The Post-Pandemic Employment Landscape: Part 1
Over the past 12+ months, the pandemic has affected just about every industry and how they do business – and that includes how we hire and learn about new employment opportunities. Now that more than 35% of Americans are fully vaccinated and new COVID cases have significantly decreased, it’s a good time to review the current employment landscape. This two-part series will examine how hiring managers and job seekers are impacted by the pandemic and what to expect moving forward.
In the first part of the series, we’re focusing on how the current hiring climate is affecting job seekers. It's well known that many industries are experiencing a hiring shortage right now. Businesses competing for candidates means that job seekers will have more options to choose from when submitting resumes, but it can also pose several challenges, such as:
Hiring managers may be busier than usual. To make sure they’re reaching their hiring goals, recruiters and hiring managers will be interviewing more candidates. This means they may take longer getting back to you or conversely, may be extremely attentive because they want to fill open positions.
Managers may make a few bad hires. A bad hire can cost employers thousands of dollars and force them to restart the entire hiring process. With so much pressure to find candidates, it’s likely that some businesses will inadvertently hire people that aren’t a great fit on their team. So don’t be surprised if you hear from jobs you applied to a couple months after the fact.
Time constraints for interviews. Because we can expect hiring managers’ time to be limited, it will be helpful for candidates to have some flexibility when scheduling phone screens and interviews. Keep this in mind as you fill out applications.
Competition may be high. Even though there are thousands of businesses with open positions, unemployment is still around 6%, so you’ll have some competition.
One of the biggest benefits when looking for a job in this hiring climate is that many businesses have expanded who they’re choosing to hire – as in, they’re more open to hiring remote workers that aren’t necessarily located where the job is. When the pandemic forced thousands of people to work from their homes, companies realized that a lot of positions can be done remotely. By hiring remote workers, the talent pool can grow tenfold. Keep this in mind when doing your job search. Some other benefits to job seekers include:
Spend time learning what you really want. Sometimes job searching is reactive rather than proactive. Meaning, you’re searching because you need a new job, not because you want a new job. With tens of thousands of positions available, you can take the opportunity to find the job that’s right for you and your career goals.
A competitive hiring climate may force managers to increase pay or benefits. There are two reasons that candidates can expect a boost in pay or benefits; one is because of the growing popularity of offering remote work. Without some of the in-office benefits many companies offer, they must find other ways to attract workers. Secondly, companies will want to have an edge over competitors – and a great way to do that is by offering a great compensation package.
Agility is key. Though it’s unlikely we’ll see mass layoffs in the future, managers will continue to look for employees who are adaptable and versatile. The more you can offer, the better chance you’ll be chosen amongst your competitors.
Our research suggests that job seekers have the upper hand in the current employment landscape. Though there will be some challenges, like competition from other candidates, it’s a great time to be looking for a new opportunity. Keep an eye out for the part two of The Post-Pandemic Employment Landscape series.
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Is it time for you to find a new opportunity? Do you need help with your hiring goals? Contact Deerfield Employment Solutions to speak with one of our executive recruiters today.