The pandemic changed how workers think about their careers, what they want from their jobs, and the job search trends that shape how they find them. You can see it in the hiring challenges across the North American labour market. As a result, many industries have struggled to balance labour supply and demand, with ripple effects across the economy.
We’ve faced our own hiring challenges in a unique and growing industry, right here in the Canadian labour market. That’s why we asked our panelists about theirs. We wanted to understand today’s job search trends among recently hired workers, and how hiring managers’ challenges compared to our own.
About the Study
We surveyed respondents across the North American labour market, in the U.S. and Canada. They came from many industries, including accounting, education, construction, IT, manufacturing, and shipping.
Retail and hospitality were hit hardest by the pandemic, in both the U.S. and the Canadian labour market. Therefore, to reduce variation in the results, we excluded respondents from both industries.
We ran two surveys, one for hiring managers and one for recently hired workers. The hiring manager screener confirmed each respondent’s hiring experience and involvement. The worker screener confirmed they had been hired recently. In addition, both surveys used multiple choice, multi-select, rank/sort, rating, and open-ended questions.
As with all our projects, we used fraud detection technology from dtect, our sister company, to help protect data quality.
Where Job Seekers and Employers Meet
Both groups agreed on one of the clearest job search trends: online job boards are the top source for applications.
- Hiring managers: 49% said job boards like ZipRecruiter and Indeed were their main source of applications. Company websites (19%), professional networks like LinkedIn (10%), and internal applications (8%) trailed far behind.
- Workers: 50% said job boards were where they mainly applied, and 45% landed their current role through one.
Ultimately, knowing where candidates look is the first step in solving hiring challenges.
The Biggest Hiring Challenges
Finding the right fit topped the list of hiring challenges. 62% of hiring managers ranked it as their first or second biggest challenge. Meanwhile, 28% said their main challenge was reaching the right talent pool.
Similarly, hiring managers’ priorities followed the same pattern:
- Right fit: the top priority for 55% of hiring managers
- Right attitude: a close second at 51%
- Speed: 49% ranked filling the role quickly as their lowest priority
The hardest roles to fill may surprise you. For example, 44% of hiring managers said intermediate management roles were the most difficult. On the other hand, entry-level roles were the most commonly filled (61%). Even so, 30% of hiring managers said entry-level roles were the hardest to fill.
What Workers Want, and Why It Adds to Hiring Challenges
Salary topped workers’ negotiation priorities in both countries (34%). But U.S. workers also cared about the job itself. In fact, 46% of U.S. respondents said changing the role’s responsibilities mattered to them. Flexible hours, hybrid work, and other benefits mattered to only 25% of all respondents.
Likewise, salary shaped workers’ biggest job search challenges. Workers in both countries said the jobs they wanted didn’t offer competitive pay. And 55% of U.S. respondents said their values didn’t align with the companies hiring in their field.
Experience vs. Skills
However, hiring managers and workers see experience differently:
- Hiring managers: 46% focused on candidates with current industry experience. 14% said a minimum number of years of experience was essential.
- Workers: 32% applied only to jobs where they had direct industry experience. But nearly half (49%) applied to jobs where they had relevant skills, even without direct experience.
That gap between how employers and workers view experience is one of today’s quieter hiring challenges.
A More Mobile Workforce
Job search trends show workers are moving faster than ever:
- 37% had stayed at their previous job for only one to two years.
- 50% found a new job in less than a month.
- 59% said they were somewhat or very likely to switch jobs again in the next six months.
That constant movement makes hiring challenges even harder, since roles need filling again sooner.
How to Overcome Today’s Hiring Challenges
The data points to a few clear lessons for employers:
- Post where candidates look. Online job boards are the top channel for both applications and hires.
- Lead with competitive pay. Salary is workers’ top negotiation priority and a common reason they pass on jobs.
- Hire for skills, not just years. Nearly half of workers apply based on relevant skills. As a result, strict experience requirements may screen out strong candidates.
- Show your values. Many U.S. workers skip companies whose values don’t match their own.
- Be open to shaping the role. Many workers want input on their responsibilities.
What the Data Suggests About Hiring Challenges
Our findings suggest many workers now see their jobs as a means to an end. The pandemic encouraged creativity and flexibility, and workers now think more boldly about career moves. Consequently, that growing appetite for risk means more turnover, and higher hiring and onboarding costs for employers.
At the same time, employers are responding. For instance, they’re more open to customizing roles and considering candidates from different backgrounds. As the North American labour market rises and falls, leverage will keep shifting between employers and workers.
For now, the right fit remains scarce, in the U.S. and across the Canadian labour market. Companies that challenge the status quo and find creative ways to attract talent will be best positioned to overcome today’s hiring challenges.
Reach the Audiences That Matter
This study shows what’s possible with Quest’s B2B and consumer panels across the U.S. and Canada. So explore our Markets page or download our Panel Book to see who you can reach.
Curious who you can reach? Explore our Panel Book to see the B2B and consumer audiences available across our panels.
