Now in its fifth edition, the 2024 Job Seeker Survey Report is based on responses from 1,500 job seekers surveyed in February 2024. This report analyzes the perceptions and preferences of active and passive candidates across all major industries and provides important insights into what candidates want and can influence your organization’s talent acquisition and retention strategies to optimize success.
Why do candidates accept or reject job offers?
So much has changed since our first Job Seeker Survey Report published in 2019. Despite the pandemic, remote work, inflation and changing demographics, what candidates seek when deciding whether to accept a job offer has remained remarkably constant over the past five years. The number one reason for accepting a job offer is Recognition, Appreciation & Respect, and the number one reason for rejecting a job offer is a Lack of Recognition, Appreciation & Respect.
Why do people seek employment elsewhere?
In 2024, 15% of survey respondents said that lack of recognition was the second most important reason they would leave their current employer, a drop of 3% from 2023. With wages failing to keep pace with inflation and many families struggling to make ends meet, the reduced importance of recognition and job security gave way to other concerns.
How do onboarding experiences affect the intent to stay?
Another workplace reality that has remained consistently important over the past several years is that onboarding experiences profoundly influence attrition rates. Candidates believe that how they are treated during the hiring process reflects the quality of the relationship they will have with an employer.
What do people think about the recruitment process?
What jumps out is what you do and how you do it during the recruitment process matters to candidates. The application process should be easy and straightforward, candidates prefer to be communicated via email, and ideally the application should take between 15-29 minutes.
Where does remote work currently stand?
The percentage of respondents working remotely 100% of the time dropped to 11%, a decrease of six percentage points from last year. In addition, more than half of survey takers said they expect to return to the office within the next 3-6 months. Work/life balance remained the top challenge for working remotely.
How many respondents worked more than one job to keep up?
At the end of February 2024, with the rate of inflation tracking at 3.2%, the number of people who reported working more than one job remained virtually unchanged. Also, most (81%) reported that their full-time employers knew of their extra jobs, and nearly half (44%) devote 10 to 20 hours a week to their side gigs.
This is just a glimpse into what candidates want, and the experience they expect. To see the stats from our Job Seeker Survey Report, download it below!
