(Video) The Recruiter's View: Top Hiring Insights of 2017

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The Trevi Group | www.TheTreviGroup.com

The Recruiter's View: Top Hiring Insights of 2017

According to a June New York Times article, “We may be closer to full employment than it seemed.” Based on the May jobs report, the source asserts the possibility that this is as good as it will get for the United States labor market. Why? Slowed job growth with 121,000 new positions as the three-month average, and an all-time low of 4.3 percent for the unemployment rate - not because of more people finding work - but because of modest wage increases and a labor force that has been shrinking for the last few years.

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This dynamic is particularly apparent in the executive, managerial and professional job market where many companies are focused on expanding, but are finding it difficult to locate enough skilled talent. In this sector, which has been candidate-driven for several years, the lack of skilled talent is further complicated by top candidates who feel free to reject job offers and accepting offers from other companies. So as a hiring authority, what can you do to improve your odds of bringing in the talent that you seek?

The 2017 Recruiter Sentiment Study conducted by MRINetwork, reveals that the inability to find quality talent coincides with lengthy hiring practices, lower than expected compensation, and an employer sentiment that candidates should be honored to be considered for their job opportunities. Retention is also challenging, as high performers recognize more jobs are available and feel more confident about pursuing them.

Based on the Study findings, the following are the top hiring insights for employers to know:

Insight #1: It really is a candidate-driven market.

MRINetwork recruiters have been observing the shift to a candidate-driven market over the last five years and the according to the survey, 90 percent of recruiters still feel the professional labor market is candidate-driven in most industry sectors. By contrast, 47 percent of employers believe companies have the upper hand. The reality is the best candidates have other job options, so your value proposition must clearly articulate how coming on board would benefit their career. Assuming that candidates should feel lucky to be invited for an interview with your company is one of the biggest mistakes that can be made when trying to attract top talent.

Insight #2: Compensation has become the top deciding factor for high performers who are looking to make a job move.

Recruiters, employers and candidates agree that advancement opportunities and better compensation packages are the most important factors to candidates looking for a job. Over 50 percent of candidates selected competitive compensation packages most often, followed by advancement opportunities, suggesting that compensation is the deciding factor when considering a new job. Across all respondents, compensation was also one of the primary reasons an offer was rejected, along with the candidate accepting another offer. Ultimately, compensation needs to be competitive enough to convince high performers to leave their current employers.

Insight #3: Rejected job offers matter in a talent short economy.

Almost half of surveyed employers said offer rejection percentages were between 1 – 10 percent. While this may seem like a small amount, every bit of lost talent matters when there is a shortage of qualified candidates in many industries. Compensation is not the only reason for offer rejections; frequently it is the interview process itself. It’s critical to provide a streamlined and positive interview process that keeps applicants informed of where they stand every step of the way. Most importantly, everyone on the interviewing team should be providing consistent messaging about the role, and clearly articulating why your company culture and values make it an enviable place to work.

Insight #4:  Workplace expectations have changed. 

Today’s top performers want more out of life than the standard 9-5, in-office work scenario. Fifty-five percent of surveyed candidates said work-from-home options are somewhat to extremely important to them.  Additionally, an “emphasis on work-life balance” was the second most selected attribute by candidates who are consider a job move this year. While the tendency may be to think that candidates want to work less, or that working from home will decrease productivity, top talent want to work more efficiently, any time, and from anywhere. Providing this flexibility is not only attractive to prospective hires, but also creates the potential for happier, engaged employees who feel their work life does not overshadow personal interests and obligations.   

Insight #5: Most companies aren’t prepared for upcoming surge in Baby Boomers retirements.

When asked to describe the upcoming onset of large-scale Baby Boomer retirements, employers and recruiters agreed that most businesses are not prepared for the workforce changes involved with preparing for baby boomer departures. Employers also feel that programs will need to be developed to retain Baby Boomers to alleviate some of this pressure. Organizations that are able to prioritize succession planning and career-pathing now by making it part of their company culture will be better able to respond to baby boomer retirements.

When you consider these 5 hiring insights, it’s clear how they may be impacting your ability to attract top talent in an already tight candidate market. The hiring landscape and candidate expectations have changed. Companies that want to attract and retain the best talent, will need to revisit their interviewing and talent management approaches, to position themselves as a great place to work.

To view the complete Study and a short video recap of these hiring insights that can be easily distributed to others in your organization responsible for hiring, visit MRINetwork.com/Recruiter-Sentiment-Study.

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com

Nashville named best city for professional and business services jobs

Nashville, Tennessee, topped Forbes' list of the best cities in the country for professional and business services jobs. 

