Rising unemployment rates around the globe continue to beg the question, “How desperate are unemployed candidates?” Organizations worry about hiring desperate candidates who may be willing to say anything to get a job and fear they will end up with a hire who’s unengaged and a poor fit for the job or the organization.
As part of our recent global labor market survey in April, the Roundtable asked unemployed respondents about their willingness to accept an offer for a job that they consider “worse” than their prior job. Despite the dire economic conditions around the globe amidst the worst recession in half a century, candidates are actually not as desperate as one might think. In fact, only 22% of unemployed respondents are likely to take a job that pays 15% less than their prior job. If the compensation penalty drops to 5%, still only one third of unemployed candidates are willing to accept that 5% pay cut. What is even more surprising is these numbers drop even further when the unemployed were faced with taking jobs that did not align with their job interests. Only 9% of respondents would be willing to take a job poorly aligned with their job interests and only 11% would be willing to work for a bad manager.It’s clear there are some candidates out there who are desperate and will take any job; however, those individuals represent a small minority of the unemployed. Recruiters can rest assured that most unemployed candidates are still ultimately looking for the “right” job and not just any job.
Written by: Sarah Andresen
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