Category: Talent Acquisition Strategy

PeopleScout Canada Jobs Report Analysis — September 2018

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Canada Jobs Report Analysis — September 2018

Statistics Canada released its September 2018 Labour Force Survey which shows a gain of 63,300 jobs for the Canadian economy which drove the unemployment rate down to 5.9 per cent, down from 6.0 per cent in August. Contributing to the drop in unemployment was a gain of 80,200 part-time positions.


The Numbers

63,300: The economy gained 63,300 jobs in September.
5.9%: The unemployment rate fell to 5.9 per cent.
2.2%: Weekly wages increased 2.2 per cent over the last year.

The Good

September’s job gains, fueled by the increase in part-time employment reversed the job losses from the previous month. The report shows that in Ontario, employment increased by 36,000, the third increase in four months. Employment in British Columbia increased by 33,000, driven by gains in full-time work (+26,000). In the third quarter, employment increased by 54,000, following a decline over the first half of 2018.
In September, more Canadians worked in construction; finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing; public administration and agriculture. Compared with September 2017, employment was up 222,000 or 1.2 per cent, entirely the result of gains in full-time work (+224,000). Over the same period, total hours worked increased 0.7 per cent.

The Bad

The Canadian economy lost 16,900 full-time jobs in September. At the same time, employment fell in information, culture and recreation and business, building and other support services.  Employment increased in Ontario and British Columbia while it was little changed in the remaining provinces. Statistics Canada reported that the number of self-employed Canadians declined by 35,000 after recording an almost equal total increase over the past twelve months.
The monthly labour force survey also found that all of the job gains in September were made by workers in the core 25-to-54 age range with virtually no change in youth employment. September’s youth unemployment rate stood at 11.0 per cent, up by 0.1 percentage points from the previous month and more than 5 percentage points higher than the working population as a whole.

The Unknown

Canada agreed to a new trade deal with the United States and Mexico to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The CBC notes that as “details of the newly renegotiated deal (the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA) emerge, some questions remain about what Canada’s signature guarantees in terms of protections, and what concessions were made…”
While the Canadian dairy industry will have new barriers imposed in the new agreement, the Canadian auto industry appears to be a winner in the USMCA, but these wins may not be lasting.  The CBC report continues, “Canada seems to have escaped..Section 232 national security tariffs — which would slap 20 to 25 per cent duties on cars and auto parts imported into the U.S… no hard limit will be placed on Canadian auto exports to the U.S., though if the U.S. moves forward with the imposition of worldwide 232 tariffs on autos, those would also apply to Canada.”

Ghosting in the Workplace

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Ghosting in the workplace is an increasing concern for employers as the growing trend of candidates who don’t show up to scheduled interviews, don’t arrive on the first day of work or even quit without giving notice rises. This trend is also known as “ghosting” in the workplace.

“As labor markets tighten, recruiters and hiring managers say they’re experiencing a surge of workers no-showing at interviews or accepting a job only to never appear for the first day of work without explanation. Some employees are even quitting by walking out and saying nothing,” wrote LinkedIn’s Chip Cutter in an article on workplace ghosting.

What’s more, an article published by USA Today reports that 20 to 50 percent of job applicants and workers are pulling no-shows or ghosting in some form or fashion.

The ghosting phenomenon is global. “I thought it could only be in pockets of a country like the U.S., where the unemployment rate has sunk to an 18-year low,” wrote Pilita Clark in an article in the Financial Times. “When I asked around in the UK, where unemployment is at its lowest in over 40 years, I found a surprising number of victims of what is known in the online dating world as ‘ghosting.’”

To further explain what ghosting is, why it’s occurring and what your organization can do to minimize its effects on your talent acquisition program, we explore the phenomenon and its effects on employers.

So, What is Ghosting in the Workplace?

In the dating world, “ghosting” is the practice of ending a relationship by stopping all contact and communication with a partner without apparent warning or explanation.

The discourteous act of ghosting is no longer confined to romance; it has now entered the world of work.

Ghosting in the workplace is similar to ghosting in dating. Essentially, candidates or employees avoid having potentially unpleasant conversations with recruiters or their employers by going radio silent instead.

ghosting in the workplace

Instead of telling employers, “I am quitting” or “I have accepted another job offer,” some workers are thinking: “If I ignore you long enough, eventually you will take the hint and leave me alone.”

Simply put, many job seekers do not want to have an uncomfortable conversation with a recruiter or manager, so they take the easy way out by ghosting them. Ghosting in the workplace comes in many forms including:

  • No-Showing for an Interview. This occurs when candidates do not show up to scheduled interviews. This can happen for initial interviews, or interviews further along in the hiring process.
  • No-Showing on the First Day. This occurs when candidates accept a job offer but don’t show up on their start date.
  • Quitting Without Notice. This occurs when an employee leaves for the day and is never heard from again.

