iHire Publishes 4th Annual State of Online Recruiting Report

Frederick, Maryland – Aug. 29, 2022 – iHire today published its fourth annual State of Online Recruiting Report, unveiling the results of its survey of 3,668 U.S. job seekers and 539 employers across 57 industries. Key findings involved a persistent talent shortage, the ongoing Great Resignation, economic uncertainty, poor candidate-employer communication, and increased job board usage amid a competitive labor market. To download the report, visit https://go.ihire.com/clbjc.  

The following are top themes found in iHire’s 2022 State of Online Recruiting Report:

1. Employers are facing a chronic talent shortage. For the fourth straight year that iHire has conducted its State of Online Recruiting survey, employers cited finding qualified candidates among their top hiring challenges. In 2022, 68.0% said they receive too few applicants, and 64.5% said the applicants they receive are unqualified. Further, 82.0% anticipate the talent shortage continuing throughout the upcoming year.

2. A gap exists between the candidate skills employers desire and the skills candidates actually possess. While companies are struggling to find qualified talent, 38.5% of job seekers believe employers have unrealistic or overly specific requirements. Meanwhile, 26.0% of candidates said they’ve recently applied for a job even though they didn’t meet the requirements.

3. The Great Resignation isn’t slowing down. More than half (57.3%) of candidates said they were employed and seeking a job actively or passively, suggesting that the “Big Quit” may stick around. Employers agree: 41.1% foresee difficulty retaining employees in the months to come.

4. Economic uncertainty rears its head. As a possible recession looms and inflation rises, 43.5% of candidates and 33.9% of employers expect economic uncertainty to impact their ability to find work and hire, respectively, in the next year. Therefore, it’s not surprising that 68.0% of job seekers said they’d be more likely to apply for a job if the ad included the position’s salary range.

5. Job boards aren’t going out of style any time soon. 60.2% of employers said they’ve increased their reliance on job boards in the past year, and 71.1% use them for “most” or “all” of their hiring. Among job seekers, 60.4% searched for work through a job board in the past year, while 66.3% said they’d go to a job board first if they needed to find work immediately.

6. Both job seekers and employers fear ghosting. 52.1% of employers are frustrated by unresponsive applicants. At the same time, 44.8% of job seekers said getting ghosted by employers was a major job search challenge.

7. Candidates still want remote work, but it’s getting harder to find. 22.9% of job seekers are having trouble finding remote work (up 6.4% from 2021), and 29.3% of employers foresee candidates’ preference for remote work hindering their ability to hire in the next 12 months.

“The talent shortage has become a long-term issue rather than a passing trend, according to our State of Online Recruiting Report’s year-over-year survey findings,” said Steve Flook, iHire’s President and CEO. “All the while, voluntarily resignations, economic concerns, and candidates’ continued interest in remote work are just a few of the challenges complicating hiring in today’s tight labor market. Our 2022 report breaks down these trends and more to give employers and job seekers retrospective and forward-looking insights into how to find one another most efficiently.”

To download iHire’s 2022 State of Online Recruiting Report, visit https://go.ihire.com/clbjc.

Survey Methodology

A total of 4,207 U.S. job seekers (3,668) and employers (539) responded to iHire’s State of Online Recruiting survey in May and June of 2022. Respondents came from iHire’s job and job seeker databases comprising employers and candidates across 57 talent communities.

About iHire

iHire is a leading career-oriented platform that powers a family of 57 industry-focused talent networks, including WorkInSports, iHireVeterinary, iHireDental, iHireConstruction, and iHireChefs. For more than 20 years, iHire has combined advanced job matching technology with our expertise in the talent acquisition space to connect job seekers with employers in their desired sector. With an industry-specific, candidate-centric, and data-driven approach to recruitment, iHire helps candidates find meaningful work and employers find unique, high-quality talent – faster, easier, and more effectively than a general job board. Visit www.iHire.com for more information.

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