PrideStaff Conducts National Hiring Trends Survey

September 30, 2013

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Fresno, CA September 30, 2013 — PrideStaff, a national staffing organization, conducted an online survey to gauge workforce and hiring trends across theU.S.  Completed in June 2013, the survey was completed by 840 hiring managers in a wide range of industries, disciplines, and company sizes.

 

“As a leading provider of strategic staffing services, understanding the overall business climate and proactively planning recruiting strategies is essential to the success of not only our business, but our clients as well,” said Tammi Heaton, COO of PrideStaff.  “This survey helped to identify hiring needs in the short and long term, while also identifying areas in which companies may experience talent gaps.”

 

The latter part of 2008 saw a huge economic shift with the financial crisis causing companies to halt hiring, decrease headcount, and streamline costs. Since that time, hiring has been rather stagnant and companies have been more cautious in their hiring and growth projections.  However, in the first half of 2013 consumer confidence began to build and companies started preparing for increased demand and production levels. This survey confirmed an uptick in hiring as manufacturing continues to increase through 2013.

 

In the short term, the survey found that companies see growing demand as the main driving force in hiring.  Nearly half of all respondents (45.1%) reported “Keeping up with business growth and demand” as the key driver for hiring in the next six months.  Turnover was reported as the second biggest driver of hiring, with 24.3% of respondents reporting employee turnover as a problem. 

 

Even with positive economic indicators and growing consumer demand, hiring managers are still faced with budgetary and payroll constraints. Over 40% of respondents reported that internal budget restrictions and the high cost of hiring were the biggest hiring challenges they face.

 

In addition to budget constraints, lack of qualified talent is a key hurdle facing HR and hiring managers. In fact, nearly half (47.2%) of all hiring managers surveyed reported that lack of qualified talent was their biggest hiring challenge.

 

“At PrideStaff, we are continually looking for new ways to overcome the candidate shortage that many companies are faced with,” continued Heaton.  “By identifying skills gaps six months to a year before it affects companies, we’re able to proactively recruit and ensure a viable talent pool so that skill shortages don’t inhibit the growth of our clients.”

 

The areas with the largest reported skills gap included skilled workers and general labor. With recent increases in offshore labor costs, more manufacturing has been shipped back to theU.S.This shift, coupled with increased consumer confidence has led to more hiring demand for skilled workers such as CNC machinists, welders, machine operators, forklift drivers and general labor skills.

 

Overall, the survey found that the majority of U.S. employers are planning for some level of hiring increases in the short term. Over 44% of hiring managers expect their hiring needs to increase within the next six months, with nearly 37% projecting small increases in hiring demand.  The survey went on to find 47.2% of hiring managers expect hiring needs to remain the same for the next six months. Only 8.5% of respondents expect a decline in hiring over the next six months.

For a full version of the findings please visit www.pridestaff.com.

 

About PrideStaff

PrideStaff was founded in the 1970s as 100 percent company-owned units and began franchising in 1995.  They are a national franchise with over 50 offices operating nationally to serve over 3,500 clients. With 40 years in the staffing business, headquartered in Fresno, CA, PrideStaff offers the resources and expertise of a national firm with the spirit, dedication and personal service of smaller, entrepreneurial firms. For more information on our services or for franchise information, visit www.pridestaff.com.

 

PrideStaff’s Mission: Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most.