Job postings on CareerBuilder.com have nearly tripled over the course of the pandemic, and in February 2022 the rising demand in Education, Training, and Library Occupations increased significantly by more than 1000%, especially across Teacher occupations.
Job inventory has experienced double-digit growth since last February in most states, and demand for counselors and therapists is on the rise across all states. The need for tractor-trailer truck drivers remains strong, with only a slight dip in demand in Alaska (-5%). Demand for nurses dipped slightly month over month, following a trajectory similar to that of COVID cases.
CareerBuilder CEO predicts inflation will impact retention.
CareerBuilder CEO Susan Arthur believes companies will need to factor inflation into their employee retention plans for 2022. “The recent data allows us to get a better understanding of today’s job seeker and the state of the job force. Knowing that we are expecting a 5-6% wage increase in the coming months, companies are getting creative in their approach to inflation and the current job market including ways of retaining their employees,” she says.
Regarding the continued impact of the pandemic, Arthur states, "As we see industries becoming largely affected by the results of the pandemic, we see the demand for nurses following a similar trend as the current state of COVID cases though the demand is still high and supply is still challenged." Additionally, there is increased demand for wellness services and the professionals that provide them. "We recognize that other occupations like Community and Social Services are also experiencing significant demands of over 400% compared to last year. The spike suggests that mental health remains a high priority and continues to impact occupations including teachers who are experiencing burnout leading to a demand increase of over 1000% compared to last year,” she adds.
Other key findings:
Work-from-home jobs and remote positions continue to increase, and these positions attract seven times more applicants than other jobs, signaling that businesses understand that talent exists and can be successful from a variety of locations, and that these types of positions can be more attractive to top talent.
Transportation/warehousing continues to lead in volume.
This segment is the largest contributor by volume as national supply chain is working toward alleviating the bottleneck impacted by the low supply or truck drivers and warehouse workers.
The top five most in-demand industries are:
- Transportation and material moving occupations
- Healthcare practitioners and technical positions
- Office and administrative support occupations
- Sales and related occupations
- Managerial occupations
Demand for teachers surged last month.
Demand in education has increased by 1055.8% since 2021. This suggests that schools and universities are in dire need of teachers as so many chose to leave the profession during the pandemic due to exhaustion. Despite the massive increase in job postings in this area, CareerBuilder’s resume-to-jobs candidate inventory remains positive.
As we move into spring and the second quarter of 2022, this is an optimum time to revisit your strategy and determine what hiring practices you should focus on to be successful in the coming months.
