It's in all the papers and on everyone's lips; the labour shortage is hitting Canada and it is difficult for most companies to recruit and retain their employees.
In fact, in 2023, employees are in extremely high demand. And while you are looking for the best candidate for your company, candidates are looking for the best company to work for.
So here's a quick guide to understand what you need to offer to attract candidates in 2023.
As recruiters, we've compiled the most common things candidates look for when being presented with a new job opportunity.
To Improve their Working Conditions
It is obvious that most candidates are looking to improve their conditions. This involves several aspects, including:
Work Flexibility
According to a survey conducted in 2021, 93% of employees want flexibility in where and when they work.
So, if you want to attract candidates, a "flexible" schedule that allows them to start their day between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. won't cut it. Employees looking for flexibility want to have real control over when and where they work.
Mandatory attendance at the office on pre-established days each week could also hinder your recruitment. Indeed, allowing hybrid work arrangements may seem like enough flexibility. However, controlling when and where your employees work does not allow them to feel the autonomy they need to feel happy at work.
The reality of work has changed drastically since the pandemic, and many workers no longer want to travel to the office every day. In fact, 24% of workers indicated that they would like to work most of their hours at home and 15% would like to work 100% remote.
And we're not the only ones seeing this preference among our candidates. In Canada, the term "remote jobs" is searched on average 12,100 times per month on Google.
Ideally, if you can support it in your company, you should take time with your candidates and employees to build a remote or hybrid work schedule that works for them. In 2023, offering remote working and/or flexible hours is definitely a good way to attract candidates.
Work-life Balance
In Canada, 69% of working couples have young children. But whether a candidate has children or not (be careful not to ask this discriminatory question in an interview!), many people aspire to a better work-life balance.
The pandemic and the labour shortage have made many employees realize that they no longer have to work 60-hour weeks if they don't want to. So if the position you are hiring for requires overtime, be honest about it. You may attract fewer applicants, but you'll prevent your new employees from being dissatisfied and leaving your company after a few months.
Candidates are also interested in measures or programs put in place by companies to facilitate work-life balance, such as a 35-hour work week, a summer schedule, a 4-day work week, work from home, an EFAP, etc.
You also reduce the risk of presenteeism or absenteeism due to physical or mental illness.
Other Working Conditions
While most candidates want a better salary by changing jobs, compensation is not the only aspect that is evaluated.
A candidate who is unhappy with their current working conditions will look for different ways to improve them, depending on the individual and the situation. It is therefore important to think about the overall compensation, benefits and working conditions you offer.
- A competitive salary: In order to offer a truly competitive salary, consult the Salary Guides that Hays, Randstad and Robert Half publish each year.
- RRSPs, Vacations and Group Insurance: These aspects are part of the total compensation package and are important to candidates. Think about offering competitive benefits that are tailored to the majority of your employees. Flexible Benefits can also be an interesting option to offer your candidates exactly what they are looking for.
Read our article on annual vacations.
- Other benefits: Other benefits may be attractive to candidates such as: access to a gym, a relaxation room in the office, a wellness program at work, a right to disconnect policy, team building activities, the possibility of profit sharing, the possibility of working anywhere in the world, modern and ergonomic office space, etc.
In the end, you have to evaluate what your company is able to offer to its employees. Many of the measures mentioned above will have a real impact on the well-being and satisfaction of your employees, without your company having to spend exorbitant amounts of money to implement them.
To Take their Career to the Next Level
Many candidates tell us that they don't see an opportunity for advancement with their current employer, so they want to find new challenges elsewhere.
To attract more candidates (and have better retention of your current employees), it is important to give your employees the opportunity to advance and grow within the company. Career development plans and internal promotions are therefore good measures to put in place.
If you are a small business and it is difficult for you to offer advancement opportunities, training or development activities could give your candidates the personal and professional development they are looking for.
In addition, it allows your employees to become more efficient by improving or developing new skills.
To Test the Waters...
Keep in mind that some candidates are not really looking for a new job. They won't tell you, but some are simply curious to see what they could get in today's particularly candidate-friendly job market.
Curiosity is natural, and as an employer, there's not much you can do about it. Fortunately, the majority of candidates you will meet are genuinely interested in changing jobs.
Nevertheless, it is important to ask the candidate about their motivations, to avoid unpleasant surprises. Candidates who are not quite ready to change jobs will tend to be more vague about what they are looking for, and may not have any irritants in their current job.
Read our article on the questions to ask to choose the right candidate
Of course, no one is immune to making an offer to a candidate who changes their mind at the last minute, or who decides to stay with their current employer following a counter-offer.
In the end, the important thing is to be transparent and to be able to put yourself in the other person's shoes, in order to have a pleasant recruitment process and to offer your candidates what they are really looking for.
Are you having trouble recruiting? Contact us.
- Montreal : 514-842-7846
- Drummondville : 819-445-7846
- Toronto : 613-699-0021
