Challenges in Recruiting for Accounting & Finance Positions and How to Conquer Them

As The Great Resignation goes on, many employees are leaving their jobs for other opportunities. Therefore, the challenges in recruiting for accounting and finance positions continue to increase.

Many accounting and finance professionals are expected to accomplish more with fewer resources. This increases stress levels, especially during busy seasons. The inability to maintain work-life balance often leads to burnout.

As more accounting and finance professionals leave the industry or retire, fewer professionals are entering the field. This increases the challenges in recruiting for accounting and finance positions.

Because accounting and finance professionals are needed to drive business, company leaders must find ways to increase employee attraction and retention. These tips can help.

Learn the challenges in recruiting for accounting and finance positions and how to conquer them.

Loss of Talent

Many experienced accounting and finance professionals are leaving the industry. Job-related mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression, are among the top reasons why.

Lack of work-life balance, especially during busy seasons, also contributes to the decision to leave. Constant exposure to work-related stress can lead to burnout.

Seasoned professionals are the hardest professionals to replace. This is especially true for mid-career professionals.

Increased Automation

Fortunately, you can support your accounting and finance team by implementing robotic process automation (RPA). This software emulates human actions and mimics how humans interact with technologies.

RPA can help with essential accounting and finance functions:

  • Analytical procedures
  • Financial statement preparation
  • Dual-purpose audit tests
  • Forecasting
  • Investment decisions
  • Cost allocation
  • Expense reimbursement
  • Accounts payable
  • Accounts receivable
  • Reconciliation
  • Tax reporting
  • Cloud-based applications

Providing access to the necessary tools, systems, and support helps accounting and finance professionals complete their work. This helps maintain work-life balance and positive mental health while reaching company goals.

Work with an Accounting and Finance Staffing Agency

You can conquer the challenges in recruiting for accounting and finance positions by partnering with a staffing agency that specializes in the industry. The agency has a vast network of experienced professionals with the skills and qualifications needed to help you achieve your company’s goals.

You can choose from temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire workers to blend with your full-time employees. Taking advantage of this flexibility helps save money while filling your staffing needs.

Partner with Casey Accounting & Finance Resources

The loss of talent in the accounting and finance industry requires increasing use of automation to support your workforce. Working with an accounting and finance staffing agency can help you find the qualified professionals you need to reach your business goals.

Reach out to Casey Accounting & Finance Resources for help filling your recruiting needs. Get started today.

Reevaluating Recruiting in Today’s Hiring Market

It feels like changes in recruitment and retention are crossing our news feeds on the daily. That’s because it’s true. When was the last time you revisited your talent acquisition strategy? Last week? Last month? Last year? With so many fluctuations in the hiring market, your answer might be Yes, Yes, and Yes. While we may be exhausted by stories about the economy and possible recession, right sizing, layoffs, hybrid work environments, upskilling/reskilling, stretching your workforce, offering increased salaries, “perfect” candidates, culture, and more, the truth is that all these factors are creating a bit of lava in navigating how we recruit talent.

Looking Ahead

Even if you recently revised your practices, it may be time to be more forward-thinking. Some of the rules have changed. For example, skills may be more critical than experience. Could candidates with more general skills be a better fit to handle a wider variety of tasks if you can only hire one or two people? Maybe long-term adaptability is a better solution for your ever-changing business landscape.

How well are you monitoring your recruitment and retention data, and what’s missing in your data analysis? Most companies are pretty adept at monitoring cost per hire, speed to onboard, turnover, and poor performance. However, if you are just looking at the numbers within their individual silos for increases or decreases without truly analyzing the cause and effect of the numbers as a whole, you may be missing opportunities for significant solutions and improved milestones.

There are plenty of articles and guidance available on the candidate application journey all the way through the onboarding process. While we won’t get into these topics in this article, we would be remiss in reminding everyone that these areas are often overlooked. You’d be surprised how many candidates drop out of the cumbersome application process. Also, investing in your onboarding process may create a positive experience from day one, which translates into highly engaged employees from the start of their employment journey at your company.

