Job Prospects Bright: Growth in Hiring Plans Poised to Continue

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A majority of America's hiring managers expect to increase hiring in the next six months, according to the annual hiring survey by DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE: DHX), the leading provider of data, insights and careers for specialized professional communities. The latest survey found 61 percent of hiring managers and recruiters in the U.S. anticipate more hiring in the first half of 2016 as compared to the second half of 2015, a slight uptick of one point from when asked a year ago. (Tweet This)

In the next six months, 17 percent of companies surveyed plan to hire 30 percent or more professionals, up 5 percentage points as compared to when asked in 2014. With hiring intentions rising, the survey underscores a challenging recruiting environment for U.S. employers, likely to lead to frustration as companies attempt to fill open roles. The DHI-DFH Mean Vacancy Duration measure reports jobs are open 28 working days on average before becoming filled, reaching all-time highs this year.

Companies feel the lag, with 45 percent saying the time to fill open positions has lengthened relative to last year, according to the hiring survey.  The primary reason cited for the backlog is the inability to find qualified professionals (53%) followed by hiring managers saying they're waiting for the perfect match (29%).

Recruitment Market Toughening

In a sign of increased competition among employers, more than a third (37%) of hiring managers are seeing more counteroffers. Signaling it's the candidates' market, 47 percent of hiring managers say there are positions they are unable to fill due to salary requirements for the roles. In response, more hiring managers (56% in 2015 compared to 49% in 2014) see higher salaries for new hires this year.

"The recruiting environment for certain highly-skilled professionals is the toughest I've seen in nearly a decade with companies jockeying for in-demand talent and candidates having their pick at ideal positions and compensation," said Michael Durney, President and CEO of DHI Group, Inc. "In addition to bulking up budgets to pay desired candidates, companies have to consider ongoing sourcing and identifying professionals ahead of the creation of a specific job opening. Recruitment has to be more about relationship building today than ever before." (Tweet This)

A handful of companies may be getting the recruiting formula right, with 21 percent saying more candidates are accepting offers, up from 14 percent who said this a year ago.  For many others, additional recruiting tactics to attract candidates like sign-on bonuses, perks such as free lunch or free gym memberships, and paying relocation costs are more frequent today than last year and some of the ways companies are trying to entice professionals.

Greater Focus on Sourcing

New to the survey since its creation in 2008, DHI Group asked hiring managers what their sourcing intentions were in the future, and nearly three quarters (74%) of hiring managers say sourcing and building a bench of talent is more important today than a year ago. This may include networking with professionals or leveraging products like Open Web™, a big data sourcing service which combines publicly available information from more than 130 social and professional data sources to create an all-in-one candidate profile, to proactively search and identify qualified candidates to fulfill current or planned positions.

"The ability to have an identified and engaged pipeline of ideal professionals ready when a position becomes available is one way to mitigate the gap when professionals leave their roles for other opportunities," said Mr. Durney.

Turnover on the Rise

Professionals are indeed changing employers to further their careers. Turnover continues to be an issue for employers with 43 percent of corporate respondents noting voluntary turnover has increased at their companies, up from 41 percent who said this in November 2014. A third of hiring managers said turnover has been desirable. 

About the Survey

From November 10 to 13, 2015 DHI Group, Inc. surveyed U.S. companies, government entities and recruiting firms from every region of the country who hire or recruit a variety of professionals. With 598 hiring professionals responding to the email survey, 62 percent identified themselves as working for companies that recruit for their own needs in sectors such as healthcare, technology, energy, manufacturing, defense, education and financial services.

About DHI Group, Inc.

DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE: DHX) (formerly known as Dice Holdings, Inc.) is a leading provider of data, insights and connections through our specialized services for professional communities including technology and security clearance, financial services, energy, healthcare and hospitality. Our mission is to empower professionals and organizations to compete and win through expert insights and relevant employment connections. Employers and recruiters use our websites and services to source and hire the most qualified professionals in select and highly-skilled occupations, while professionals use our websites and services to find the best employment opportunities in and the most timely news and information about their respective areas of expertise. For 25 years, we have built our company on providing employers and recruiters with efficient access to high-quality, unique professional communities, and offering the professionals in those communities access to highly-relevant career opportunities, news, tools and information. Today, we serve multiple markets located throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region.

Media:
Rachel Ceccarelli and Courtney Chamberlain 
212-448-8288
[email protected]

SOURCE DHI Group, Inc.