Are We Facing an Undesirable Job Market?

If you are a candidate in search of a job, the market may seem confusing at best and convoluted at worst. Today, there are over 8.4 million potential workers that are unemployed, but there are also a contradictory 10.4 million jobs open currently. And while there are tons of jobs available, these jobs might not be what unemployed workers are looking for. 

What is an undesirable job market? 

Everywhere you look, you could see “help wanted” signs posted up in local bars or gas stations, but just because these jobs are available doesn’t mean that someone will want to work for them. Instead, what many people see when they look at these types of jobs are low wages, unpredictable or not-worker-friendly scheduling, no benefits or no long term stability. And with everything currently going on in the world, many workers are not eager to take on these types of unpredictable jobs. And who could blame them?

People are rejecting poor working conditions and are quitting at rates that we have not seen in decades (The Great Resignation). In fact, 1 in 4 workers have quit their job just this year. Economists say that in the past 40 years, the US has generated large numbers of low paid, economically insecure jobs. 

However, not all is lost. These high rates of quits should be seen as an opportunity rather than a crisis. These circumstances are showing employers and recruiters what it will take to improve the hiring process as well as what they need to focus on to attract top talent going into the future. 

Reasons Why Candidates are Not Applying to Your Job Postings

Here are a few reasons why you might not be getting applications submitted to your job postings and how you can fix it. 

They feel frustrated. 

About 50% of those surveyed have responded that they are frustrated with their job search because they cannot find the right jobs to apply to. Many of them also found that employers were also frustratingly unresponsive. Some also admitted that they could not find enough openings in their preferred profession; that they applied but did not make it through to the interview process; or, they could not find any opportunities that were worth going for in the last month. 

Along with feelings of frustration, over half of respondents say that their mental health is doing worse today than it had been before the pandemic started. As an employer, it’s up to you to help your employees get through tough times. You can use online platforms such as 1Huddle to help you keep your teams engaged and motivated by gamifying processes like onboarding and employee training. Gamified platforms allow you to connect with your teams in new ways, and introduce a bit of fun in an otherwise tense environment. 

They are worried about COVID.

Across all segments of the workforce, concerns about COVID and its emerging variants are concerning. According to a LinkedIn survey, a third (33%) of workers who have thought about switching jobs say that new variants of COVID have delayed their search for a job. It makes sense to predict that these numbers will grow, especially given the appearance of a new, highly contagious strain of COVID now known as Omicron. 

Being fearful of being exposed to COVID has become a new factor almost all candidates think about when applying to a new job opportunity, especially when it comes to fields such as customer service, or jobs within the hospitality and healthcare sectors, where there are fewer opportunities to work remotely. Industries that are able to offer remote work will be more likely to attract candidates. 

However, if you are hiring deskless workers, this doesn’t mean there is no hope for you. You just have to understand and realize that many candidates are now weighing out the risks potentially associated with in-person working roles. It would be a good idea to outline the safety measures your organization is taking in order to minimize risks to both employees and customers. 

They are exploring new career paths. 

There have been a record number of resignations this year, as well as job changes as employees were given more opportunities to rethink why they work and what they want to get out of their careers. We can look at it like a shuffling of talent.

While some were looking elsewhere for work, others were hitting pause or getting out of the workforce completely. A little over 40% of Americans have considered taking a break from their career. Another recent study shows that more than 3 million Americans retired early due to the pandemic. 

This widespread career exploration can also show why more candidates are being selective in their job search, choosing to hold out for the right opportunity compared to jumping into the next best thing. A lot of workers are leaving their current jobs for better compensation or more scheduling flexibility. Still, others are looking for something new or more fulfilling. Over 70% of Americans say the pandemic changed the way that they felt about their careers, and they also felt less fulfilled in their current occupations. 

As an employer, you can help cater to these candidates’ needs by expanding opportunities for internal mobility for your existing workers who are looking for something new. Data shows that employees at companies that allow them to grow internally stay with them two times more than other companies that don’t. These same employees are also more engaged. Employees who find new roles internally are a lot more likely to be engaged in the workplace than those who don’t. 

They feel burnt out. 

Many workers are worn out from the rollercoaster year we had juggling responsibilities like healthcare, child care and increasingly blurring lines between work and home. Employee burnout has peaked, and women and people of color, both of which are over-represented in frontline work and caregiving have been two groups hit the hardest. 

This means that fixing the balance between work and life is one of the most important aspects when it comes to committing to a new role. Employers need to start taking these concerns seriously as they begin to restructure. It will be important to set clear boundaries for workers who start to feel overwhelmed and overworked. During periods of high stress, giving them dedicated days off for mental health and to recharge can help them greatly. 

1Huddle Can Help

At 1Huddle, we offer cloud-based gamified training software that can easily adapt to any employee recruitment or onboarding strategy you want to implement at your workplace. You can customize your content for a seamless experience and all of your employees will be able to access their onboarding training anywhere, anytime and at the push of a button. You can use our gamification platform to measure their performance and make key decisions on where you should take your gamification strategy next. 

Do you want to learn more about how 1Huddle can help you level up your own workforce? Request a demo today.