Navigating the Evolving Job Market: Insights from a Staffing Agency: Discover key insights into the shifting dynamics of the job market
The job market has entered a new phase, presenting many questions and challenges for both workers and staffing agencies alike.
Despite what the job market feels like for most employers and some job seekers. The reality is that there is a steady number of monthly job openings, hovering around 8.9 million in January through March, there’s a palpable shift from the pandemic era. Back then, job seekers often enjoyed significant raises and bonuses when switching roles, and this threw employers in a tail spin trying to figure out the business shifts that this created. This is a far cry from the current landscape.
For employers, and especially small businesses, this translates into a much tougher recruitment battle for securing top talent.
Ron Hetrick, is someone that I have had attend my CEO roundtable meetings. He is the senior economist at Lightcast and describes the prevailing sentiment: “Compared to the exuberance of 2021 and 2022, the atmosphere has sobered, and there’s a lingering hangover.”
While recent months have shown consistency in the labor market, this ‘normal’ feels less rosy than before, Hetrick notes. He suggests that despite economic indicators reflecting strength, people’s perceptions have been skewed by the unrealistic highs of the past couple of years. This radical shift seems to have both employers and employees confused. As a Staffing company, we see this every day. We talk regularly with both employers and employees. Employers are completely confused by the no shows to interviews and they are still trying to battle the wage war from 2021 and 2022. Although this era has for the most part come to an end, employees are still aggressively asking for more money. While on the employees’ side, they are also confused. They are nervous about layoffs that are discussed in the news, but this has just not taken place, and according to Ron Hetrick’s data, layoffs will likely be minimal at worst. Despite layoffs being lower and quit rates dropping, workers also find themselves tethered to their current positions due to rising prices and interest rates.
Although January typically sees a surge in layoffs, this year saw a decline, indicating companies’ reluctance to part with employees. Yet, unemployment remains historically low, with 1.5 job openings for every unemployed worker.
Elizabeth Crofoot, who works with Ron Hetrick and is another senior economist at Lightcast, underscores the paradox: while economic data mirrors pre-pandemic levels, the experience for workers and consumers is anything but normal. Factors like fluctuating prices, housing availability, and shifting job landscapes contribute to this dissonance.
Small businesses are grappling with recruitment challenges like never before. As a Staffing agency, speaking with employers every day, recruitment has never been more difficult. A survey by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reveals that a significant portion of owners struggled to fill positions in February. Despite a slight easing in hiring difficulty, labor quality remains a concern through March.
Moreover, a vast majority of small-business owners encounter few or no qualified applicants, prompting some to raise compensation to attract talent. But as a staffing agency, we are hearing from small business owners saying that they just cannot afford any further compensation increases. All their vendors have raised their prices and salaries have increased and it is forcing them to raise their own prices to levels that their customers are unable to afford their products. It is a real inflation debacle.
This struggle for talent persists across various surveys and indices, with a majority of employers identifying it as a key operational challenge.
On the flip side, workers’ anxieties persist. While confidence has improved since 2023, it still lags behind pre-pandemic levels. Concerns about layoffs are on the rise, despite remaining historically low. This anxiety contrasts with the steady rise in worker pay, although it has moderated slightly from its peak. For employees, I recommend that you be a little less alerted when the main-stream media continually tell you that there is likely to be layoffs. As Ron and data from Lightcast have shown, this is likely not going to happen anytime soon.
Interestingly, there’s a disconnect between what employers think workers value and what workers prioritize. While employers assume a preference for enhanced insurance benefits, workers prioritize pay and retirement contributions to combat the high inflation they are experiencing in daily life. For example, a candy bar at Wal-Mart in 2021 costs roughly $.75 and yesterday, I bought the same candy bar for $2.99. That is a pretty large difference.
This dissatisfaction extends to compensation levels. A recent report by Monster Worldwide Inc. reveals that a significant majority of workers feel their wages haven’t kept pace with the rising cost of living, with many harboring higher salary expectations than in previous years.
In summary, the job market’s ‘new normal’ presents challenges for both sides of the employment equation, signaling a period of adjustment and adaptation for workers and employers alike. As a leading staffing company/agency, Trinity Employment Specialists is committed to helping clients and employees navigate the complexities of the modern job market. Contact us today to learn how we can support your staffing needs and drive business growth and career paths.