Modest growth in the economy has employers seeking skilled workers to stress out. Not only is finding candidates with the experience and/or skills to do the job comparable to finding the proverbial needle in the haystack in many industries, but a lack of employee mobility has slapped handcuffs on the few available skilled workers.
Posting jobs to online job boards such as Monster and CareerBuilder is a popular technique to reach a large number of potential employees quickly. Starting a career page on the company website requires little cost or effort. Getting the word out about a job opening is no longer a big deal for most businesses.
Online career sites also make it easier for the jobseeker to find a job that fits his skill set just about anywhere whether it is local or hundreds of miles away. Getting candidates to apply for a job, especially with high unemployment, using online recruiting seems like a marriage made in heaven.
But as many companies have learned the hard way, posting a job online can inundate a company with dozens, if not hundreds, of applicants - many of them unqualified, an effect I've called the resu-mess. Many employers are shifting away from job boards and putting more effort in working connections on networking sites such as LinkedIN. More aggressive recruiters – both internal and external – are even seeking out employed workers and poaching these passive, but talented, candidates from competitors.
Unfortunately regardless of the recruiting source, mobility – or the lack of it – is putting a significant crimp into the talent pipeline.
The current housing market is one factor putting a hitch in sourcing talented candidates to fill skilled jobs. In order to relocate, a potential employee may need to sell or arrange to rent their home if they accept the new job. With so many potential workers owning “underwater” mortgages, loans that are worth less than the property is worth, a company’s candidate might be qualified but unavailable. Renting too might not be a option. Finding tenants who can afford the rent to cover the mortgage are few and far between these days.
There is second potential hurdle facing employers seeking hard-to-find skilled workers. It’s the “blended” family. Remember the Brady Bunch? Just a few decades ago, the step-family was an exception. Today over four out of every ten American adults have at least one step relative in their household. There are all sorts of combinations that might fit the modern family, but the most typical is the couple who each have children from previous relationships. Moving the family to another area may mean getting the blessing of not one but two former spouses or family members with whom they share parenting responsibilities. Changing schools, sometimes even just a few miles away, and the status of state specific college savings funds, precludes relocation. In addition, many households today rely on dual incomes. The relocation of one spouse for a job means the other spouse may be left hunting for a job.
The third hurdle facing employers is the increasing number of workers that find themselves caring for parents. With people living longer, it is possible that a qualified candidate might be the caregiver for four aging parents. That is certainly the case for many working Baby Boomers. Perhaps these aging parents live in the same town or just up the street and depend on their adult children just for occasional help with groceries, snow removal, or lawn care. But time marches on and many candidates may not be comfortable shirking what they feel is an obligation to be nearby when their parent(s) might need them. If the parents are already in an elder care facility, and the children have confidence in the facility or other siblings in the area, this concern is reduced. Of course, it is possible the candidate could move the parents with them, but that too can be troublesome and expensive. Step-parents also can hinder employees from relocating. According to the Pew Research Center study, 56 percent of adults feel very obligated to help out a stepparent. That means if all the parents are alive, a step-couple could have 8 aging parents to care for.
The Perfect Labor Storm has many facets converging on the workplace. A shortage of skilled workers is just one of them. Finding qualified candidates who have the experience, skills, and mobility is becoming increasingly more difficult. Thanks to a widespread shortage of qualified candidates in many industries, recruiting employees has its inherent challenges. Other factors like mortgages, step families, child custody and elder care hinder many candidates from accepting jobs in new places. With the economy heating up, finding qualified candidates is only the beginning of the challenge facing employers. Unlocking the many handcuffs that might be holding a limited supply of skilled workers hostage will make recruitment even more difficult in the coming months.
Mark - thanks for your question. Suggestions for solving the economic and societal problems are beyond my expertise. However strategies for employers begin with an awareness that they alone will be responsible for recruiting and retaining top performers. Looking to the government and schools to solve this problem in the short term is unrealistic. Employers need to get their act together. One strategy is of course creating a great place to work.
Posted by: Ira S Wolfe | February 20, 2011 at 01:30 AM
What sort of strategies do you see as potentially addressing this problem?
Posted by: Mark Vickers | February 20, 2011 at 12:09 AM