There are a lot of truths regarding the current state of the job market:
-
The unemployment rate is still high, hovering right around the 10% mark.
-
Employers are still reluctant to pull the hiring trigger on some of their open positions.
-
Employers are finding it difficult to fill some of their open positions.
-
Due to a still-widening talent gap, there are approximately three million job openings in the country right now.
Keeping all of this in mind, it probably isn’t surprising that according to recent reports released by staffing firm Robert Half International, the starting salary for white collar jobs will increase by an average of 3.4 percent in 2012. These reports are RHI’s annual salary guides. Robert Half International has published a salary guide every year since 1952.
In addition, it may also not surprise you to know that the industry which is forecast to have the most growth as far as average salary is concerned is that of Information Technology. The increase for salaries in that area is projected to be 4.5 percent. Other industries included in RHI’s salary guides include the following:
- Finance and Accounting
- Creative and Marketing
- Administrative and Staff Support
- Legal
Click here to access Robert Half International’s various salary guides for 2012.
So what does this mean for the world of recruiting? After all, things haven’t exactly been rosy for recruiters during the past few years. First, job orders were difficult to find. Then companies were taking forever and a day to fill them in their quest for the “perfect candidate.”
With as many open positions as there are in the country at the moment, it would appear as though companies are still looking for top-notch candidates. According to RHI’s annual salary guides, they’re willing to pay for them, too—now and in the future. When you consider all of this information, some conclusions can be drawn:
- Top-notch candidates are still going to be difficult to find in 2012.
- Companies will still be willing to use recruiters to find these candidates.
- Companies will still be willing to pay recruiters to find these candidates.
Does this mean recruiting is going to get easier? Of course not. It just means that there’s still a demand for talent and a need for recruiters to find that talent.
Unfortunately, Grade-A candidates won’t be easier to find, and companies aren’t going to “settle” for Grade-B candidates. In other words, there will still be money to be made in recruiting… but it’s not going to be easy money.
What’s been your experience? Are your clients willing to pay more in salary, especially for the candidates they consider to be the best? Are tech candidates the ones who are in demand the most? If so, in which areas specifically?