While job candidates and employees have ghosted in the past, what’s unique now is the practice has now become more prevalent. According to a survey conducted by Washington-based research firm Clutch, 71 percent of workers admitted to ghosting at some point in the application process. What’s more, 55 percent of the respondents said they abandon one to five applications during a job search.

Why are Workers Ghosting in the Workplace?

Some experts believe it is due to changing candidate attitudes and others believe it is a result of the booming job market and historically low unemployment. Whatever the cause, ghosting in the workplace is becoming one of the top issues talent acquisition professionals face in today’s talent market.

Change in Candidate Attitudes

In an interview with the New York Post, Rob Bralow, owner of BLVD Wine Bar in Long Island says he schedules interviews back to back because the majority of applicants simply ghost the interview.

“If I have 10 people who have confirmed interviews in a day, and three people show up, I’m happy,” Bralow says. “And we’re talking about all pay grades and positions. It doesn’t matter what the pay scale is. I’ve had ghosts [no-shows] for $50,000 to $70,000 jobs, and I’ve had ghosts for minimum wage jobs.”

Clutch’s survey found 41 percent of workers found it acceptable to ghost employers, while 35 percent found it unreasonable for an organization to ghost an applicant. Clutch also found that of the workers that found ghosting acceptable, the most common reasons include accepting another job offer (30 percent) or deciding the role was not a good match (19 percent).

Improved Economy and Opportunities

Ghosting employers is not just a symptom of shifting attitudes in the workforce. It can also be the result of low unemployment.

At the height of the Great Recession, the unemployment rate reached 10 percent in the U.S. During this time, many organizations were inundated by the deluge of applications from job seekers and could not respond to every applicant.

What’s more, the global economy is expected to grow by 3.7 percent in 2018, further driving demand for talent.

As the economy and job market surge, the tables have turned. Employees are at an advantage because it’s a candidate’s job market and they have more employment options than they have in recent years.

In May of 2018, the unemployment rate reached an 18-year low of 3.8 percent. There were more job openings than unemployed workers for just the second month in two decades, according to the United States Department of Labor.

Low unemployment is not confined to the U.S., the unemployment rate in the EU has dropped to 7.1 and in the APAC region at 4.2 percent.

This means that employees have more options for employment and can move quickly from one job to the next, ignore employment offers they choose not to accept or accept multiple offers at once with little perceived negative consequences.

How to Survive Ghosting in the Workplace

ghosting employers

Ghosting is not only frustrating for employers and recruiters, it’s also expensive. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports the average cost-per-hire for companies is $4,129 and the average time to fill a position is 42 days. Ghosting also causes lost productivity, as hard-to-fill jobs stay open longer than anticipated.

To combat ghosting, employers can implement the following strategies:

Developing a Talent Community Can Curb Employee Ghosting

With ghosting becoming the new normal, it’s essential to be more strategic and build long-term relationships with candidates. One method of building long-term relationships is with talent communities.

Talent communities are ideal for establishing long-term professional relationships with passive talent for future opportunities. This means getting to know the talent landscape and candidates regardless of whether or not they are looking to make a career change immediately.

Developing a talent community requires organizations to shift from reactive recruiting to a more proactive approach. Your organization’s mindset should switch from recruiting to fill an open position to thinking about who your organization should hire in the future.

By sourcing candidates earlier in the hiring process, you have ample time to engage them and develop closer and more personal relationships, reducing their likelihood of ghosting.

Tips for building a talent community include:

  • Determine what roles you want to target for your talent community (usually roles with high turnover or roles that are hard-to-fill.)
  • Look to past candidates, former employees and interns to build your talent community.
  • Source passive candidates by combining various sourcing techniques (e.g. social media, networking events, etc.)
  • Engage candidates through recruitment marketing until you have an open role for them.

Building a talent community isn’t a short-term strategy and takes time to develop and nurture, but in the long term the benefits are worth the investment and can help offset ghosting in the workplace.

Ghosting Employers: Evaluate Your Onboarding Process

While candidates ghosting job interviews can be a challenge, candidates who ghost on the first day or who resign their position without notice can wreak havoc on an organization.

To curb and deter this behavior, organizations should start the onboarding process early to build an emotional connection with new hires.

In fact, according to research conducted by Inavero, 77 percent of candidates are willing to accept an offer that is 5 percent lower than their expected offer if the employer created a great impression through the hiring process.

That is important because new hires decide to stay or leave a job within the first three weeks, according to a study by the Wyndhurst Group.

Despite the fact that it can take a year or longer for a new employee to reach full productivity, only 15 percent of organizations extend their onboarding past six months, according to SHRM. If employers want to keep their new hires from ghosting, they should consider extending their onboarding processes through the first year of employment. Here are some ideas for successful onboarding techniques at different key points throughout an employee’s first year.