How We Can Help

According to Business.com, the cost of a bad hire is estimated at approximately 30 percent of the employee’s salary or more. Talent acquisition isn’t a pristine journey, and you are not alone if you feel your strategy isn’t perfect. Even if you don’t have all the digital bells and whistles, we can offer suggestions to track and get better results.

Let us review your processes and metrics to drive improvements.

  • Review how you’re filling roles. Is the process quick but suffering from low retention or poor performance? Stakeholders only see things like longer project completion rates or slower fulfillment of products or services. These factors affect business improvement.
  • Consider consistent question lists for all interviewers to help predict a candidate’s success in your organization.
  • Benchmark the employees who appear to be the “perfect” candidate to understand the soft and transferrable skills that make them better performers. Incorporate some of this data into job descriptions and interviews.
  • Remain engaged with candidates to assist in future referrals. Likewise, your employee base might be one of the better options to mine for new hires. This “human cloud” resource may help you stay connected to the talent you seek.

If you have limited resources to execute improved recruiting strategies, there are still ways to adapt your long-term talent acquisition strategy.

Call us today to discuss your recruiting challenges. We’ll put on our consulting hats to help create an environment that is adaptable to the unpredictable business climate, and where everyone wins.

Chicago-Based Staffing Firm Casey Accounting & Finance Resources Wins Two ClearlyRated 2023 Best Of Staffing® Awards

 

The company received both the Talent Satisfaction and Client Satisfaction awards for service excellence

SCHAUMBURG, Illinois – Feb. 7, 2023 – Casey Accounting & Finance Resources (www.caseyresources.com), an industry leader in the recruitment of Accounting & Finance Professionals for direct hire and contract placements, announced they have earned ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Client Satisfaction Award for providing superior service to their job candidates for nine years in a row. The company also received ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Talent Satisfaction Diamond Award. Presented in partnership with presenting sponsor Indeed and gold sponsor Talent.com, ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Award winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients. On average, clients of winning agencies are twice as likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies. Clients rated the company with 4.9/5 stars for service excellence and placed candidates rated the company with 4.7/5 stars for service excellence. This is the eighth consecutive year the company has won the Talent Satisfaction award and the ninth year to win the Client Satisfaction award.

Focused on helping companies find the right people for their job openings, Casey Accounting and Finance Resources received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 93.8% of their clients, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 46%. The company received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 64.7% of their placed job candidates, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. The company’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 93.8% for client satisfaction and Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 58.8% for talent satisfaction far exceeds the industry’s average of 31% for client satisfaction and 19% for talent satisfaction.

The company is proud of the trust and loyalty its customers and associates have in the Casey team to be able to earn this distinction as a leader in service excellence for nine (client) and eight (talent) consecutive years. Best of Staffing recognition validates our hard work delivering high-quality, relationship-building workforce management solutions for its clients and job seekers. The team is grateful that its culture of customer satisfaction is appreciated by all those the company serves and that they meet and exceed expectations daily.

Casey Accounting and Finance Resources was acquired by Cornerstone Staffing Solutions, one of the largest staffing firms in America, in December 2017 and operates as an independent division of Cornerstone. Altogether the Cornerstone Staffing Solutions family of companies have won 37 ClearlyRated Best of Staffing Awards.

“I am pleased to introduce the 2023 Best of Staffing winners alongside their validated service ratings on ClearlyRated.com,” said ClearlyRated’s CEO, Eric Gregg. “These firms have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to delivering amazing experiences, despite another year of upheaval and macroeconomic uncertainty. Hats off to these service leaders – it’s truly an honor to recognize and celebrate their achievements.”

#staffing #recruiting #bestofstaffing #bestofthebest #winners #customersatisfaction

 

Are You Hiring for Culture Fit or Culture Add?

