How the pandemic has dramatically shifted candidate attitudes

COVID-19 has had a profound impact on candidate attitudes around job opportunities and job security.
As an employer, it’s important you understand these shifting perspectives. It not only helps you better nurture existing employee relationships, it also assists in tailoring your recruitment efforts to attract the best new talent.
The candidate outlook shift
In this unique time in our history, the 2020 Job Seeker Nation report provides some significant insights into changes in employee and candidate work perceptions.
The report is based on two surveys of more than 1500 US employees and jobseekers – one taken pre-pandemic in February 2020, and the second in April 2020 after COVID-19 hit.
The key findings:
Job market
73% of candidates surveyed in April 2020 felt finding a job was much harder, compared to just 48% who felt the same way in February 2020.
Job security
In the first survey, only 28% of employees feared losing their job in 2020, but in the second, that almost doubled.
Job stress
In April 2020, over a third of employees reported an increase in their stress levels, while close to a quarter felt their stress level had ‘drastically’ increased.
What do these findings mean for you?
It’s clear that in this current climate, employees and jobseekers are concerned, either for their current jobs, or about their prospects of finding new ones. The role you play as an employer can go a long way towards providing reassurance and security.
Now more than ever, your culture is your backbone. In times of high stress, leadership is uber-important. This includes how you communicate changes that affect employees day-to-day, and into the future.
Ensuring current employees feel secure is also imperative. A check in with your team is advised to understand their current pain points, and address them where possible. It might be their juggle to strike a good work-life balance while working from home, or a worry that their skills are becoming redundant (a tailored training package could be a solution).
As for attracting new IT talent, recent LinkedIn data shows that since March, job searches for remote work have skyrocketed by 60%. Being agile enough to ensure your company offers this places you way ahead of the pack.
Another area to focus on is to design the right (personalised) compensation package. While you’re in a reviewing mindset, look over your onboarding processes too. Consider what can be tweaked so it’s as streamlined and valuable as possible, so all new employees have a smooth and stress-free transition to their new role.
Need more help?
Should you need some further assistance in these areas, or would like to uncover other ways of addressing candidate concerns, please let us know. With over 20 years of deep experience helping clients find the right IT employee fit, we’d love to support you, especially during these challenging times.

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