A solid recruitment strategy starts with a solid job offer—a job offer that’s competitive in your local market and attractive to skilled candidates.
But how do you know your job offer is attractive?
Adecco conducted a web survey between January 17-23, 2022 and collected responses from over 1500 people in our database to learn more about their job search behaviour. We asked the questions that every employer wants to know, and, with a 3% margin of error and a 95% confidence level, we’ve compiled the data for you here.
This article reveals the results of the question: “What is most important to you when looking for a new job?”
Read on to discover the answers.
What is most important to you when looking for a new job?
We asked the question and gave respondents the option to give multiple answers (Which is why the total percentage exceeds 100%). Here’s how the responses broke down:
#1: Salary (71%)
It’s no surprise to anyone that salary comes in at the number one spot. In an environment where the cost of living is climbing and skilled talent is scarce, it’s to be expected that salary expectations are on the rise.
As an employer trying to recruit top talent, you should make every effort to offer competitive compensation. Use our salary calculator to help determine the average annual salary of the position you’re hiring for your location.
#2: Work-life balance (47%)
Mental and physical wellbeing were brought under the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result, work-life balance has grown in importance to workers everywhere, with 47% of respondents selecting it as a priority in their job hunt in 2022.
During your recruitment process, it’s a good idea to emphasize how your organization supports your staff’s wellbeing, whether that be through internal fitness programs or discounts, insurance policies or other health-related perks.
#3: Benefits (46%)
Benefits often go hand in hand with salary expectations, so it comes as little surprise that 46% of respondents consider benefits of high importance when looking for a new job.
Employers might consider re-evaluating their health insurance policy to look for areas of potential improvement.
#4: Career advancement (44%)
Our data analysis showed that respondents who are employed full-time are more likely to be interested in career advancement than other types of job seekers. As an employer, if you recruit primarily full-time workers, you might want to assess how much room for growth is offered internally, and flaunt those internal opportunities in your job ads.
#5: Flexible schedule (43%)
According to our analysis, respondents working part-time are more likely to be interested in a flexible schedule. If you recruit temporary, seasonal or part-time employees, you’ll likely want to focus on the flexibility you offer new candidates.
#6: Training opportunities (31%)
We found that unemployed respondents and people in the hospitality and events industry are more likely to be interested in training opportunities than other respondent profiles. With that in mind, if your organization has programs in place to train new hires in the skills needed for their roles, you may have more success attracting candidates of those profiles.
#7: Health and safety (27%)
We found that a high proportion of people who selected health and safety as a priority worked in the warehousing industry. If you are an employer in warehousing, you would do well to take note that your talent pool cares about your company’s health and safety practices and policies.
#8: Company culture (23%)
According to our results, respondents from the accounting & finance, HR and professional & executive sectors are most likely to be interested by company culture. If you’re an employer in those sectors, company culture is an area you might want to focus on.
#9: The work aligns with my values (20%)
Perhaps a shift incited by the COVID-19 pandemic, many people in involved in recruitment have noticed that more and more job seekers are looking for work that makes an impact in their communities. For employers trying to recruit, that means it’s important to make sure your company is putting its values into action and demonstrating its commitment to do good to potential candidates.
#10: Company reputation (20%)
Part-time workers are more likely to care about company reputation. If you recruit temporary, seasonal or part-time employees, it may be in your best interest to invest in your brand via social media and advertising.
#11: Other (18%)
Out of all the “other” category free form answers Adecco received, the 3 most popular were:
- Employee discount
- Tuition reimbursement
- Paid parental leave
If there is no room to grow any of the work incentives from #1-10, you might consider these three alternative options as runner-up recruitment strategies.
#12: Bonuses (17%)
Surprisingly, bonuses were selected by only 17% of all respondents respectively. Of all respondents, full-time employees were most likely to select bonuses as an answer. This suggests that while still an incentive for job seekers, employers might want to favour pay progression salary structures over bonuses.
#13: Paid time off (16%)
Once again, somewhat surprisingly, paid time off was selected by only 16% of all respondents. Employers can take-away that their budget is likely better allocated to increasing salary and total compensation packages over additional paid days off.
What do job seekers look for in a company?
Well, there you have it! Now that you know exactly what perks and benefits job seekers want in a company, we hope you can ramp up your recruitment strategy to capture the best talent out there! And if you need additional support bringing in skilled candidates in this tight labour market, Adecco is ready to help. Drop us a line today!