According to the latest “Edge Report” by Robert Half International and Careerbuilder, many managers are having a hard time recruiting qualified employees despite a cooler job market. Released in September, the study provides an overview of the current and post-recession job market, and states that almost half of recruiters (47%) think that candidates are not sufficiently qualified. On average, 44% of applications received are under-qualified, indicating that many applicants are not paying enough attention to job ad criteria. Another aspect to consider is that many potential candidates are sufficiently qualified but already have a job, and do not want to switch jobs in uncertain economic times.
The average time required to hire a new full-time employee varies between 4.5 and 14.4 weeks, depending on the position to be filled, comparable to that for last year, despite the higher unemployment rate. Six out of 10 recruiters stated that their company was willing to negotiate higher salaries for more qualified candidates, while 40% planned to increase their top performers’ loyalty by boosting their pay as soon as the economy picks up.
Close to 45% of employees, for their part, said that they intended to change employers, careers, or field as soon as the economic outlook becomes brighter. Almost half of respondents also said that higher pay would be the best way to keep them on.
More than 500 human resources professionals and 500 workers were questioned during the second quarter of 2009.