It’s still a struggle to find qualified candidates. We’ve talked about refining your long-standing hiring habits to improve finding qualified and quality candidates to fill your open positions. One area that seems to be getting a bit of airtime is “culture fit.” Oftentimes, we look for candidates that “fit the mold” of current employees – you know – finding candidates whose working preferences and values match the company. What may be happening inadvertently is an unconscious bias when you hire for culture fit. Some experts agree that you might want to consider hiring for “culture add” to not only widen your candidate pool but also improve the creativity, diversity, and thought-provoking dialogs in your department and organization.

Why Culture Fit Falls Short of Being Fair

According to Gallup, many assumptions can be made when hiring for culture fit:

  • It assumes the hiring decision-maker understands and role models organizational values, beliefs, and expected behaviors. Decision makers often come with their own values and beliefs that may not align with the organization’s, further creating hiring bias.
  • It assumes the decision-maker can make a fair, informed selection decision.
  • It assumes that an organization has a level of maturity in its culture journey.

Typically, if the candidate doesn’t fit the culture, they aren’t hired. You may be escorting a candidate who could be a great employee right out the door because of culture-fit hiring practices.

What is Culture Add?

Gallup defines culture add as “a fresh spin on the concept of culture fit. Rather than making hiring decisions that create a homogenous, familiar culture, culture add promotes hiring decisions that focus on the candidates’ unique and beneficial attributes, values, beliefs, and behaviors. It is what they bring to your organization from their distinct perspective and experiences.”

What’s the upshot of hiring for culture add? Gallup explains it like this. If the workforce is shrinking, the fundamental need is for organizations to recognize what they are hiring for and why it matters. The right hiring practices examine not only cultural needs, value systems, and technical competence but also factor in role-specific talent attributes and behaviors for high performance.

In today’s marketplace conditions, 85% of currently employed U.S. workers say they are considering leaving their jobs in the next six months, according to LaSalle Network. U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said in an interview at the CNBC Work Summit that he expects job growth should continue into 2023.  However, the demographic data on the U.S. working-age population is concerning, with baby boomer retirements expected to accelerate in the years ahead, compounded by a peak being reached in high school graduates by 2025, limiting both the total size of the next-generation labor pool and the transfer of knowledge between the generations of workers.

The thing to pay attention to here is recruiting and retention. If managers and employees are disengaged, and the statistics hold true, finding and keeping good employees will continue to be a challenge.

Does Culture Add Practices Even Make a Difference With Remote and Hybrid Work?

Some may argue that remote/hybrid work environments destroy a company’s culture. That’s not necessarily true. There’s a common belief that when employees are physically together, they develop important social bonds that simply can’t be replaced by email, Zoom, and Slack.

In fact, 23% of U.S. hybrid workers strongly agree that they feel connected to their organization. Only 20% of all employees strongly agree they feel connected to their organization’s culture.[1]

And leaders have good reason to care. Employees who strongly agree that they feel connected to their culture are:

  • 3.7x as likely to be engaged at work
  • 5.2x as likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work
  • 37% more likely to be thriving
  • 68% less likely to feel burned out at work always or very often
  • 55% less likely to be looking for a job[2]

Gallup’s data shows us that being in the office never equaled a great culture. There are many ways to create connectedness within teams and across companies. Here are some best practices for managing remote teams.

With remote and hybrid work being the preferred option for many employees whose job allows this option, a solution of culture add or a revision of culture fit may still make it possible to add employees who bring value that is lacking in the organization.

We Can Help

Be less concerned about culture fit and more interested in adjusting hiring practices to align with employee talents, competence, and aspirations. Choose that employee who helps move the organization forward. Also, continue to watch for managers and staff who are disengaged and talk to them about the value they bring to your organization.

Let’s discuss the challenges you’re facing. Contact Casey Accounting & Finance Resources today.