  • Before start date: Prior to a candidate’s first day, reach out with friendly messages welcoming the new employee or sharing an introduction to some of the benefits your organization has to offer.
  • On the first day: When the new hire arrives for their first day, be sure they are personally introduced to their coworkers and designate a point of contact who will be readily available to answer questions.
  • The first six months: Now that the new hire has learned the ropes, continuous feedback is what is going to help them hone their skills, catch mistakes and take corrective action when needed. This is also a great way to establish rapport and trust with the rest of the team.
  • After the first year: After the first year, managers should start having conversations about a new hire’s future within the organization and their career development as a way to show the employee that the organization is invested in their continued success.

Conclusion

No one can say for certain if ghosting in the workplace is a trend that is here to stay or if the emergence of an employer-friendly job market will curb it. But one thing is certain; candidate’s attitudes have changed, so organizations need to take steps to adjust.

By building strong talent communities and engaging new hires early and often, you can better position yourself to reduce the likelihood of candidates and employees ghosting you.

Expanding the Talent Landscape by Recruiting Virtual Employees

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With very low unemployment in many of the world’s major economies, those seeking to attract talent should explore the benefits of recruiting employees that work from home. Since a number of these countries, such as the United States and the UK, are considered to be at “full employment,” where nearly everyone who wants a job has a job, the traditional formula of recruiting in the market where a company is located may no longer be as effective as it has been in the past. And since the top reason for quitting a current job is to increase wages, employers face the challenge of meeting candidate expectations for higher pay based on local salary ranges.

While remote work may not be viable for some positions, expanding the pool of candidates outside a specific geographic area allows employers to take advantage of the growing trend in telecommuting as well as potentially reduce attrition, decrease cost-per-hire and even improve productivity.

The Virtual Workforce is Substantial (and Growing)

A study by Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs released earlier this year reported that 3.9 million U.S. employees, or 2.9 percent of the total U.S. workforce, currently work from home at least half of the time. This number is up from 1.8 million in 2005, an increase of 115 percent. And as of 2017, 43 percent of U.S. workers worked remotely at least occasionally, up from only 9 percent of workers in 2007.

Growth in remote work is not limited to the United States. In the UK, one in seven people work from home, according to the Office for National Statistics. In Canada, nearly half (47 percent) of employees work from outside one of their employer’s main offices for half the week or more. And in Australia, the number of people who work from home has risen to 30 percent. The significant percentages of telecommuters is not the case for all economies. Eurostat reported earlier this year that working from home was slightly more common in the Eurozone than in the EU as a whole. And some non-Eurozone countries have a negligible virtual workforce. Bulgaria has only 0.3 and Romania just 0.4 percent of its workers working from home, as an example.

A Deloitte study on Global Human Capital Trends reported that 70 percent of employees value telecommuting, but only 27 percent of employers offer this option. Therefore, companies that provide opportunities for telecommuting may have a competitive advantage in attracting talent.

Reducing Employee Turnover and Increasing Productivity

While study results vary, there is evidence being offered that working from home can increase employee retention. One study by OwlLabs found that companies that support remote work have 25 percent lower employee turnover than those that don’t.

A study conducted by a Stanford University professor set up a control group between office-based workers and those were allowed to work from home. As the Harvard Business Review reports:

“Half the volunteers were allowed to telecommute; the rest remained in the office as a control group. Survey responses and performance data collected at the conclusion of the study revealed that, in comparison with the employees who came into the office, the at-home workers were not only happier and less likely to quit but also more productive.”

The professor noted that “The results we saw at Ctrip, (the company studied, which is the largest online travel agency in China and the owner of other travel sites worldwide including Trip.com) blew me away. Ctrip was thinking that it could save money on space and furniture if people worked from home and that the savings would outweigh the productivity hit it would take when employees left the discipline of the office environment. Instead, we found that…Ctrip got almost an extra workday a week out of them. They also quit at half the rate of people in the office—way beyond what we anticipated. And predictably, at-home workers reported much higher job satisfaction.”

Providing the option of working virtually can be a crucial factor in retaining valuable talent. If an employee needs to relocate temporarily for family reasons, such as caring for an older parent, or permanently due to a spouse’s job transfer, the employee can remain with the company by working remotely. Having this option available allows the employee to remain with the organization while the employer retains experienced talent and saves the costs of hiring and training a new worker.

Cost Savings for Employers and Employees

This same Stanford study showed that the company saved $1,900 per employee working from home over nine months. Remote workers allow employers to save money on furniture, parking, office space, insurance costs and other expenses. Global Workplace Analytics’ research shows that a typical employer can save more than $11,000 per year for each half-time telecommuter, the result of a combination of increased productivity and reduced real estate, turnover and absenteeism.

The cost benefits of remote work also extend to employees. Those working remotely save on commuting expenses, depreciation on their vehicles if they drive and gain the time back that would normally be spent going to and from work.

Can Remote Work Be a Solution for Your Business?

The difficulties of recruiting locally and the potential returns of developing a remote workforce may be attractive, but it is also uncharted territory for many companies. How would you source candidates throughout the nation and even beyond? Can you develop recruiting processes, including interviewing, that are effective using video and other tools if you have only relied on face-to-face meetings until now? And once a candidate is hired, how will you manage the onboarding process remotely? The answers to these and many other questions confronting a company exploring a remote workforce option can be provided by a recruitment process outsourcing company (RPO). An RPO can provide the experience, technology and expertise to ensure your success as you remove the geographic limits of your talent pool.

