US Hiring Expected To Remain Strong In 2017, Says Jobvite Survey

Hiring is expected to remain strong for the next 12 months with healthcare, retail and finance on the growth path while employees need fear no layoffs during the period in the United States of America (USA), according to the the 9^th Jobvite Annual Recruiter Nation Report 2016.

The San Mateo, California based software and recruiting corporation, operates globally with the provision of Software as a Service (SaaS) social recruiting platform, enabling companies to advertise jobs and manage the recruitment process. Its web-based service enables its clientele to create job invitations, known as “jobvites”.

The online survey was conducted in July 2016 by 1,600 recruiting and human resources professionals spanning several industries. Survey participants comprised of both Jobvite customers and non-customers.

Hiring to Go Up

About 35% of the respondents said that they expected to hire 100 or more people next year, up from 26% in 2016. Meanwhile, workers need to worry about increasing automation claiming their jobs with only 10%  of recruiters expected to automate jobs in the next two to three years, compared with 25% in last year’s survey.

The job scenario has been good in 2016 too with 69% of recruiters saying hiring has gone up. Healthcare saw an increase at 76% followed by retail 75% and finance 72%.  In fact, more than a third of businesses reported dramatic increase in recruiting over the course of the year.

Almost 86% of recruiters do not anticipate their companies making layoffs in the next 12 months. About 35% of recruiters anticipate filling more than 100 job openings this year, compared to 26% last year.

Salary Negotiations

Recruiters are also more willing than ever to negotiate salary with 68% of companies have increased the average salary offer for candidates in the last year.  Culture fit is rated as of highest importance by 60% of recruiters.

Regarding perks,78% of recruiters say medical/dental coverage is most effective at attracting new workers. Almost 65% report that 401(K), the retirement savings plan sponsored by the employer is another incentive.

It lets workers save and invest a piece of their paycheck before tax deduction. Taxes are not paid until the money is withdrawn from the account.

About 44% of the recruiters found flexible work hours and casual dress code helpful in attracting employees.

Job Seekers Need Soft Skills

However, the job seekers need to brush up their soft skills and social media appearances. Almost 78% of recruiters cite enthusiasm as most likely to influence a hiring decision after an initial in-person interview, followed by command of requirements (76%) and conversation skills (73%).

On social media accounts, 72% of recruiters view typos negatively, and a similarly high number (71%) say the same for marijuana use. Body odour turns off 56% of recruiters, while dressing “too casually” impacts hiring decisions for 62% of them.