 

[1] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/401576/dont-confuse-office-culture.aspx?utm_source=workplace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=gallup_at_work_newsletter_send_2_october_10182022&utm_term=newsletter&utm_content=a_new_chapter_cta_1

[2] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/401576/dont-confuse-office-culture.aspx?utm_source=workplace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=gallup_at_work_newsletter_send_2_october_10182022&utm_term=newsletter&utm_content=a_new_chapter_cta_1

2023 Accounting and Finance Salary Survey Available!

The labor market remains to be very tight across the board! It is not just direct-hire but contract-to-hire and contract roles.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources has compiled its January 2023 salary data for the fields of accounting and finance. Recruitment is really heating up, and job postings are plentiful. The war for talent is on, so having the most up-to-date information is vital!

With compensation trends changing on a monthly basis, both sides can benefit from having this information during job negotiations.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources can help financial professionals who want to learn more about what salary expectations should be. We have compiled our salary survey list with updated facts and figures, including job descriptions for more than 110 accounting and finance positions in the Chicago metropolitan area.

If you would like to view the salary survey, please click the link to download!

Accounting and Finance Trends to Watch for in 2023

The role of accounting and finance candidates continues to expand. The increasing use of technology is responsible for many changes in client expectations.

Today’s professionals are impacted by the changing accounting and finance trends. Companies that keep up with these trends and train their teams accordingly maintain a competitive edge.

Pay attention to these accounting and finance trends to keep your company competitive in 2023.

Diversified Client Services

According to Sage’s The Practice of Now 2020 report, 79% of accountants state that their client expectations now include business and finance consultancy. In addition to bookkeeping and accounting guidance, these clients want advice on complying with emergency legislation, leveraging government assistance, and computing leave entitlements and wage subsidies.

Most accountants use technology to provide clients with more efficient services. This significantly improves client satisfaction.

Enterprise Resource Planning Systems

Implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems lets companies combine their accounting and financial data with other business areas. Examples include supply chain, order, and production management. Using an ERP system lets the data be entered into one application that is accessible throughout the organization.

Implementing an ERP system means employees must be trained to use only one system. These employees also can find the information they need from one source. Additionally, having one source of information promotes collaboration. Plus, the centralized information for analytics and reporting helps leaders make more informed business decisions.

Artificial Intelligence

According to the Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey 2020, 47% of CIOs say the coronavirus pandemic caused digital transformation and adoption of emerging technology to accelerate. Examples include artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain, and automation.

The extraction of quality data is critical to effectively using AI. The process requires the right applications, cloud solutions, analytics, and business processes.

Providing accurate business intelligence maximizes the use of the data. This gives organizations a competitive edge.

Cybersecurity

The handling of confidential data requires strong cybersecurity. Data breaches allow cyber criminals access to payroll, tax, and other financial information. These breaches impact a company’s credibility and reputation.

According to the Harvey Nash/KPMG survey, spear-phishing increased by 83% in 2020 because of the pandemic. Malware increased by 62% and denial-of-service attacks grew by 21%. This is why 47% of CIOs included security and privacy as one of their top three technology investments. As a result, accounting and finance professionals must comply with cybersecurity best practices to safely collect, store, use, and share data.

Competition in Hiring

Diversified client services, implementation of ERP systems, increasing use of AI, and the evolving need for cybersecurity are among the accounting and finance trends for 2023. Capitalizing on these trends helps your company stay competitive.

Steep competition for hiring accounting and finance professionals is expected to continue throughout the next year. Turn to Casey Accounting & Finance Resources for help. Get started today.

What Keeps Our Spirits Bright?

There’s something about the season that brings out the best in us. Maybe it’s baking those special dishes that you don’t cook during the rest of the year. Maybe you take a vacation somewhere special. Building snowmen? Walking in the snow? Maybe you like how much happier and friendlier people seem. Let’s hear it for fruitcake? Looking at the decorated houses in your neighborhood? Pictures with Santa? Maybe you have a family tradition you look forward to or a favorite gift you’ve received. Do these strike a chord with you?

