Candidate Shortages

Pandemic uncertainty can be found in all areas of life in 2021. Whether it is small things from going out and wondering if staying 2 meters apart from someone is still encouraged? Or how many people you can legally meet outside? To slightly larger, more impacting adjustments to your life… for example is switching jobs during a pandemic is wise?

2021 has seen a rise in job vacancies but a lack of applicants applying for these roles- all relating back to the uncertainty found because of the pandemic, Brexit and the Furlough scheme. Candidate shortages can be seen throughout most sectors, showing a unanimous shared reluctance to seek out new roles during such a tough time. Being in the recruitment market, the lack of positions to fill (at a slower rate to fill too) is becoming increasingly challenging.

A question many recruiters are asking themselves right now is "why are we facing more candidate shortages than ever when as a country we are on the verge of opening up?".

Well, one of our recruitment consultants- Dominique Wilson, created a poll on LinkedIn asking,"IF people were produced with a counteroffer, would you accept it?" and the responses were quite shocking. With a total of 83 votes, 66% of the audience said no whilst 12% said yes, and 22% said it all depends on the circumstance. This means that just under three quarters of the market are available and ready to work when a job offer comes up, with a smaller percentage saying they would be swayed. However, this tactic is now being used more than ever with companies trying to keep hold of their staff so that they themselves are not left with a void they must fill, meaning that a counteroffer is currently a cheaper alternative thus becoming more and more common.

Though the job market is beginning to recover and life is seemingly returning to some normality, the hesitancy seems to be clinging on. We hope that in the next few months the reluctance to switch will improve with some growth in the market supporting this, and counteroffers will not be used as a tactic to keep staff to avoid expenses for their company. Regarding candidates who are unsure whether to make a career switch, now is a great time to dive into the job market. As a result of shortages, employee benefits seem to have risen as a result! Salaries also seem to be on the rise with additional perks to match! To navigate the job process, our recruiters can guide you throughout, making sure that any big decisions are supported.

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