If you want to succeed in the post-COVID-19 world, you must be prepared to overcome the mounting pressure brought on by hiring demands, finds a new report.
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Jobvite, a provider of recruiting and talent acquisition software, has published its 11th annual “Job Seeker Nation Report,” an in-depth look at the behaviors, views, and preferences of the modern American workforce.
Unlike previous editions, this year’s report draws from 2 survey sets: 1 in February 2020, consisting of 1,514 employed adults and jobseekers in the United States, and 1 in April 2020 after the unprecedented disruption caused by COVID-19, consisting of 1,515 jobseekers.
Stress Levels Rise Along with Unemployment Fears
The resulting comparative data revealed, unsurprisingly, that stress levels at work have increased significantly and that job market perceptions have changed rapidly. Forty-seven percent of workers are now afraid of losing a job at some point in 2020, compared with 28% who shared that concern in February.
In addition, nearly half of surveyed workers (46%) now plan to have a second source of income outside of their regular 9-to-5 jobs. And perhaps most worryingly, 19% of workers or members of their immediate families have gone without food for 24 hours due to a lack of money.
“Today’s recruiting environment has never been more challenging,” says Jeffrey K. Rohrs, CMO of Jobvite. “Some industries are hiring more than ever, while others are furloughing and laying off employees. As recruiters prepare to face more demanding hiring pressures, they must be armed with the right knowledge, solutions, and compassionate insights to provide a profoundly personal recruiting and hiring experience.”
Jobvite’s “2020 Job Seeker Nation Report” helps jobseekers, employers, and recruiting decision-makers understand:
- How today’s jobseekers are finding jobs and applying for them
- Why stability needs to become a part of your employer brand
- How employer reviews continue to shape jobseeker perceptions
- How jobseekers are open to new methods of communication
- The impact of the current job market on salary and negotiations
- The benefits and perks that are expected in today’s climate
- The value of the candidate experience and company culture
- Preferred communication and interview tactics and platforms
- The coming shift in market power from candidates to employers
In addition to examining today’s biggest workforce trends, the “2020 Job Seeker Nation Report” also compares the perspectives of multiple demographics, including men and women, workers under and over age 40, those with and without college degrees, and rural and city workers.
Additional Key Findings
Job market perception:
- 73% of respondents believe finding a job this year is harder, compared with 48% who felt this way just 2 months ago.
- 48% of women think it is now “much harder” to find a job, compared with 21% in February.
Stress levels:
- One-third (33%) of workers report a somewhat increased stress level at work, while nearly one-quarter (22%) report a drastically increased stress level.
- 62% of workers with children at home report that their stress levels have at least somewhat increased over the last 60 days.
Company culture still drives competitive advantage:
- 81% of workers think company culture is important in their decision to apply for a job.
- 38% of respondents said they would preemptively reject potential employers due to publicly available reviews.
Jobvite’s “2020 Job Seeker Nation Report” was initially conducted by Zogby Analytics in February 2020 and examines the views and behaviors of 1,514 adults (aged 18+) in the United States who were working full time or part time or were looking for work during Q1 2020.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic response, Zogby Analytics was again commissioned by Jobvite to conduct a follow-up online survey of 1,515 adults in the United States in April 2020. Download the full findings here.