At Casey Accounting & Finance Resources, we wanted to share the things that make our spirits bright. But we also wanted to say that the holidays are when we look to help organizations in our community. Every year, we support Northwest Compass in Mt. Prospect and the Humanitarian Service Project in Carol Stream with donations. You can see a bit of synergy between the noble work we do helping people find a job or improve their careers and the honorable work these organizations do.

Northwest Compass assists people in meeting the challenges of having a safe environment for themselves and their families, from which they can create a path to a positive future. You can find out more about the organization at www.northwestcompass.org.

The Humanitarian Service Project alleviates the pain and suffering that poverty brings to seniors and children in DuPage and Kane Counties, Illinois, without discrimination or exclusion for any reason. The organization has four programs: 1. Senior Citizen Project 2. Children’s Project 3. Christmas Offering 4. School Supply Drive. You can find out more about the organization at www.hsp.agency

We are so thankful for all of you who have chosen to partner with us this year and in past years. We wish you and your loved ones a very, happy holiday season and look forward to the light a New Year always brings.

From all of us at Arlington Resources and Casey Accounting and Finance Resources, we hope you enjoy some of our favorite things about the holidays!

 

“I like going into downtown Chicago at Christmas to shop and check out the holiday lights.”
Pete McTague, Director, Casey Accounting & Finance Resources

“What keeps my spirit bright is family traditions during the holiday season! As a newlywed, I get to continue those traditions by picking out a real Christmas tree with my husband and decorating it with all the ornaments from our childhood. And can’t forget watching A Christmas Story over and over again on Christmas Eve!”
Nina Salgado, Administrative Assistant

“What keeps my spirits bright this holiday season is the anticipation of seeing the look on my great nephews’ eyes when they open their presents. Oh, the joy! Secondly, spending time with my family. Lastly are all the decorations in full view with twinkling lights.”
Eileen Renk, Director of Recruiting and Sales, Casey Accounting & Finance Resources


Eileen’s great nephews

“Our neighborhood purchases small lit Christmas trees that we line our streets with. The proceeds go to a foundation that is dear to my heart. It makes our homes even more beautiful to look at. Also, I love Christmas music and candles!”
Julie Jurek, Sourcing Specialist, Arlington Resources

“The holidays are my favorite time of the year. The joyful season and beautiful holiday displays and decorations everywhere keep my spirits bright!”
Erika Cobos, Payroll/Accounting Administrator

“I love the smell this time of year brings! You get the cold smell outside, the smell of fires burning in fireplaces, and the cinnamon smell that just seems to be everywhere! It really helps me slow down and enjoy these moments because they won’t be here for long!”
Elizabeth Lanaghan, Senior Recruiter, Arlington Resources

Elizabeth’s fur kids ready for the holidays!

“Christmas is my most favorite holiday of the year. From the day after Thanksgiving, I embrace the season and have so many things that I love about it. As my girls are older now, I do relish in the fact that there is not as much “stress” as there was when they were younger.  I am a real tree lover and can’t wait to decorate my tree (which takes two days)! Every morning when I wake up, I spend at least 15 minutes sitting by my tree with my morning coffee. It is so peaceful, and I love looking at all the amazing ornaments that I have collected through the years. I love driving around the neighborhood to see all the decorations. I love listening to Christmas music all day long. I love picking out gifts. I love sending cards and receiving them. The best part is spending Christmas morning with just my husband and girls, having an amazing breakfast with sweets, of course, and hanging in our pjs as long as we can!”
Cheryl Reinwald, Director, Recruiting & Sales, Arlington Resources

Cheryl’s tree

“Most people that know me well, know, that I love to cook. Here’s my recipe for Air Fryer Cornish Hens which are beautiful for a smaller holiday gathering.”
Denise Young, Director, Arlington Resources

2 Cornish Hens (Thawed and Rinsed)
1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of paprika

½ teaspoon of thyme

½ teaspoon of rosemary

1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 teaspoon of melted butter or olive oil

Instructions

Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil

Dry Cornish hens and rub each bird with oil or melted butter

Rub seasonings mixed together on each bird
Air fry for 20 minutes breast side up at 375
Flip over and cook for an additional 10 minutes

 

PS – We are here over the holidays for any last-minute staffing needs. Reach out to us at https://www.caseyresources.com/contact/. 

