“The job market is clearly in favor of candidates, explains Aurélien Boucly, Finance and Accounting Director at the specialized recruitment firm Robert Half and their expectations have never been higher”. In its latest survey “What candidates want” of March 2022, the firm Robert Half highlights the requirements of employees with regard to what companies offer. And this observation is without appeal: salary remains the first attractiveness criterion for 77% of employees surveyed. A requirement that is all the stronger with regard to inflation.
The salary, the first criterion of attractiveness
In the recruitment market, financiers are highly sought after and salaries tend to follow. Thus, today according to the firm’s 2022 salary grid, a Daf with experience can expect an average annual salary of 150 K€. “A company that wanted to recruit a person in finance in 2022 realized that the salary it had to offer would amount to nearly 65 K€ when it itself was paying its employee who entered the position in 2017 at 55 K €”, illustrates the Finance and Accounting Director of Robert Half. Companies are aware of this. Thus, following the great transfer window of the post-pandemic job market and concerned about keeping their best elements in-house, “companies have not hesitated to adjust their salaries and increase their workforce”emphasizes Aurélien Boucly.
For a better professional/personal life balance
If 77% of respondents choose a company for a question of salary, the balance between professional life and personal life comes just after with 44% of the answers. “An employee does not change position solely for a question of salary, he must also see a internal evolution possible with more responsibilities, a better balance between professional and personal life or even a limited travel time, tempers Aurélien Boucly. From now on, companies can no longer ignore this need for balance strongly solicited by candidates, which has increased tenfold with the confinements. As proof, the geographical location of the company and good flexibility (teleworking, hybrid work, flexible working hours) come just after the expectations of candidates with respectively 40% and 38% of responses. Moreover, after the question of salary, 79% of respondents would be ready to refuse a job offer if the geographical location of the company did not suit them.
So, salary is not everything. Added to this are other expectations, such as the possibility of telecommuting, the fact of being able to evolve internally or to find meaning in one’s job. “The possibility of teleworking is also one of the first questions asked by the candidates”, emphasizes Aurélien Boucly. A trend confirmed by the study: following the health crisis, 62% of respondents have become more demanding about their professional/personal life balance. And 78% of respondents believe that they stay in their company because they find a good balance between their professional life and their personal life. A response that tops the ranking of reasons for staying in a job far ahead of regular salary developments (at 37%) or good career development prospects (cited at 24%).
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For equal pay, a choice made according to the values of the company
The good news is that companies are well aware of the shift in candidate expectations and are trying to catch up. These last work on their employer brand and do not hesitate to highlight their values in order to attract as many candidates as possible. Now they clearly state their objectives in terms of DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) such as parity or the presence of women in managerial positions. Indeed, according to the study, if the quest for meaning is important and in line with the values of the company, 67% of those questioned would refuse a job if the activity of the company was contrary to their ethics and for equal pay. and 78% of respondents would decide in favor of the company’s values. Finally, 39% of respondents could look for a new job if the company’s ESG activities do not improve. A wide range of possibilities is now opening up for corporate HR.