Canadian employers upping benefits offerings to fill job vacancies: survey
Canadian employers are offering additional benefits, flexible working opportunities and broadening their view of talent pools to fill job openings, according to a new survey by ManpowerGroup Canada.
The survey, which polled 2,000 employers, found 41 per cent of survey respondents are having difficulty filling vacancies. Positions in the skilled trades such as electricians, welders and mechanics, are the most difficult to fill. After that category, the toughest positions to fill in Canada are: sales representatives, drivers, technicians, engineers, information technology workers, office support and health-care professionals. The top 10 is rounded out by professionals such as lawyers, project managers and researchers and teachers.
About two-thirds, (68 per cent), of survey respondents are investing in learning platforms and development tools to bolster the talent pipeline, while 41 per cent are changing their benefit plans and education/experience requirements. Also, more than half, (56 per cent), are broadening their view of talent pools, looking at employees such as boomerang retirees, parents returning to the workforce and part-time workers.
Some 41 per cent are offering additional benefits, 39 per cent are implementing contract, freelance or temporary positions and 28 per cent are offering flexible or remote working opportunities.
In terms of the reasons for the difficulty in filling job openings, 26 per cent of employers said there’s a lack of applicants, 19 per cent cited a lack of experience, 17 per cent said applicants lack necessary hard skills and 12 per cent said applicants expect higher pay than the job offers.
“Today’s job seekers don’t always have the skills employers need. To solve our growing skills gap, we need to take a new approach,” said Darlene Minatel, country manager for ManpowerGroup Canada. “Employers need to buy skills in the short term, cultivate communities of talent by borrowing from external sources and help people with adjacent skills transition from one role to another. Above all, we need to build talent through upskilling and reskilling programs to develop a workforce with the skills companies and individuals need to succeed”
Employers urged to look beyond pay raises in retaining top talent
According to a new survey by Mercer, Canadian employers expect pay increases to remain steady for 2018, projecting salaries will rise for the average employee by 2.4 per cent, (up from 2.3 per cent in 2017).
Because of this trend to maintain the status quo, it appears that employers now need to be very strategic when it comes to offering other perks to address employee retention. The survey found that employee retention, (cited by 69 per cent of respondents), is the number one concern influencing compensation decisions in the Canadian market for 2019, followed closely by the overall economic climate (61 per cent).
It looks like employers are more willing than ever to find creative retention solutions, (outside of higher salaries), just to keep people who have certain skill sets. The survey found that many are finding ways to reward them differently just to keep them on board because the competition is just so fierce.
Alternatives include rewarding employees with extra vacation days, employer paid benefit plans, investing in employees’ education and skill development and implementing a variety of short- and long-term incentives.
It looks like in 2019 “retention is key,” said Griffiths. “More and more, organizations are thinking outside the box... around some of the innovative ways you can actually reward employees while getting the biggest bang for their buck.”
Comments
Post a Comment