How Will the Economic Downturn Affect Hiring?

Are you laying off or hoarding employees? Implementing hiring freezes? Considering salary transparency practices to fill critical positions?

Consider salary transparency as a recruiting strategy? Are we nuts? There’s a method to our madness and we’ll explain more below. As we continue to watch the economy and inflation, we’re also noticing the labor market slowing down – employers are adding fewer jobs, hesitant about hiring if we fall into a recession. On the other hand, employers are also hesitant to lay off employees as would traditionally happen with an economic downturn. Why? Because it continues to be difficult to fill already open positions. Employers are concerned that if they let people go, it may be twice as hard to fill the positions again. Confusing? That’s an understatement.
Overall, the job market is still strong. HR and staffing industry leaders will tell you that this has been the weirdest time in recruiting, and it doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon.

Labor Hoarding

With inflation still climbing, there are signs that companies may be “hoarding” employees. A recent report from Employ, Inc. suggested that some companies may be “labor hoarding” – choosing to keep workers rather than laying them off, hoping to save time and money overall. The report states that 52% of recruiters surveyed said their organizations were retaining employees, even those who might be underperforming or lacked a fit with the company culture. John G. Fernald, a senior research adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, said that employers would be especially hesitant to lay off workers who would be difficult to rehire once the economy recovers from a downturn, such as those with specialized skills or higher levels of education. In an article published by Vox, economists say there are several reasons employers may be less likely to lay off workers if it is short-lived:
  • Dealing with labor shortages and finding it difficult to hire people.
  • It’s costly to offboard employees.
  • It’s costly to onboard and train workers.
According to Aaron Sojourner, a labor economist and senior researcher at W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, “You can’t count on a long line of job applicants to just show up whenever you post an opening. I think employers hadn’t felt that so acutely in a long time.” Diane Swonk, the chief economist at KPMG notes that companies are still understaffed. “Even as you scale back, you’re still understaffed, so you’re not going to be firing as many as you would have. There’s also a sense that, if you work so hard to get workers, you want to retain the workers you have.” Fernald also suggests that employers should be especially hesitant to let workers go who would be difficult to rehire. “If you lay off people with valuable skills, well, you’re not going to be able to recover production when demand picks up again,” he said. While layoffs will still happen, Allie Kelly, the chief marketing officer of Employ, said there has been a “clear, growing trend of more companies implementing hiring freezes, although they still largely aren’t laying off workers yet.”

Is There Hope to Fill Critical Open Positions?

Yes, there is. There has been plenty of talk about re-examining hiring processes, modernizing benefits to include things like mental health resources and caregiving leave, and more flexibility in work hours, to name a few. Would salary transparency help? More recently, we’re seeing articles about salary transparency in job postings. Once a taboo subject, research done by Adzuna, a search engine provider, reveals that an increasing number of job seekers want to know the salary attached to the job before they apply for it. 54% of jobseekers turned down a job offer when they finally learned the salary. So, what’s the big deal? Only 3% of U.S. job ads include a salary. And why wouldn’t you want to reveal salary? With more than half of jobseekers turning down job offers, Adzuna calculates that represents about 480 million hours of wasted time on vetting candidates, interviews, and negotiations. All for naught. Positions go unfilled, and the process of recruiting and interviewing starts all over again. Adzuna’s survey respondents also delivered this information:
  • 28% of people feel no salary or a lack of salary clarity on job ads is their biggest frustration when looking for a job.
  • 33% of job seekers would not attend a job interview before knowing the salary the employer is willing to offer.
  • 86% of U.S. employees would be open for their colleagues to know how much they earn
  • 73% think employers making salaries more transparent would make the workplace more fair.
So, is there a downside? Again, yes there is. But only if you ignore current employees’ salaries and needs. According to Harvard Business Review (HBR), there are consequences of salary transparency – fallout with disgruntled employees whose pay is not equal to a new colleague. But eventually, the consequences go away after pay equities are established therefore establishing more employer/employee trust, fairness, job satisfaction, and found to boost individual task performance by taking a more holistic approach to reward-related human resource practices. More information can be found here: https://hbr.org/2022/08/research-the-unintended-consequences-of-pay-transparency How can we help? Casey Accounting and Finance Resources is here for all your sourcing and outsourcing needs. If you’re struggling with your recruiting strategies, call us today!

