YOUR REGION: United States

Tag: job seeker

Communication

Jobs seekers want more communication

47% say texting is their preferred form of contact

Lack of communication from employers was one of the most frustrating aspects of the job application process for job seekers, according to research from iCIMS.

The research from iCIMS found that 80% of job seekers said getting status updates during the application process would improve their experience and improve their perception of an employer.

When it comes to contacting talent, 47% of job seekers say texting is their preferred form of communication. On the flip side, 56% ranked phone calls as their least preferred.

The survey found 36% of respondents would be more likely to click on an email from an employer that included job roles that matched their skills and experience.

Other findings included:

  • A majority of job seekers, 56%, are less likely to be a consumer of a brand if they had a bad experience applying for or interviewing for a job.
  • More than 40% described their last job search as frustrating and long.
  • 72% expect the job application process — from submitting the application to receiving an offer — to take three weeks or less.
  • 17% have already used generative AI to write a résumé or cover letter.

For the report, iCIMS surveyed nearly 1,000 US job seekers and included proprietary data from its platform.

Share this article on social media

Over half of seniors in Japan who wish to be in work are unemployed

Japan’s ageing workforce faces challenges in employment

More than half of Japan’s population aged between 60 and 74 years old has experienced prolonged unemployment despite their desire to work, as the country grapples with a shortage of labour. A recent survey conducted by Recruit Co. and reported by Kyodo News sheds light on this issue. The study, which involved 6,000 individuals and 600 companies surveyed online in February and March of this year, unveiled that 37.7% of elderly respondents expressed a strong interest in securing employment, a trend that has been on the rise since 2016.

In contrast, 32.0% stated their lack of interest in pursuing work opportunities, while 30.3% held a mixed view on the matter. Among those who had sought jobs over the past five years, 53.7% expressed a strong desire to work, but unfortunately, were unable to find suitable employment at the time of the survey. Within this group, 24.0% were still actively seeking job opportunities, 21.8% had abandoned their job search after encountering unsuccessful attempts, and 7.9% had recently embarked on the journey of seeking employment.

The study further disclosed that 11.5% had successfully secured employment, and 34.8% had opted not to actively search for work. When it comes to companies’ attitudes toward hiring older individuals, a significant 66.5% of respondents conveyed a lack of enthusiasm for employing them as full-time staff members.

Among the companies surveyed, the prevailing explanation for this reluctance was a neutral “no particular reason” response at 30.3%. The second most frequent rationale, cited by 29.6%, was that these companies deemed their current workforce sufficient. Additionally, 23.8% of respondents expressed concerns about the health and physical strength of older employees as a deterrent to hiring them.

Share this article on social media

Employment discrimination cases go down in Singapore

Government data reveals positive trends in 2022

Instances of workplace and recruitment-based discrimination in Singapore experienced a second consecutive annual decrease in 2022, as indicated by government data released on Monday.

Within the realm of job seekers, the proportion of individuals facing discrimination during their job search dropped to 23.8% in 2022, down from the 25.8% recorded in 2021 and a significant reduction from the 42.7% reported in 2018.

Based on a survey encompassing 3,600 Singaporeans, prevalent forms of discrimination encountered by job seekers centred around:

  1. Age (16.6%)
  2. Race (7.1%)
  3. Mental health (5%)
  4. Family status (4.3%)
  5. Gender (4.2%)

Instances of mental health discrimination saw an increase from the preceding year’s 2.9% in 2021, securing the third position this year and overtaking nationality, which held the third spot the prior year.

“This might be partially attributed to heightened expectations for employers to address their employees’ mental well-being, coupled with a rise in the proportion of residents within the workforce grappling with mental health conditions,” the report explained.

While diminishing, advertisements favouring specific demographic characteristics without valid justification remained the most prevalent source of discrimination for job seekers, as outlined by the report.

Additionally, another form of discrimination stemmed from employers’ requests for personal information not relevant to the job at hand. The report noted, “Age, marital status, and nationality were the most commonly requested personal details in job applications or during interviews.”

Meanwhile, instances of discrimination experienced by employees within workplaces declined to 8.2% in 2022, a slight decrease from the 8.5% observed the preceding year and a substantial decline from the 24.1% noted in 2018.

The report delineated workplace discrimination as unjust treatment in areas including salary, career advancement, and distribution of workload. Respondents indicated that instances of unfair treatment encompassed:

  1. Salary (56%)
  2. Workload distribution (46%)
  3. Performance evaluations (44.7%)
  4. Promotions (44.7%)
  5. Career growth (38.7%)
  6. Bonuses (36.7%)
  7. Daily interactions at work (26.7%)

The report further identified that employees experienced discrimination based on personal attributes such as:

  1. Mental health (4.7%)
  2. Age (3.7%)
  3. Race (2.6%)
  4. Disability (2.5%)
  5. Nationality (2.5%)

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) credited the declining figures to “combined efforts among stakeholders to advocate and maintain equitable employment practices.”

