibility in their schedule, while even people without children may welcome a day in which they do not have to commute to the office.
And, after a year where so many companies successfully adopted remote offices or flexible schedules to limit the number of people in the office at the same time, employees may not be so keen on giving all of that up now.
Can that work for you? Admittedly, this can be tricky. Companies that thrive on group projects, collaboration, or just need people on-site to keep all their balls in the air throughout the week may not be able to offer such schedules.
But, for a lot of businesses, offering something a little different to new job seekers as well as to current employees, may be a “perk” that doesn’t have to cost you anything at all. And it may even be the thing that entices a great candidate to want to join your company, especially younger employees who may be eager to work with a company that offers flexibility.
Are you struggling to fill open jobs in your company? We have eager job seekers and can screen candidates for your consideration, whether you’re looking for a temp, temp to hire, or direct hire candidate. Fill out this form to Request Talent and one of our recruiters will get right back to you.