The publication analyzed labor market data as well as job growth trends to determine its ranking. 

Nashville had the highest growth rate of any city in the country in the professional and business services jobs sector, according to Forbes. It has added 160,300 positions since 2011, representing a 42.6 percent increase. 

The source cited "low taxes and a pro-business regulatory environment" as two of the top factors driving job growth in the city. 

The Nashville city government and Chamber of Commerce have implemented initiatives to support business development and job opportunities in the city, the local NewsChannel5 Network reported. 

"We've very focused on long-term planning, not just planning for tomorrow," said Chief Development Officer for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Courtney Ross in an interview with the source. "Now we're in the process of planning for the next five years, the next 10 years."

The No. 2 city in Forbes' ranking was Kansas City, Missouri, which has seen 28.4 percent growth in professional and business services jobs since 2011. 

Nashville, Tennessee, topped Forbes' list of the best cities in the country for professional and business services jobs.  The publication analyzed labor market data as well as job growth trends to determine its ranking.  Nashville had the highest growth rate of any city in the country in the professional and business services jobs sector, according to Forbes. It has added 160,300 positions since 2011, representing a 42.6 percent increase.  The source cited "low taxes and a pro-business regulatory environment" as two of the top factors driving job growth in the city.  The Nashville city government and Chamber of Commerce have implemented initiatives to support business development and job opportunities in the city, the local NewsChannel5 Network reported.  "We've very focused on long-term planning, not just planning for tomorrow," said Chief Development Officer for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Courtney Ross in an interview with the source. "Now we're in the process of planning for the next five years, the next 10 years." The No. 2 city in Forbes' ranking was Kansas City, Missouri, which has seen 28.4 percent growth in professional and business services jobs since 2011. 

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com

Amazon Web Services delivers strong Q1 results

Consumers interact with Amazon daily - sometimes even without their knowledge. Amazon Web Services works on the backend of many websites, connecting sites around the world. Since being introduced in 2002, AWS is now responsible for 10 percent of the company's operating income - and powers websites like Netflix, The Guardian reported.

AWS operating income grew by nearly 50 percent from the same time last year, from January to March 31, Geekwire noted. It also saw a 42 percent growth spurt from the previous quarter. Can Amazon continue to grow AWS? And what does it mean for the tech industry?

As consumers continue to integrate IoT devices such as Alexa in their homes and utilize the ample amount of storage in the cloud, there may be no stopping the tech giant. Wa-Mart is one company that, after hearing news of Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods, is telling its tech vendors to work with another provider other than AWS. Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Compute stand as the two biggest competitors in the market.

The Trevi Group | www.TheTreviGroup.com

BLS Employment Situation Report: May 2017

The U.S. added 138,000 jobs in May as the unemployment rate edged down from 4.4 percent in April to settle at 4.3 percent, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The rate is currently at its lowest level in 16 years, Bloomberg noted. However, the number of jobs gained fell short of economists' expectations, which predicted the addition of 182,000 jobs.

"Job growth is a little disappointing, but enough to continue tightening the labor market," said JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief U.S. Economist Michael Feroli, in an interview with the source. "This doesn't change the overall story of an economy that generally seems to be growing above trend and reducing slack."

Since January, the number of unemployed has dropped by nearly 780,000, and the unemployment has fallen 0.5 percentage point.

Both the labor force participation rate and the employment-population ratio decreased slightly in May. Over the year, the number of discouraged workers declined by 183,000.

Total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 138,000 during the month. Average hourly earnings for private nonfarm payroll employees increased by 4 cents to reach $26.22. Average hourly earnings for private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees were $22.00, an increase of 3 cents.

Sector-wise, professional and business services added the most jobs in May, gaining 38,000 positions. Job gains in this segment have averaged 46,000 per month this year.

Food services and drinking places employment increased by 30,000 jobs.

Healthcare added 24,000 positions, with 13,000 in ambulatory healthcare services and 7,000 at hospitals.

Mining employment increased by 7,000, bringing total job gains in the industry since its October 2016 low to 47,000.

There was little employment change in construction, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, information and construction.

According to Bloomberg, the tightening U.S. labor market is expected to push the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates at their meeting June 13-14.

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com 

Video: Retain Your Clients By Retaining Your Employees

Suppose you have a client who deals with a specific representative within your organization on a regular basis. Then that client starts to see multiple employees being funneled through that position. Every time the client contacts you, they’re dealing with a new person. What does this say to your client about your company? Countless negative things can be inferred from a high turnover rate, which often results in the loss of your clients to another company they perceive as better managed and more reliable.