PeopleScout Australia Jobs Report Analysis – August 2018

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The Australia Bureau of Statistics released its August Labour Force Key Statistics. The 44,000 net new jobs added beat analyst expectations. Of those, 33,700 were full-time positions. The jobless rate held steady at 5.3 per cent because more people joined the labour force. The release also included quarterly data on underemployment and underutilisation. In seasonally adjusted terms, the underemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points to 8.1 per cent. Underemployment refers to people who are working but would like to be working more hours. The underutilisation rate, which is a sum of underemployment plus the unemployment rate, decreased 0.4 percentage to 13.4 per cent.

Australia Jobs Report Analysis – August 2018

The Numbers



44,000: The Australian economy added 44,000 jobs in August.
5.3%: The Australian unemployment rate remained at 5.3 per cent.
65.7%: Labour force participation increased to 65.7 per cent.
+4: According to the NAB, the business confidence index fell to +4 index points.

Upside


The increase in labour force participation demonstrates that the strong job market is motivating more Australians to look for work. Unlike months when job gains were mostly bolstered by part-time jobs, the August increase was driven by full-time employment. This good economic news is underscored by the drop in the underutilisation rate, which declined to a five year low.


New South Wales led the nation with an employment increase of 43,200 and a 0.2 percentage drop in the unemployment rate to 4.7 per cent. Victoria’s jobless rate also fell 0.2 percentage points to 4.8 per cent while Tasmania’s rate dropped an impressive 0.5 percentage points to 5.8 per cent.

Downside


The Australian Business Confidence Index fell to a two-year low. At 4.0, this rate is also below the index’s long-term average. One likely contributor to the plunge in confidence was Australia’s political leadership changes. The survey was conducted shortly after the Australian Liberal Party voted in Scott Morrison as its new leader and Australian prime minister. The decrease in the business confidence index was in striking contrast to the Business Conditions Index which saw a healthy increase in August.


Queensland saw a 0.2 per cent increase in its unemployment rate which rose to 6.4 per cent. Western Australia had 0.4 percentage point rise to 6.4 per cent.

Unknown


Prospects for significant wage growth in the near future are unclear. Based on the premise that an increased demand for workers in a diminishing talent pool drives pay growth, a key variable is the level of labour supply excess. As the Financial Review reports:


“Using up this excess supply of labour is a prerequisite for a meaningful rise in wage growth,” Capital Economics chief Australia economist Paul Dales said. “Progress is clearly being made, but there is a long way to go yet.”


Stubbornly elevated readings on underemployment over recent years have defied a steady decline in the headline jobless rate and contributed to uncertainty around the degree of slack in the labour market.


“The ongoing decline in underemployment, particularly in Victoria, is something we are watching closely as it could be signalling a turning point for wage inflation,” Westpac senior economist Justin Smirk said.

PeopleScout UK Jobs Report Analysis — September 2018

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The Office for National Statistics released its September Labour Market Bulletin which reports on May, June and July 2018. In those three months, 3,000 jobs were added to the UK economy with the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.0 per cent. The report shows that average weekly earnings for UK employees in nominal terms (that is, not adjusted for price inflation, minus bonuses) increased by 2.9 per cent over the last year.

UK Jobs Report Analysis — September 2018

The Numbers


3,000: The economy added 3,000 jobs over the May-July 2018 period.
4.0%: The unemployment rate remained unchanged from the previous quarter.
2.9%: Wages (excluding bonuses) increased 2.9 percent over the last year.

The Good


Wages rose faster than prices in the last three months, which beat analyst expectations. Wages, excluding bonuses, were up 2.9 per cent, against an inflation rate of 2.5 per cent, according to labour market statistics. The number of people working rose by 3,000 in the past three months to 32.4 million. Over the same time period, the number of job vacancies rose to 833,000. This is the highest number since these records began.


The number of unemployed people in Britain fell by 55,000 to 1.36 million, keeping the jobless rate at 4 per cent which is the lowest in more than 40 years.  Compared to the same time last year, 261,000 more people in the UK are working. Youth unemployment has declined to the lowest rate on record.

The Bad


Despite the recent wage growth, average weekly wages are still lower than the 2008 levels achieved before the financial crisis, remaining £31 below the pre-crisis average. The annual rate of growth in pay is still lower than the averages before the financial crisis when wages often rose by about 5 per cent.


Productivity also remains lower than pre-recession levels.  As Bloomberg reports:


“Without a significant improvement, firms may find their profit margins coming under pressure and increase prices to compensate. Flash figures for the second quarter show output per hour rose 0.4 per cent, leaving productivity up just 1.5 per cent on the year — below the rates enjoyed before the financial crisis.”

