The Watercooler

Short-Term Hiring Outlook

Hiring? It’s on the rise. In fact, PrideStaff’s latest research study shows that more companies are planning to increase hiring substantially in the next six months.

Our online survey, conducted in May 2014 with nearly 1,000 individuals, was designed to gauge workforce and hiring trends. Among other things, the survey asked respondents to forecast their short-term hiring plans.

Here’s how hiring managers responded:

Q: How do you see your hiring needs changing in the next six months?


  • Over 44% of hiring managers expect their hiring needs to increase within the next six months.
     
  • Companies reporting a “substantial increase” in hiring climbed to 8.2%, up from 7.6% since our last survey in mid-2013.
     
  • 48.1% of hiring managers expect their hiring needs to remain steady for the next six months.
     
  • Only 7.3% of respondents expect their short-term hiring needs to decline.

With talent shortages becoming an increasing concern across the board, companies will need to actively recruit and continually source new talent to gain a competitive advantage. Here are a few tips to help you locate the right talent, quickly:

  • Make recruiting more proactive. Don’t wait for projects to start or orders to come in. Begin sourcing talent well in advance of your actual needs to remove time pressure. By continually developing and maintaining a pool of qualified candidates, you will be better prepared once a hiring need arises.
  • Shorten your hiring cycle. If any portion of your hiring process is cumbersome or lengthy, great candidates may abandon ship. Critically examine your application, screening, interviewing and vetting activities, identifying ways to streamline and expedite processes – without sacrificing quality. For example, consider combining first and second round interviews into a single event, or streamlining your post-interview decision-making.
     
  • Actively sell the upsides of your opportunities. Be your company’s greatest cheerleader at every stage of the hiring process – from initial job posting through offer acceptance – to land your top choice. In tight talent markets, candidates aren’t simply looking for a job, they’re looking for a great job. Promote the upsides of your available positions, including: why a candidate should leave his current position to come work for you; the unique opportunities and culture benefits your organization offers; reasons the available opportunity is exceptional (including things like growth potential, skills development and/or better training).
     
  • Outsource portions of your hiring process.  A recruiting firm like PrideStaff specializes in finding top talent, quickly. We can shorten your time-to-hire, handle the time-consuming administrative burdens of recruiting and screening, and consistently deliver high performers who want to work for you.  Best of all?  You only pay a fee if you hire a candidate we refer, and we guarantee our results.  Learn more about PrideStaff’s On Target fulfillment process today.