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“Most clients regard a revolving door of employee contacts as annoying at best, and a deal breaker at worst,” says Alicia Sinay, senior franchise development manager for MRINetwork. “Businesses are increasingly relying on relationships, and it’s much easier to maintain the relationships you’ve cultivated with your clients when you don’t have to brief a new person on your business goals every six months, or repeat work that has already been completed as a new employee is being brought up to speed.”

While losing clients means a loss of income for your company, a high turnover rate has the capacity to be even more far-reaching and damaging in today’s candidate-driven marketplace. That’s why your strategy to retain clients should include retaining the employees who serve those clients.

If your goal is to foster employees who are satisfied with their position, you should be aware they expect the following:

• Ability to use their talent and skills in the workplace. Many of your people could contribute far more than they currently do, if their managers take the time to tap into their skills, talent and experience. Whenever possible, allow them to focus their time and energy on projects they enjoy. Show employees you trust them by giving them responsibilities that provide the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities in other areas. Your business may benefit from applying their knowledge and experience to expanded job duties.
   
• Frequent opportunities to learn and grow in their careers, knowledge and skill. Without the opportunity to work on new projects, serve on challenging and significant teams, and attend seminars and classes, they will stagnate - and ultimately leave your company. Career pathing is a great way for employees and managers to map out an upward mobility track, while placing the responsibility on the employee to achieve certain goals in order to receive a promotion, salary increase or both.
   
• Awards and Recognition. A simple thank you or a congratulatory award often goes a long way in recognizing a job well done. That said, monetary rewards and bonuses, tied to accomplishments and achievements, can be even more motivating.
   
• Communication with their managers. In addition to exit interviews when employees are leaving, routinely ask your employees why they stay. Ask questions such as: Why did you decide to accept a role within the organization? What are your nonnegotiable issues? What would you change or improve? Then use that information to strengthen your employee retention strategies.

Putting these effective retention strategies in place is key to retaining employees and better serving your clients. “Create an environment that stimulates employee satisfaction by incorporating motivation-building practices into your corporate culture,” advises Sinay. “Listen to your employees, respect their opinions, and be available to help with everything from ideas and concerns to assisting them with their career advancement.”

Employees need to feel valued and appreciated, be given feedback, provided with growth opportunities and work-life balance options, and have trust and confidence in their leaders. In this kind of environment, employees deliver higher-than-expected levels of service to each and every client. They take pride in their company and in their work, resulting in retention both of your workforce and your client base.

The Trevi Group | www.TheTreviGroup.com 

Demand grows for data engineers

As the use of big data expands, the demand is growing for professionals who can design the systems and network architecture that effectively gather, store and present this data. 

The value of big data is in the strategic insights it offers, which are uncovered by data scientists and analysts. However, it turns out that data engineers may be the missing element that makes company's big data initiatives successful.

Brian Hills, head of data at Innovation Centre noted in an article for Data Economy, "One of the key learnings from the past few years is that success with data cannot be dependent on data scientists alone ... Using only this approach within a business creates a cottage industry that limits ability to scale and generates a significant number of risks." 

He writes that data engineers also need to be part of the team, as they build the systems that enable data to be analyzed. There is growing demand for these professionals, with Stitch Data finding just 6,500 people with data engineer titles on LinkedIn and 6,600 job openings for data engineers in San Francisco alone. 

Some 42 percent of data engineers have a background in software engineering, research by Stitch Data showed, while the top five data engineering skills are SQL, Java, Python, Hadoop and Linux. 

The Trevi Group | www.TheTreviGroup.com

BLS Employment Situation Report: April 2017

The U.S. job market bounced back in April, adding 211,000 nonfarm payroll jobs during the month, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The gains exceeded Bloomberg economists' prediction of 190,000 jobs added, and followed a weaker-than-expected March that saw 79,000 jobs added, revised down from the previously reported 98,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate fell from 4.5 percent in March to 4.4 percent in April, which is the lowest rate since May 2007, Reuters reported. The unemployment rate has dropped by 0.6 percentage point over the year. The labor force participation rate was relatively unchanged in April at 62.9 percent.

Industry-wise in April:

• Leisure and hospitality added the most jobs, gaining 55,000 new positions. Employment grew in the food services and drinking places sector by 26,000.
   
• Professional and business services followed, adding 39,000 positions. Over the year, employment in the industry has expanded by 612,000 jobs.
   
• Healthcare and social assistance gained 37,000 positions, on par with its monthly average so far for 2017.
   
• Financial activities employment grew by 19,000, with the gains largely driven by insurance activity.
   