The Unknown


The relatively low number of jobs added may be an indication that the recent surge in jobs may have leveled off. Uncertainty over Brexit may be having an impact on workers who might otherwise move to new positions to increase their income.


Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, noted in the Guardian that while the strongest pay growth was among people moving jobs, workers may be increasingly opting to stay put while the risk lingered of no deal with the EU.“It would be a mistake to extrapolate the recent pickup in wage growth [into a trend],” he said.

Talking Talent: How RPO Can Solve the Top Challenges in Healthcare Talent Acquisition

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In this episode of Talking Talent, we discuss how RPO can solve the top challenges in healthcare talent acquisition.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that healthcare occupations in the U.S. will grow 18 percent between 2016 and 2026. With this growth and staffing shortages that are already common in the industry, healthcare organizations face new challenges sourcing, recruiting and retaining top talent. To cope, healthcare organizations are increasingly turning to RPO providers that can act as an extension of a healthcare organization’s HR department to source and hire top talent.

Dig Deeper

How RPO Can Solve The Top Challenges In Healthcare Talent Acquisition

Download Free Ebook Or Contact an Expert Today

At PeopleScout, we’ve recently expanded our healthcare solutions to help clients compete more effectively in the intensifying race for healthcare talent.
As part of this expansion, Brett Bryner joined the PeopleScout team. Brett is our healthcare workforce leaders who brings decades of insight-driven strategy and talent intelligence. Brett creates customized solutions for both clinical and non-clinical healthcare talent acquisition needs that support full-cycle, partial-cycle, project-based and total workforce engagements. In this episode, he talks about the top challenges in healthcare talent acquisition and the specific ways an RPO provider can help.

In this episode, Brett shares expertise about healthcare talent acquisition topics including:

  • Employee turnover
  • Talent shortages
  • HR Technology
  • Candidate Expectations
  • And more

For more in-depth information about how an RPO provider can benefit healthcare organizations, check out our new ebook, How RPO Can Solve The Top Challenges In Healthcare Talent Acquisition.

PeopleScout U.S. Jobs Report Analysis — August 2018

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U.S. Jobs Report Analysis — August 2018

The Labor Department released its August jobs report which shows 201,000 jobs added to the U.S. economy. U.S. employers have added to payrolls for 95 straight months, extending the longest continuous jobs expansion on record. The unemployment rate remained steady at 3.9 percent.


The Numbers

201,000: The economy added 201,000 jobs in August.
3.9%: The unemployment remained at 3.9 percent.
2.9%: Wages increased 2.9 percent over the last year.

The Good

The 201,000 jobs added in August modestly beat analyst expectations. Average hourly earnings for all private-sector workers increased 10 cents last month to $27.16, a 2.9 percent increase from last August. This increase is the strongest year-over-year rise in earnings since the current expansion began in 2009. Over the past six months, 781,000 part-time workers have moved to full-time jobs.
Professional and business services added 53,000 jobs in August and 519,000 jobs over the year. The healthcare sector also had robust job gains with an addition of 33,000 positions in August and 301,000 since August 2017.

The Bad

The reason that the unemployment rate remained unchanged despite the job gains is that the labor participation rate dropped .02 percentage points from the previous month. This may indicate that there are limits for the tight job market to lure back those who have stayed out of the workforce.
While the loss of 3,000 manufacturing jobs in August may not be significant, most of these losses were in trade-affected industries like automobiles and transportation equipment. Without a resolution to the current trade disputes, the employment outlook in key manufacturing sectors is unclear and may have negative ripple effects in the nation’s industrial heartland.

The Unknown

It is not certain whether the decrease in the labor force will become a trend in the coming months. In 2008, more than 66 percent of adults were in the labor force which decreased to 62.7 percent in early 2015. This is the same level it fell to in August. A major factor is demographic change, with baby boomers hitting retirement age. It is uncertain whether a potential shortfall in workers can be addressed through immigration and automation.

PeopleScout Canada Jobs Report Analysis — August 2018

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Canada Jobs Report Analysis — August 2018

Statistics Canada released its August 2018 Labour Force Survey which shows a loss of 51,600 jobs from the Canadian economy, driving the unemployment rate up to 6.0 per cent from 5.8 per cent in July. The loss of 92,000 part-time positions contributed to the drop.


The Numbers

-51,600: The economy lost 51,600 jobs in July.
6.0%: The unemployment rate rose to 6.0 per cent.
2.9%: Wages increased by 2.9 per cent over the last year.

The Good

Offsetting the loss of part-time jobs, full-time jobs rose by 40,400. For three provinces, the news was more positive than the nation as a whole. Employment in Alberta increased by 16,000, where the unemployment rate remained at 6.7 per cent because more people participated in the labour market.
In Manitoba, employment rose by 2,600, due to an increase in part-time work, and the unemployment rate was 5.8 per cent. While over the last year, employment in the province was unchanged, the unemployment rate increased 0.8 percentage points as the number of people looking for work increased in August. In British Columbia, employment edged up and the unemployment rate increased 0.3 percentage points to 5.3 per cent as more people in the province were brought into the labour market.
Compared to 12 months earlier, Canada’s overall employment is still up 0.9 per cent, following the addition of 171,700 jobs, including 326,100 full-time positions.

