Over half of U.S. companies plan to hire in coming year
By CO Staff @canadaone | August 27, 2009
It looks like hiring will be on the upswing in the U.S. in the coming 12 months. According to a new U.S. survey, 53 per cent of employers expect to full time employees over the next 12 months. Another 40 per cent plan to hire contract employees and 39 per cent expect to add part-time employees.
Thirty-two per cent of hiring managers plan to hire staff-level professionals, while 28 per cent will hire entry-level workers.
Diversified skills will be important for employees seeking work, as companies operating with fewer human resources need team members who can fill varied roles.
Multitasking, initiative and creative problem-solving were identified by hiring managers as the most valuable characteristics a new hire can have.
According to the Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations (EDGE) Report, hiring priorities in order of importance will focus on:
- Customer-service;
- Sales;
- Marketing/creative;
- Technology; and
- Public relations/communications, business development and accounting/finance.
Employers reported that they have difficulty finding skilled professionals for their positions and say they are unwilling to accelerate the hiring process.
On average, 44 per cent of resumes received were from unqualified candidates. Finding qualified applicants is reported as the greatest challenge (47 per cent), followed by the reluctance of qualified candidates to leave secure positions (22 per cent). Hard-to-find talent can expect that employers will be willing to pay more to secure their skills.
The survey found that it takes 4.5 to 14.4 weeks to recruit a new full-time employee. Not only are employers taking time to review and weed out unqualified candidates, they are being thorough with their due diligence when evaluating candidates invited for interviews.
To attract and keep talent, 49 per cent employees cited pay increases as the most effective enticement with 28 per cent saying that they would ask for a raise after the economy improves. Another 20 per cent hope for better benefits and perks, such as technology upgrades followed by tuition reimbursement or subsidized training.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to visit CanadaOne's article knowledge base for more informative articles.