• Mining added 9,000 jobs.

Average hourly earnings for all private nonfarm payroll employees increased by 7 cents in April to reach $26.19. Last week, a government report was released that showed private sector wages had their biggest growth in a decade in the first quarter of 2017, according to Reuters.

With the strengthening employment figures, the Federal Reserve is likely to raise interest rates later this year.

"Labor market conditions remain robust and continue to tighten," said Chief Financial Economist Ward McCarthy of Jefferies LLC in New York, according to Bloomberg. "This data will keep the Fed on track for a preferred 2017 normalization timeline of rate hikes in June and September and the first step toward balance-sheet normalization in December."

Bloomberg also noted that income gains, particularly in real estate prices and stock, have contributed to a more positive consumer outlook.

The Trevi Group | www.TheTreviGroup.com

How to Avoid Making Costly Hiring Mistakes

In today's highly competitive job market, businesses can't afford to take a lackluster approach to recruitment and hiring. Not only can a bad hire lead to costly turnover, but it can also negatively impact the organizational performance of a business and, therefore, its bottom line.

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According to the Society for Human Resources Management, the cost of replacing an employee could end up amounting to anywhere between 50 percent and a few hundred percent of the individual’s yearly salary. Other studies show a much higher total cost (5 to 24 times the annual salary, depending on the position).

Never has it been more important for employers to hone in on a strategy to attract, onboard and retain top talent. However, this is often far easier said than done. Fast Company reported that two of the biggest reasons companies hire bad candidates can be attributed to needing to fill the position quickly, as well as the organization failing to test or research the skills of the candidate well enough.

“There are many factors that come into play when determining whether someone is a suitable candidate, including their skill set and background, as well as how well they fit within the corporate culture,” says Nancy Halverson, general manager, franchise operations for MRINetwork. “To avoid the risk of costly hiring mistakes, there are key steps companies need to take - starting with getting a clearer picture of who their ideal candidate is.”

Halverson recommends the following to help employers clearly define their ideal candidate:

Build a candidate profile 
The more specific a business is about what its ideal candidate looks like, the better the chances of being able to identify and attract them. Too often, hiring managers cast a wide net in hopes that the top performers will simply come to them. But there needs to be a better, more specific definition of what that person looks like, the exact skill sets and experience they should have and what will be expected of them.

Not only does this help hiring managers, it also benefits candidates as well. According to Aberdeen Group, there is a disconnect between the expectations of employers and candidates, which contributes to higher turnover. Candidates also reported wanting a clearer definition of what the role and responsibilities are.

“Candidates want to know what to expect - both from the position and company,” notes Halverson. “It’s important that they’re able to get a clear understanding of what working for a company would be like before applying - let alone committing - to a job.”

Put competencies into context 
As Lou Adler recently explained in a LinkedIn article, without context, hiring decisions are influenced by personal perceptions and biases, which are the leading cause of hiring mistakes. To avoid this, companies must clearly define roles and responsibilities, as well as the required traits and competencies for performing those functions - not just which ones they need, but why and how they will be used on the job. Additionally, how will the success of those competencies be measured?

The article also suggested outlining about five performance objectives explaining the task, an action verb detailing the role, followed by a measurable result.

“By outlining the attributes, characteristics and duties of the candidate ahead of time, employers will be better positioned to hire someone who fits the bill,” says Halverson. These are the ingredients needed to create a performance-based job description which allow employers to minimize bias attributed to a lack of context and, in turn, reduce their risk of making costly hiring mistakes.

The Trevi Group | www.TheTreviGroup.com

Automation and artificial intelligence expected to create 15 million jobs by 2027

The Future of Jobs report released this week by Forrester Research has revealed that the rise of automation and artificial intelligence is expected to create nearly 15 million new jobs in the U.S. over the next 10 years, MarketWatch reported. This news comes amidst much debate as of late about how robots and technology may influence the job market. 

According to the source, the report noted that the majority of newly created positions will be in specific job areas including engineering, software, design, maintenance, support and training. Additionally, a fresh wave of legal and human resources professionals will likely be necessary for managing and regulating human and robot employee interactions. 

Forrester also projects that a quarter of all jobs will undergo major changes regarding role functions and responsibilities - particularly in medicine, farming and finance, MarketWatch reported.

As TechRepublic pointed out, although a sizeable number of jobs - almost 10 million - are expected to eventually be displaced by robots, the recent analysis projections indicate a far milder impact than the nearly 70 million jobs some industry experts previously predicted would be lost. 

The Trevi Group | www.TheTreviGroup.com