The Bad

The job losses in August wiped out the gains made in July. Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, lost 80,100 jobs last month after gaining 60,600 in July, both of which were almost entirely caused by volatile swings in part-time work. Ontario’s August decrease, a drop of 1.1 per cent, was by far the biggest decline among the provinces.
Average hourly wage growth continued its gradual slide in August to 2.9 per cent after increasing 3.2 per cent year over year in July and 3.6 per cent in June. The slowing of wage increases may create difficulties for Canadian employers who could see workers leave for jobs in other companies with the hope of substantial salary increases.

The Unknown

The result of the current intense negotiations between the U.S. and Canada regarding the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA may have a profound effect on the Canadian economy for years to come. Because the United States is Canada’s biggest trading partner, employers in the many sectors that depend on exports for profitability may hesitate to expand their workforce until a final agreement is reached.

Military Spouses: How to Hire the Overlooked Talent Pool

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While a strong focus on veteran hiring has significantly lowered the unemployment rate of U.S. veterans, many employers are now starting to focus on another challenge. Military spouses still have a difficult time finding employment that matches their skill sets.

According to a study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the unemployment rate for military spouses has hovered around 20 to 25 percent over the last decade. This means that military families are more likely than average to rely on a single income.

As employers work to support the military, the focus should now shift to the entire military family. While many employers have built robust veteran hiring programs, military spouse hiring programs struggle to gain traction despite the help and stability employment can provide for military families. By focusing on military spouse employment, organizations have the opportunity to not only support the military but also hire strong employees. In this article, we will dig into the demographics of who military spouses are, the challenges they face and how employers can hire and retain these valuable workers.

Who are Military Spouses?

In order to effectively recruit military spouses, it’s important to understand who they are. Military spouses form a diverse group with a variety of backgrounds and skill sets, but there are some commonalities.

They’re Overwhelming Young and Female but not Exclusively

A White House report on Military Spouses in the Labor Market shows that 92 percent of military spouses are female, and the average age is 33-years-old. The average American working age is 41-years-old.

This means average military spouses are within their prime working years. While the population is mostly female, employers should also recognize that male military spouses face many of the same challenges as female military spouses, but often lack support groups or feel overlooked.

They May be Veterans Themselves

According to the White House report, 12 percent of military spouses are active duty military themselves. Male military spouses are much more likely to be veterans. Nearly half of all married female active duty military members are in dual-military marriages.

They are Highly Skilled and Highly Educated

Military spouses are more likely to hold a bachelor’s or advanced degree than the general population. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study, 34 percent have a college degree and 15 percent have a postgraduate degree. In the general population, according to census data, those numbers are 32.5 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

They Often have Children but not Always

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study finds that 41 percent of military spouses have dependent children, and more than 70 percent of those children are 7-years-old or younger.

Having young children in the home can increase the pressure on military spouses to find flexible work, but military spouses without children can also benefit from flexible work arrangements.

They Manage Stress Effectively and Work Well Under Pressure

Because of the pressures associated with being a military spouse, including frequent moves, managing change and running a household through a deployment, military spouses learn to effectively manage stress and deal well with pressure.

According to Military.com, military spouses are quick learners, committed to service, adaptable and they bring a diverse set of skills. Military spouses pick up these skills dealing with the high stress of the military lifestyle, including managing and adjusting to frequent moves and taking on extra responsibilities and stress during a deployment. These traits often make them strong employees.

The Challenges Faced by Military Spouses

The issues faced by military spouses have broad implications. Finding work and managing a career is one of the top stressors for military families, just behind deployments and moving away from friends and families.

That stress plays a significant role in a veteran’s decision to leave the military, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study, and impacts the military’s readiness and ability to recruit.

Increased Difficulty Finding Work

When searching for a job, military spouses say the most frequent issue they face is that employers don’t want to hire them out of fear that they will move. They also struggle explaining gaps in their resume and often need a more flexible schedule while their spouse is deployed.

Because of these challenges, about a quarter of military spouses say it has taken them more than a year to find a job after a move and many work part-time or seasonal jobs or work more than one job when they want permanent, full-time employment.

Need for a Flexible Work Environment

Military spouses may move frequently. In the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study, more than half of the military spouses surveyed report having moved more than 50 miles three times due to their spouse’s military career.

Additionally, more than 80 percent of military spouses have experienced a deployment during their spouse’s career. A deployment, especially for a family with children, can be disruptive to work life and make it more difficult for a military spouse to maintain a strict schedule. Because of this, positions that allow for remote work or flexible hours are ideal for military spouses.

Underemployment

When military spouses find employment, about 70 percent report that the job does not take full advantage of their work experience and education. Nearly two-thirds of military spouses say they have taken a decrease in pay or responsibilities in their current role.