Is the Workforce Shrinking Before Our Eyes?

In the second part of this two-part series, we share research from Emsi, the leading provider of labor market data, on the vanishing workforce.

In the first part of this two-part series, we shared insights from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) on why the economic and labor numbers are unfamiliar with the ongoing talent shortage. You can find that article here. 

If you are in HR, a hiring manager, or running a business, you are not alone in your struggles to find workers. Wage inflation, the persistence of the Covid-19 pandemic, and workplace fatigue are all contributing to the challenge of hiring and retaining employees. In the past, when talent acquisition created anxiety among recruiters, we knew it was just a rough patch we’d all get through. Emsi’s research suggests that we’ve entered a “sansdemic” (without people), and the “hire more people” directive we’ve heard before isn’t going to help. Emsi reports the workforce is “vanishing” and will continue to disappear for decades to come. It’s not just a matter of a low labor force participation rate (LFPR), which measures people working or actively seeking work; it is a lack of available prime-age workers.

What’s Really Happening?

The last few years have been tumultuous with the pandemic. A February 2020 study by Manpower reported that a record 70% of US businesses reported a talent shortage – more than double the 32% who were having difficulty in 2015. With the Covid-19 shutdown, unemployment rates soared. In the past, when unemployment was high, talent was plentiful. But, in the frenzy of shutdowns and layoffs, and employees working from home, coupled with extended unemployment benefits and stimulus packages, workers didn’t jump back into the workforce pool. The result – millions of people not working and millions of open jobs unfilled. Esmi reports the LFPR has dropped to lows not seen since the recession of the mid-1970s.

Companies are trying to combat employee exoduses with strategies that include “internal mobility, reskilling and job redeployment…open to part-time workers, employees who live and work remotely, and workers who need training to perform…improving employee experiences with culture and wellbeing programs to make a company (and the job) more enjoyable and rewarding.”

But these tactics won’t be enough because there won’t be sufficient numbers of prime-age workers, and Covid-19 isn’t to blame. Emsi notes that this is “history catching up to us. We’ve been approaching this cliff for decades,” and there are a growing group of researchers and writers who are noticing this same trend.

In brief, Esmi reports that “there aren’t enough millennials and GenZers to fill baby boomers’ shoes”:

  • The mass exodus of boomers (workforce past)…The largest generation in US history remains a powerful cohort of key workers that still hold millions of roles. Their sudden departure from the labor force will gut the economy of crucial positions and decades of experience that will be hard to fill en masse.
  • Record-low labor force participation rate (LFPR) of prime-age workers (workforce present)…Thousands voluntarily opted out of looking for work. The children and grandchildren of baby boomers are not replacing the boomers who leave the workforce.
  • The lowest birth rates in US history (workforce future)…The national birth rate, already in decline, hit a 35-year low in 2019, and the relative size of the working-age population has been shrinking since 2008.

Where did the Prime-Age Workforce Go?

