While the U.S. jobs market was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, things have changed since 2020. In April 2022, American employers created 428,000 jobs, continuing the market’s ongoing comeback. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for that month was recorded at 3.6% – the lowest level since the pandemic began. To put all this in perspective, 95% of jobs lost due to COVID-19 have since been replaced.

With that said, companies are having trouble finding and retaining qualified employees. In fact, job openings in 2022 are higher than ever. To mitigate this issue for your business, you need to start looking for talent now. Here are more reasons why. 

The Hiring Process is Tedious

Even when the economy was “normal,” the hiring process can be more time-consuming than you’d expect, especially when you’re trying to find high-quality candidates. Employee turnover creates real costs for an organization. And, while having a set employee exit process is recommended and can be largely helpful in covering all your bases in the interim, you’ll have to deal with lost productivity until you hire a new worker and get them fully on board–which could take months.

That’s why you should either have an updated pool of qualified candidates to pull from readily available or start the search the moment your employee turns in their notice. 

It Improves Employee Satisfaction 

The interview and vetting process is crucial to finding the right fit. It’s also time-consuming. If you let a role in your office stay vacant for more than a few days, team members will need to pick up the slack. Of course, that will make it harder for them to do their own jobs effectively resulting in a loss of productivity all around. 

Consistently searching for talent or starting the process immediately when hearing of an employee’s departure, is a great demonstration to your team that you respect their time. It shows them that you’re working hard to keep their workload to a minimum. 

Increases Employee Engagement 

There is nothing that says your current employees shouldn’t be involved in the search process. Quite the opposite. Asking for their input is a great way to increase engagement and also demonstrates how much you trust them. 

By starting the search early, you have time to create full, engaging campaigns. As opposed to a standard ad, imagine creating videos of your team talking about the organization to be used on social media or your website. Or, asking team members to participate in the hiring process by speaking with each applicant. 

Starting earlier means you have time to include everyone in the process. This can help to improve morale during a time when it might be fragile. 

Work Smarter, Not Harder

In today’s jobs market, timing is everything–and that’s especially true for businesses with job openings. Consistently searching for new, great talent–before you might need it–not only helps your organization avoid countless headaches related to employee turnover but also gives you the time to find the perfect fit. 

The truth is that hiring can be complicated and the people you decide to bring into your business directly impact the entire team’s dynamic and overall morale. That’s why you may want to consider teaming up with PeopleAK. 

With 40-plus years of experience, our knowledgeable industry specialists can streamline your recruiting process helping you to find the right employee for every role. We can also guide your organization to improved business practices, helping your staff to be more efficient and effective while also improving overall engagement.

Ready to uplevel your team?