Most military spouses with post-secondary education say that the military lifestyle does not support career opportunities for both spouses.

Best Practices for Recruiting and Retaining Military Spouse Employees

Identify Ideal Positions for Military Spouses

Because of the unique pressures faced by military spouses, organizations should determine if any positions would be an ideal fit for a military spouse or if any adaptations can be made to help a position fit better with the military lifestyle. Flexible working hours and the ability to work remotely should be considered.

Set Hiring Manager and Recruiter Expectations

Military spouses may have long resume gaps or short tenures at previous jobs. They may also have taken positions outside their area of expertise or made lateral career moves. Organizations should educate recruiters and hiring managers and set reasonable expectations. These factors alone should not disqualify a military spouse candidate.

Find Military Spouses Where They Are

Organizations looking to hire military spouses should post to job boards that target military families and partner with military advocacy organizations. A variety of national and local veteran organizations have job boards specifically targeted to military spouses. Employers should research to determine which are most often used in areas they are targeting. While job posts targeting veterans should use language that reflects their military experiences, military spouses have a wide range of experience and expertise. Because of this, employers don’t need to use military-specific language, but highlighting job benefits that are appealing to military spouses and stating a commitment to hiring military spouses can be beneficial.

Establish an Affinity Group for Veteran Spouses

Hiring a military spouse is just the first step. Much like veteran affinity groups, a military spouse affinity group can help new employees feel welcomed. An affinity group is a voluntary, employee-driven group of people with a common interest or goal. An affinity group is an opportunity for military spouses across a workplace to connect and support each other and help with the stress and pressures of being in a military family.

Focus on Retention Through Life Transitions

Because of the military lifestyle, a military spouse may need to relocate to follow their partner or adjust work hours to take care of their family if their partner deploys. In order to retain strong military spouse employees, organizations should determine what types of adjustments can be made to retain these employees through times of personal change – including remote work, temporarily reduced hours or a flexible schedule. This can increase employee engagement and help the military family through transitions.

Find a Partner with Experience Hiring Military Spouses

Organizations without experience hiring military spouses should consider turning to an RPO partner with experience hiring veterans and military spouses. RPO providers can bring their strong connections with partners like Hiring our Heroes and share their expertise in veteran and military spouse hiring.

Healthcare Workforce and Recruiting Trends to Watch

Posted on by epadmin

The healthcare workforce is highly specialized. As a result, the healthcare workforce and labor market are uniquely competitive. To gain a competitive edge, healthcare organizations are looking for innovative recruiting solutions to find top-quality candidates who provide world-class care for patients.

In this post, we examine the trends in the healthcare workforce that will influence the future of healthcare recruitment.

Employer Branding for Healthcare Workforce

Top healthcare candidates have many options when it comes to employers and can easily research the experiences of employees in your organization on career sites such as Indeed and Glassdoor.

In fact, a survey conducted by LinkedIn found that 75 percent of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before applying for a job. What’s more, a study conducted by Healthcare Recruiters International found that over 90 percent of candidates think employer branding is an essential recruiting resource. So, how can you ensure you have an impactful employer brand?

How RPO Can Solve The Top Challenges In Healthcare Talent Acquisition

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Conduct an Employer Brand Audit

Before developing your employer brand, you should conduct an employer brand audit. Your employer brand audit will help you understand how your brand distinguishes itself from competitors and provide a starting point from which you can build your strategy. Below are key questions to ask yourself during the audit:

  • Why would someone want to work for you?
  • What is the perception employees and candidates have about your organization?
  • What percentage of your employees would recommend your company as a great place to work?

Set your Employer Brand Strategy

Prospective healthcare employees are similar to patients in that both select the healthcare provider they feel most comfortable with. Your employer brand strategy should help make a candidate’s choice easier and provide assurance that he or she has chosen the right employer. Your employer brand strategy should contain the following three components:

  • Differentiators: A list of the benefits and unique qualities that are different or better about working at your healthcare facility.
  • Employee Value Proposition: Using your list of differentiators, craft a brief paragraph that positions your organization against other healthcare employers and demonstrates why candidates view you as an employer of choice.
  • Employer Brand Promotional Plan: Develop a plan to share your employee value proportion with candidates, including the tactics you will use, the tools you need and the schedule you will follow to attract potential new hires and retain current employees.

Promote Your Employer Brand to the Healthcare Workforce 

Once you have established your employer brand, it is time to promote it. You can promote your employer brand by highlighting your workplace benefits and culture in recruiting materials, on your website and social media channels and in your job postings and candidate outreach emails. Some examples of ways to promote your employer brand include:

  • Sharing videos and pictures of your workplace to show what working for your healthcare organization is like.
  • Leveraging your social channels to show off your workplace and company perks so that a candidate can assess what you have to offer.
  • Building a career site that makes visitors feel welcome and gives applicants the information they are looking for, such as details about employment opportunities, company culture and work environment.
  • Telling engaging stories from current and former employees to better attract the type of healthcare candidates who could see themselves in those stories.

Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce

Healthcare is experiencing a shortage of workers, and professionals of diverse backgrounds are particularly underrepresented in many occupations and in the upper ranks of many healthcare organizations.

Minority Workers in the Healthcare Workforce

With demand in many healthcare professions at record levels, career opportunities abound for individuals of all backgrounds. However, Black, Hispanic and Indigenous Americans make up almost a quarter of the U.S. population, yet as a group, they account for only 6 percent of physicians, 9 percent of nurses and 5 percent of dentists according to the Sullivan Commission on Diversity.

Healthcare organizations can play a significant role in addressing this issue by:

  • Promoting healthcare careers to diverse populations via school programs and community organizations.
  • Encouraging students to shadow healthcare professionals and explore careers in healthcare.
  • Recruiting ethnically diverse individuals for every-level positions to increase current minority representation.
  • Offering internships, residencies and fellowships to ethnically diverse students. For example, the Institute for Diversity in Health Management in Chicago offers summer internships to college students.

Healthcare Workers with Disabilities

Individuals with disabilities can pursue successful careers in the healthcare field. Opportunities are available, but so are obstacles, from expensive equipment to accommodate workers to licensing requirements.

Some disabled healthcare workers take advantage of programs specifically designed to recruit those with disabilities. Project Search at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center gives high school students with disabilities the opportunity to learn about careers in healthcare. Healthcare organizations can also provide assistance to workers with disabilities by:

  • Creating formal policies and procedures on accommodations for staff with disabilities. Invite employees with disabilities to work with on these policies.
  • Making the online application process easier to use, with fonts that can be enlarged or a site that can be used with a screen reader.
  • Advertising your healthcare organization as an equal opportunity employer and including contact information for anyone having problems accessing your organization because of a disability.

Aging Healthcare Workforce

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing the median age of a Registered Nurse (RN) is 46 years old. Plus, more than a quarter of RNs report they plan to retire or leave nursing over the next five years. These demographic trends portend significant employment challenges in the near future in the U.S.

Healthcare employers will need to rethink their current employment policies and practices to simultaneously retain talented older staff and create job opportunities for new workers of all ages. Many healthcare organizations are taking proactive steps to confront the problems that will occur as the healthcare workforce matures. Some of these strategies include:

  • Developing strong outreach mechanisms to attract promising senior candidates to healthcare management careers.
  • Publicizing career advancement opportunities, such as continuing education, professional development organizations, networking events and vacancies inside the organization, in a manner that appeals to everyone, especially older individuals.
  • Creating environments that encourage retention, development and promotion of qualified elderly or senior employees.

Greater Use of Technology

As technology continues to become more sophisticated, it will play an increasingly important role in finding and hiring talent in healthcare. In fact, according to Ideal, 96% of senior HR professionals believe AI has the potential to greatly enhance talent acquisition and retention.

AI can help reduce unconscious bias during the hiring process by anonymizing candidates and focusing on skills, not age, gender or race, auto. AI technology can also be used to improve the screening process and manage interview scheduling.

Drafting Better Job Posts

Finding the right candidate in the healthcare workforce begins with the right job posting. In fact, it is often the first thing candidates see from your organization, so it is important to make a good impression.

Today, AI technology can utilize algorithms to assess and analyze language patterns in job postings to determine why some fail and others succeed and suggest keywords to make job descriptions more appealing to candidates. As the AI technology analyzes more job posts, it becomes more accurate with its language suggestions, helping employers draft precise job descriptions.

While there may never be a perfect job posting, AI technology is getting us closer.

Advanced Candidate Screening

Traditionally, candidate screenings begin with reviewing an applicant’s resume followed by a brief phone call. This means that recruiters and hiring managers have only their judgment of a resume to assess whether a healthcare candidate would make a good hire.

Healthcare recruiters know that resumes are an incomplete picture of someone’s skills, achievements, capabilities and most importantly, personality and culture fit.

AI technology can also be used to cull data and metrics healthcare organizations have on their employees to build predictive models and personality profiles that help lead to candidates who fit the company culture and job requirements more accurately and can reduce time-to-fill metrics.

Automating Recruiting Tasks

In healthcare recruiting, administrative tasks such as resume screenings and scheduling interviews can be time-consuming. With the assistance of AI, recruiters and hiring managers can reduce their time spent conducting administrative work by using AI and Robotic Process Automation technology to automatically screen candidates’ resumes using keyword and qualification searches.

AI can also help schedule interviews with candidates through email or chatbot programs that bring more personalization to the communication process. Not only does this save time that recruiters can spend on more critical tasks, it also accelerates the interview process, helping reduce time-to-hire and ultimately providing healthcare organizations with an advantage when competing for talent.

Conclusion

Your healthcare organization’s success depends on your ability to adapt to changes in recruiting and healthcare talent management. Healthcare RPO is one way the sector is staying on top of a difficult hiring environment.