US Recruiters Struggle To Find Candidates Willing To Work In Office Full-time

USA – Houston-based recruiting company Murray Resources revealed that it’s difficult to find job-seekers willing to work in the office 5 days per week amidst the country’s tight labour market, reported MSN on Saturday afternoon (7 January, SGT).

Murray Resources’ Managing Director Keith Wolf said there’s a significant disparity between what job candidates want and what recruiters expect from job-seekers.

“Employers are watching the news and seeing stories about layoffs and a possible recession, and they think, ‘Hey, people should be begging for jobs and willing to come into the office.’”

But that’s far from the reality. “Most people want remote or hybrid work. They want control over their day — they don’t want to commute and they want to be able to see their families.”

In fact, if an employer advertises a full-time in-office role, they’re reducing their potential candidate pool by 75 percent, shared Wolf, who added that the best job candidates always have other options.

Moreover, the latest report from LinkedIn showed that there are more job applicants looking for remote jobs than those that need to be done in the office. For every candidate looking for on-site work as of October 2022, there are 2 available jobs. But there nearly 2 active job-seekers for each remote work opportunity.

For now, job candidates in the United States have the advantage. The latest statistics from the Labour Department showed that there were 6 million unemployed Americans looking for work in November 2022, but there were around 10.5 million jobs available during the month. Also, a bigger share of workers resigned from their jobs in November compared to the prior month, suggesting that Americans remain upbeat on their employment prospects.

But staff and job candidates could see their position deteriorate as the economy weakens and fears over a possible recession loom. As more firms implement hiring freezes and lay off employees, job-seekers may become less choosy.

“Over the next few months, the labour markets are expected to cool down, and so mismatch (between what employers want and what staff prefer) will decrease,” forecasted LinkedIn economist Rand Ghayad.

“There won’t be a winner or loser, but at some point, we will get to an equilibrium and a new normal,” he added.