The COVID-19 crisis is not only highlighted by ghastly infection and death statistics and an impact on public health, but also by its impact on the economy.
Millions of jobs were lost – at least temporarily – according to U.S. unemployment statistics that indicate that a recovery may be just over the horizon after a record number of workers filed for unemployment benefits over the last few months.
That creates an extremely competitive job market for recent college graduates and entry-level workers. As you AV integration professionals know, the industry is in dire need of an injection of youth, new ideas, emerging technology and diversity that college graduates and Gen Z workers can bring.
Related: 3 Steps to Hiring More Young AV Employees
However, according to job search engine Monster.com, recent college grads are reporting being very frustrated with the labor market as they begin looking for their careers.
According to cloud recruiting platform iCIMS, the average entry-level starting salary actually fell from last year, declining to $54,585 to $56,155.
Further, about 1 in 20 companies are pulling full-time offers they made to 2020 college seniors, per the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Another 19% are undecided and 22% are revoking intern offers.
According to Monster, employers looking to fill entry-level positions should consider these ideas:
- Virtual everything. Videoconferencing platforms can take the place of most recruiting and hiring processes you had pre-coronavirus, including job fairs, interviews, orientation, and internships.
- Flexibility. In the COVID-19 age, most workers want the flexibility to be able to work remotely when they can, and many workers want it as a permanent option. However, Gen Z wants even more workplace flexibility, global pandemics aside.
- The potential for growth. Younger generations – Gen Z specifically – want to know that they’ll be able to grow their careers and want their job to support those ambitions.
- Digital innovation. Gen Z is the first generation to truly grow up with smartphones, tablets, text messaging, Facebook, Twitter and so much more. Figure out how your desired employees want to connect and meet the
- Diversity and inclusion. Gen Z is very diverse, and companies will need to be open to that to capture young talent. This generation cares deeply about those topics as social issues, so your company should embrace that as much as your employees do.
The unemployment figures have been astronomical, but the one silver lining is that there will be a gigantic talent pool when your AV integration firm is ready to ramp up staffing again.
We put together this guide earlier this month to help you recruit workers, and hopefully these additional resources and Monster.com’s workforce development expertise will enable you to find the next generation of AV experts.
