With nationwide unemployment still hovering just below 10%, and California well above 12%, we anticipate a long road ahead before employment returns to pre-recession levels. Some economists predict 3-5 years, at the soonest. What does that mean to the unemployed jobseeker, or the employer looking to re-hire?
For this post we invited our Recruiting Manager, Angela Showell, to share her perspective on what lies ahead.
Recruiting Trends
Most people tend to agree that, as a nation, our economy continues to slowly recover. However, because California is among the states that was hit the hardest during the market’s downward spiral, I continue to hear a number of concerns from job seekers as well as employers. The California job market (and most job markets on the whole) are still saturated with an abundance of candidates, a number of whom tend to be largely overqualified for the positions to which they apply.
This results in both the jobseeker(s) as well as employers and hiring managers being equally weary regarding what this ultimately means. From the jobseekers perspective, especially considering that in many scenarios, days have turned to weeks and months of searching, they’re very nervous that employers are looking to capitalize off of knowing that people are desperate by offering the minimum salary to someone with the maximum skill set. The opposite side of that coin is that employers feel that, due to desperation, many candidates will accept their (underpaying) positions and leave as soon as the economy rebounds and another higher paying position surfaces.
I know that sounds pretty grim and may not leave a lot of people feeling very optimistic, but there is good news! In spite of these concerns, I can honestly say that my experiences with both sides directly contradicts what each side is expecting of the other. Candidates really want the opportunity to come into a new company or environment, and to show off why they deserve to be there. They want to “earn” their keep as well as their pay, even when it’s much less than what they’re accustomed to making.
Similarly, the employers and hiring managers with whom I do a lot of business look forward to the opportunity of having someone who would normally be considered overqualified, come in and really boost the team and the company. They would then pay the new hire accordingly, often adjusting job title and description to match the caliber of the candidate.
In sum, I’ve always believed that you get out of something what you put into it. Even when tragic circumstances, like the worst economy in modern history, bring us together it’s something we all have in common and it’s a very interesting bond. I believe that what will truly help us evolve and move past this terrible set of circumstances is to wipe the slate clean, stop comparing apples and oranges (i.e., previous jobs and future jobs / previous employees and future employees) and let’s give each other the benefit of the doubt so we can move on with a positive view.Thank you.
Angela Showell
Recruiting Manager, CPEhr
It is generally accepted in the Human Resources field that there is a direct correlation between times of recession and dramatic increases in employee lawsuits. Even the best of companies are not safe from litigation. As employee unemployment pushes past 10%, it is natural to for employees to begin fearing for their future. Additionally, with employers scrambling to contain costs, reducing headcount is usually the first area to be considered. Employees, often feeling they have been wronged, will fight back. How? By filing a lawsuit.
So you considered the alternatives, researched the law, reviewed the employees to be let go, and you do it. Now what? More often than not, the 