The report disclosed that the percentage of employees seeking assistance after encountering discrimination nearly doubled to 35.3% in 2022, a significant rise from the 20% reported in 2021.

“Majority of the employees (75.3%) who sought help for discrimination were able to do so through formal channels provided by their company or their labour union,” the report highlighted.

Those who chose not to report discrimination cited fear of marginalisation at work or straining work relationships (23.1%), apprehensions about potential effects on their professional trajectory or future job prospects (21.5%), and 16% expressed that previous incidents had eroded their trust in management’s impartial handling of such matters.

MOM underscored that employees and job seekers encountering discrimination could avail themselves of their employers’ grievance resolution processes and may also reach out to the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices for assistance.

These findings align with Singapore’s ongoing efforts to introduce new legislation promoting workplace equity, aimed at eradicating discrimination within organisations.

“As we enact the Workplace Fairness Legislation, we will further fortify our stance against workplace discrimination in Singapore and ensure equitable opportunities for our workforce,” stated MOM in a press release.

Share this article on social media

Gen Z jobseekers turn to AI to keep ahead of the competition

AI interview coach helps jobseekers secure entry-level jobs

Gen Z, IT, Healthcare and Social Care workers are most likely to use AI to help them prepare for a job interview, according to new data.

Since launching in June, Adzuna’s free AI interview coach tool Prepper has gained momentum among jobseekers, with daily users topping 2,000 just 10 days after the tool went live. Based on the advances in large language models (LLMs) alongside Adzuna’s proprietary data and expertise, Prepper allows jobseekers to prepare for job interviews at any UK or US company, by generating questions, based on information from the job ad, as well as coaching them on how to best respond.

The research analysed Prepper users to reveal which sectors are most likely to use AI within their job search, as well as which companies those job seekers are interviewing for. Workers within the IT sector are most likely to use AI to prepare for a job interview, with Software Engineers, Product Managers, Software Developers, Data Analysts, and Data Scientists all featured within the top 20 roles using the tool. The Tech sector has been widely affected by the recent downturn, with June 2023 seeing 101,768 IT vacancies in the UK, down -41.3% year-on-year, fuelling jobseekers’ interest to get ahead of their competition.

Gen Z is becoming more reliant on AI to make up for their lack of interview experience and secure entry-level roles ahead of their competition. Previous Adzuna research found that around 44 graduates will be vying for every available opportunity in summer 2023, up from 36 graduates per role a year ago, with 570,000 UK students set to graduate this year according to figures from HESA.

Health and Social Care workers are also proving to be early adopters of AI for job search, with Care Assistants, Hospital Porters, and Healthcare Assistants among the top 20 roles using Prepper.

Prepper users were most likely to simulate job interview questions for Amazon, the NHS, and Google. The Civil Service and the UK Police also ranked among the top 10 companies for simulated interview questions.

Adzuna data also reveals an explosion in employers seeking job seekers with generative AI skills in the last year. The US currently boasts the highest number of generative AI vacancies, with 3,575 job openings requiring related expertise in June 2023, up from 1,698 a year ago. Germany (819 in June 2023) and the UK (353).

James Neave, head of data science at Adzuna, said: “Jobseekers are jumping on new AI tools to help them get ahead of the competition and land a job. Interviewing in particular can be one of the more stressful processes when finding a new role, so AI tools like Prepper that can help jobseekers build their confidence and prepare for tricky questions ahead of an interview are proving popular. In an increasingly competitive jobs market, this can help set jobseekers apart from other candidates.”

 

Share this article on social media

HR roles see large dip in remote work job posting

HR roles hit the hardest, but job seeker interest in remote work remains strong

According to a report from Indeed Hiring Lab on June 28, remote and hybrid job opportunities have decreased over the past year, particularly in the field of human resources. However, job seekers’ interest in remote work remains exceptionally high since early 2022.

In the report, Daniel Culbertson, an outreach economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, noted that despite the overall decline in job postings advertising flexible work arrangements, job seekers continue to actively search for remote and hybrid roles at near-record levels. Culbertson explained that this decline in postings masks growth in several fields as the job market cools and adjusts to broader economic factors impacting growth in other areas.