It might be easy to understand that, according to Emsi, 2.4 million women left the workforce from February 2020 to February 2021. Many stayed at home as their children attended school remotely. But Emsi tells us that this fact was overshadowed by another mass exodus – men have been disappearing from the workforce since the 1980s. Here are some additional takeaways from what Esmi is calling an “erosion of the prime-age male workforce:”

  • The prime-age male workforce (ages 25-54) plunged from 94% in 1980 to 89% in 2019. That five percentage-point drop represents over three million missing workers.
  • Millennials are expected to inherit an estimated $68 trillion from their boomer parents by 2030, making them the new, wealthiest generation in history…making millennials less motivated to seek careers of their own.
  • The opioid epidemic is a major culprit in siphoning prime-age men off the labor force.
  • The number of prime-age men willingly opting for a part-time job jumped from six million to nearly eight million in 2019.

Valuing What You Have

With the impending shortfalls, both near-term and in future decades, Emsi tells us that:

  • Education institutions and businesses will desperately compete for recruits who simply don’t exist.
  • The US stands to lose $162 billion annually due to talent shortages.

We need people. We won’t be able to “technology” ourselves out of this jam but recruiting and retention strategies can help slow the impending worker drought.

Conclusion

Emsi summarizes it by saying – “The sansdemic is going to make a tough situation tougher still. Fewer people means fewer new ideas. Fewer students. Fewer people in research and innovation. Fewer skills in the job market. Fewer employees. Fewer products and fewer goods. Fewer opportunities for growth.” Every person is going to be of value and will need to feel valued.

If you would like to receive a copy of Emsi’s research, email us at info@caseyresources.com. Let us help you develop effective retention strategies.

How to Get the Most Productivity Out of Your Meetings

A report by Harvard Business Review showed that more than 70% of the senior managers surveyed said most meetings are inefficient and unproductive. Among the top reasons were they keep managers from finishing their work, take away time for deep thinking, and result in lost opportunities to unite the team.

A study conducted by Beenote showed that 80% of the employees surveyed had problems in at least one stage of the meeting lifecycle. A lack of minute-keeping, participant preparation, team communication, follow-up tasks, and finishing on time made most meetings unproductive.

As a result, reducing the amount of time spent in meetings can increase employee satisfaction and productivity. You can use these tips to get started.

 

Follow these guidelines to increase productivity during meetings.

Limit the Number of Participants

Keep your meetings between seven and nine participants. Smaller numbers promote greater participation than larger numbers.

Invite only the necessary employees to participate. Smaller groups can make faster decisions and accomplish more than larger groups.

Advance the Agenda  

Send participants an agenda well before the meeting. Include the meeting goal and anticipated outcomes.

Limit the number of discussion topics. This helps the meeting stay on schedule and finish on time.

Begin on Time

Start the meeting at the designated time. Avoid recapping the discussion for latecomers. Do not let them in 15 minutes past the start time.

Beginning on time enforces the habit of employees showing up on time. This helps keep the meeting on track and within the timeframe.

Designate Action Items

Write down specific follow-up tasks according to the decisions made during the meeting. Include which employee is responsible for each task and what the deadline is.

These action items help prepare employees for the next meeting. They can more effectively report on their progress and results.

Enforce Time Limits

Keep each meeting at one hour or less. End the meeting on time, even if items are left on the agenda.

Enforcing meeting time limits lets employees more effectively plan their work day. It also encourages meeting planners to include only the necessary discussion topics.

Send Follow-Up Information

Let employees know whether you will send additional details about the topics discussed during the meeting. This encourages employees to participate more in the discussion and take fewer notes.

Ensure you send the information so employees can review it. This reinforces the discussion topics from the meeting.

 

Need to Hire HR Professionals?

Limiting the number of participants, advancing the agenda, and starting on time increase the productivity of meetings. Designating action items, finishing on time, and sending follow-up information increase the likelihood of implementing the decisions made during the meeting.

If you need to add HR professionals to your team, involve Arlington Resources in your hiring process. Find out more today.