Stay up to date on staffing trends in 2023. Every Friday, we post a LinkedIn poll to gain valuable insights from you and your peers. We appreciate your feedback, as it helps us better understand how we can place highly qualified candidates in the right positions.
This monthly blog series will recap the poll results and share our thoughts. Did you miss May’s results recap? Check it out here.
Explore our employer poll and candidate poll pages to learn even more about 2023 staffing trends.
Turnover Is the Biggest Catalyst to Hiring IT Talent
In a previous poll, you voted for IT as the department you hire for the most. To follow up, we conducted a poll to find out what is the biggest catalyst to hiring IT talent. Almost 60% of you voted for turnover, followed by a tie between expansion and improved productivity.
Turnover is a challenge for many organizations. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were 5.9 million separations in May 2023.1 BLS defines separations as voluntary quits, layoffs and discharges, or other separations.
These are a few tips to reduce turnover at your organization.
If you’re experiencing employee-initiated separations:
- Re-evaluate your company’s company culture initiatives.
- Explore additional benefit options and incentives to offer employees.
- Provide reimbursement for continuing education.
If you’re experiencing employer-initiated separations:
- Revisit your job descriptions to make sure they highlight the right skills.
- Review your interview questions to make sure they focus on the right topics.
- Update your onboarding and ongoing training processes.
Employers Want Permanent Roles Despite Inflation
In part 4 of our candidate poll series, we asked you what type of role you’re currently looking to hire for. The number one response by far was full-time employees, followed by freelancers and contract-to-hire roles.
Despite the impact of the rising costs of goods and services, 85% of you still voted for searching for full-time talent for your organization. (We’ll explore inflation more later in this blog post.)
Looking for ways to attract top talent? These are a few strategies you can start with:
- Give employees greater flexibility, such as offering work from home.
- Streamline the hiring process, such as by reassessing your current interview strategy.
- Focus on hiring for technical and soft skills to find well-rounded candidates.
What’s the Must-Have Skill for Marketing Talent?
For those of you looking for marketing hires, we asked you what is the top skill you look for in these candidates. More than 60% of you said creativity is the most desired skill for a marketing hire, followed by search engine optimization and social content creation.
According to LinkedIn, these are a few reasons why creativity and marketing go hand in hand.2 Creative ideas help you…
According to LinkedIn, these are a few reasons why creativity and marketing go hand in hand.2 Creative ideas help you…
- Differentiate yourself from the competition.
- Connect with clients on an emotional level.
- Spread the word about your organization’s brand.
Sparks Group hires for various marketing roles, including digital design, content creation, market research, and more. Connect with a marketing and creative recruiting expert today to fill your open marketing positions.
Employees Share the Last Time They Received Raises
To get a feel for how inflation is impacting salaries, we asked candidates when was the last time they received a raise. Almost 40% of voters said they’ve received a raise in the last two years, followed by more than 25% receiving a raise less than six months ago and more than 20% never receiving a raise.
According to Gartner, 63% of executives plan to adjust salaries to be less competitive due to inflation.3 If your organization cannot currently fit pay increases into your budget, you need to explore alternative ways to attract and retain top talent at your company for the time being.
These are a few strategies to boost talent acquisition and retention during times of inflation:
- Provide learning opportunities for employees to expand their skills.
- Present clear career pathways for growth at your company.
- Create a supportive workplace culture that promotes a healthy work/life balance.
Employees Share the Last Time They Received Raises
Our last June 2023 poll on staffing trends asked how inflation will impact your organization’s hiring and retention strategy in 2024. Thirty-four percent of you voted for eliminating positions, followed by 32% voting for a hiring freeze and 21% voting for hiring more contractors.
Organizations that are tight on funds due to inflation may turn to options like the ones above to keep their business profitable. SHRM found that 33% of US employees and HR professionals surveyed about the impact of inflation are worried about their organization’s survival.4
To combat inflation, your organization should practice open communication with your team and revisit your employee retention strategy to find ways to keep your top-performing talent. You could also give employees access to valuable resources, such as financial advisors to help them budget during a recession.
Recap of Staffing Trends in June 2023 LinkedIn Polls
Based on the data from our June polls, these are key insights from the latest staffing trends in 2023.
- Turnover is the top reason companies surveyed are looking to hire in their IT departments, so businesses may want to re-evaluate their hiring and onboarding processes.
- Despite inflation, most of the organizations who voted in our poll are looking to hire full-time talent.
- Creativity is the most-desired skill for marketing talent, according to our poll participants.
- Almost 40% of poll voters have received a raise in the last two years.
- Thirty-four percent of voters will eliminate positions in 2024 due to inflation.
Sources:
1BLS, Job Openings and Labor Turnover - May 2023.
2MLinkedIn, 5 reasons creativity is important in marketing, September 23, 2021.