The report revealed that the share of job postings offering remote or hybrid work options decreased from a peak of 10.3% in February 2022 to 8.4% in May 2023. This decline can be attributed to the slowdown in hiring for occupations traditionally associated with remote and hybrid opportunities, such as corporate roles and software development/IT operations.

However, remote work is on the rise in more job categories than it is declining. Out of 55 job categories analyzed, 33 saw an increase in remote work, accounting for 49% of job postings on Indeed in May 2023. The most significant increase was observed in civil engineering roles, with nearly a quarter of positions being remote or hybrid, up from approximately 17% a year ago. Other job categories that experienced notable growth included social science, chemical engineering, and banking and finance.

Conversely, the largest decreases in remote or hybrid postings were seen in general corporate roles, including human resources, marketing, and media and communications. Human resources had the most significant decline, dropping from 23.9% in May 2022 to 19.2% in May 2023.

Culbertson suggested that employers in these categories may feel less pressure to offer remote work as related job postings have substantially declined over the past year. Additionally, as some employers are calling workers back to the physical workplace, the decrease in remote positions for human resources could be voluntary, with HR professionals aiming to demonstrate their value to leaders. Sources indicate that HR workers may need to take more strategic risks this year, and some may believe that in-person communication with leadership could be beneficial.

Share this article on social media

One in three job seekers in Japan still face gender discrimination during recruitment process

32% of job seekers have experienced gender-based discrimination

According to a survey conducted by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation Rengo and reported by Nippon, around 32.8% of job seekers in Japan felt that they had experienced gender-based discrimination. The survey, which took place online in early April 2023, gathered 1,000 valid responses from individuals between the ages of 15 and 29. These respondents had taken recruitment tests within the past three years, either as new graduates or mid-career professionals.

Among those who reported facing discrimination, the most common issue, mentioned by 39.6% of respondents, was the difference in job opportunities based on gender. For example, men were often offered career-track positions while women were frequently assigned general office work roles. Additionally, 36.9% of participants claimed that the number of job openings varied depending on gender, while 30.8% stated that certain positions were exclusively available to one gender.

Despite Japan’s Equal Employment Opportunity Law, which prohibits gender discrimination during the hiring process, the survey indicates that such practices persist. Notably, 19.5% of respondents, nearly one-fifth, reported encountering inappropriate questions or comments during their job interviews. Instances included female candidates being told they would eventually quit, questioned about their commitment to work after marriage or childbirth, and informed that women were more meticulous in their tasks.

Overall, these findings shed light on the prevalence of gender discrimination in Japan’s job market, revealing the need for continued efforts to ensure equal opportunities and fair treatment for all job seekers.

Share this article on social media

‘Overwhelmingly positive’: HR raves about chatbots

Growing acceptance of HR chatbots despite employee concerns

A recent survey conducted by Capterra indicates that HR professionals across the United States are increasingly adopting dedicated chatbots in the workplace, despite concerns expressed by some employees.

The survey, which involved 300 HR professionals, unveiled that 52% of respondents have successfully integrated an HR-specific chatbot into their systems. Furthermore, 41% stated that they are considering implementing one, while only seven percent confirmed that they have no plans to do so.

These findings highlight the rising popularity and interest among HR departments in utilizing HR-dedicated chatbots, which effectively address common concerns raised by employees and jobseekers. The feedback received from HR professionals regarding chatbot usage has been predominantly positive. The Capterra survey reports that 48% of chatbot users rated the quality of the technology as “excellent,” 46% deemed it “good,” and a mere six percent classified it as “fair.”

However, the survey results indicate some reservations. While 67% of HR employees using chatbots expressed confidence in the accuracy of information provided by the technology, only 60% believed that chatbots are capable of correctly processing requests.

Additionally, nearly half (49%) of the surveyed HR chatbot users reported receiving complaints from employees or job seekers regarding their chatbot’s performance. Among them, 15% encountered “multiple complaints,” while 34% received a single complaint in the past.

Interestingly, more than half (51%) of the respondents stated that they have not received any complaints from employees or jobseekers about their HR chatbot. Common issues raised in these complaints could include misinterpretation or misunderstanding of queries, as well as providing incorrect or unlawful advice.

Brian Westfall, the Associate Principal Analyst at Capterra, explained, “HR departments are well-versed in the rules governing how they can and cannot assist employees. However, chatbots may lack the full understanding of these nuances, including when to escalate complex questions or requests to a human HR representative.”

Share this article on social media
Advertise
Magazines
News

Copyright ©  TALiNT Partners Ltd.
All Rights Reserved.

Contact
Terms & Conditions 
Privacy Policy

Design and Development
by HUB London

Social Links
Linkedin Instagram Youtube