Early 2022 Market Trends

As we start 2022, there are a lot of dynamics in the market.

Can employers require vaccinations? How much flexibility are employees demanding in the workplace? What does "the great resignation" mean for the recruiting industry? Are salaries increasing this year? These are a few of the questions you may be asking as you head into 2022 and continue to recruit.

We've seen some early trends in recruiting this year, and hopefully, we can answer some of these questions for you.

Candidates Want Flexibility

The first question we’re getting from candidates isn’t what’s the compensation, or even who the company is… it’s typically “what is their policy on work from home?” In a number of our practice disciplines at SkyWater, we aren’t even taking searches that require 5 days/week on-site, as we can’t get candidates to consider those jobs. The vast majority of candidates are looking for at least 2 remote workdays per week, and many are looking for 3 or 4. Most companies have some sort of hybrid or remote arrangement right now due to COVID, but candidates don't expect this to be temporary. We’ve been getting calls from worried candidates if their company is expecting them to come back to in-person office hours 5 days each week after COVID.

Can Employers Require Vaccinations?

Speaking of COVID, the law has become pretty clear; companies can mandate their employees to be vaccinated. When this is the case, recruiters should be telling candidates that the client is requiring vaccinations, and ask the candidate if they see any issue with that policy. The best policy as a recruiter is to be proactive, clear, and honest.

Great Resignation

Right now there is a perfect storm of chaos in the employment market; a ton of people are resigning because they’ve determined that life is too short, and they want to find a company to work for that aligns more closely with what’s important to them. Couple that with the fact that nearly every professional skill set is in extremely high demand, and it gives them the confidence to look for something else.

Companies were already short of strong talent prior to COVID, and it has only been exacerbated with a lot of the baby boomers resigning earlier than some companies thought, based on a realization that they could retire on what they have after living through COVID at home. In addition, many companies tightened their belts when COVID began. Companies laid off employees or put hiring on hold, yet they found their company bounced back quicker than they thought, and they’ve realized they likely cut too deep. Not only did many make it through COVID fine financially, but they’ve actually grown, with fewer employees doing more work. This comes full circle for those employees, in that they’re working harder for the same money, which is why they’re willing to resign or take recruiter calls.

Salary Increases

Many of our clients are proactively giving large increases to their key employees (not 3% cost of living increases) to try and stem the tide from them taking calls from recruiters. It’s something I highly recommend to clients; be proactive with large increases for your top performers if you can, because they are undoubtedly getting calls.

Are you hiring and needing help connecting with top talent. Connect with us. We would love to chat.