After the pandemic related to the virus, here is the pandemic related to shortages! The one that affects employers more specifically – the labour shortage – affects a majority of western countries around the world.
With the aging of the population and the retirements of the Baby boomer generation, the labor shortage will be in the sights of recruiters for a while. But its magnitude is exacerbated by the side effects of the viral pandemic that suddenly changed the candidates’ priorities.
In particular, the results of a survey(1) conducted with employers and candidates on new recruitment and job search patterns after the pandemic reveal and confirm this. And the least we can say is that there is a very clear “before” and “after” COVID-19!
Employers struggling to find candidates
A vast majority of employers surveyed (95%) find that recruitment in general is more difficult today through all the platforms they use than it was before the pandemic.
Among the reasons given: the greatest demands of candidates now. Nearly 8 out of 10 employers (87.5%) make this observation.
As a consequence, there seems to be a growing lack of interest in the candidates for the job offers offered.
As a result, 82% of employers feel that they receive fewer applications when they have a job to fill, compared to before the pandemic. Only 7.7% receive more.
The pandemic: a shock for candidates
To verify and refine these data, the survey also looked at the candidates’ points of view. And the findings seem to be confirmed: the pandemic has opened the eyes of some of them, who no longer want to go back to the same working conditions as before.
Two-thirds of respondents indicated that they were more demandind when it was time to apply, more than one-third of them due to the fact that the pandemic changed their requirements.
Among the most important information for them when applying for a job offer now, the job description remains, of course, at the top of the priorities. Far ahead of salary or workplace.
Employers know what to expect: better than a ping pong table, you need missions that make sense and motivate to attract candidates!
Employers must definitely put these elements forward if they want to attract the candidates’ attention. Other considerations such as company social activities, holidays or health insurance seem to be relegated to the background.
This survey makes us aware of the full extent of the pandemic, particularly in the minds and behaviour of candidates. Employers no longer have a choice: to attract talent, they must adapt and offer working conditions in line with current expectations,” says Martin Shamlou, Director of Marketing at Isarta.
Methodology:
(1) The survey was conducted by Isarta with 450 employers and candidates respondents in Quebec from August, 4th to August, 30th 2021. The margin of error is 5%, with a confidence level of 95%.
About: Created in 2003, Isarta is the reference in the employment sector in the fields of communication, marketing, digital and sales.
More information on isarta.com
