Survey: 63% of Businesses Say Filling Positions is “Difficult”

Image24% Say “Very Difficult” – Highest of Past Six Quarters; Only 6% Report Filling Positions is “Very Easy”

Express Employment Professionals recently released new survey results revealing the increasing difficulty employers face when trying to recruit and fill positions.

Respondents were asked, “Currently, how easy is it for you to recruit and fill positions?” The results represent the expectations businesses had for the second quarter of 2016.

Only six percent said “very easy,” while 26 percent said “somewhat easy.” Thirty-nine percent, said “somewhat difficult,” 24 percent said “very difficult,” and another six percent said, “I don’t know.”

Express has asked this question for the past six quarters. The current survey produced the highest percentage of respondents saying “very difficult.”

“For years, it’s been hard for businesses to fill positions. That may be surprising to some given that many unemployed workers have been so discouraged with the job market they have given up looking for work altogether,” said Bob Funk, CEO of Express, and a former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. “There are jobs available. There are workers out there. But for a variety of reasons, including a skills mismatch, they are not connecting.

“What’s most notable about this quarter’s survey is the uptick in respondents saying it’s ‘very difficult’ to fill positions. It does make sense, though, as the unemployment rate ticks down.”

The survey of 390 businesses, which are current and former clients of Express Employment Professionals, covers hiring trends for the second quarter of 2016.

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