The willingness to sacrifice better pay for a more flexible schedule may not just be a Gen Z attribute. A survey commissioned by Express Employment Professionals from The Harris Poll found that many job candidates are willing to accept the tradeoff of flexibility over more pay and more hours.
Prioritizing Balance
Around 4 in 5 reported flexible hours to be a key factor in a desired position. 83% said this was “absolutely essential” and 79% said it was “very important.” Emphasis was also placed around job duties and responsibilities (78%), benefits (76%), and personal fulfillment (68%).
Regardless of the age of the candidate, keeping a level of autonomy and control over one’s schedule and work environment continues to come out as a top choice for those surveyed. A survey of 8,400 U.S. workers from FlexJobs found that 17% of respondents said they’d sacrifice up to 20% of their paycheck to be able to work remotely.
Skills-Based Success
A ZipRecruiter survey of 2,000 individuals found that a growing number of employers are reducing the number of roles that require a college degree. Employers are also finding competency, the ability to learn, and versatility are more important than having a particular degree. Some also believe skills-based hiring could lead to more fair and equitable hiring practices, according to Richard Wahlquist, CEO, American Staffing Association.
This is finding more employers exploring the idea of skills-based hiring. Those “right” skills include time management, professionalism and critical thinking. Employers who find these attributes lacking are adding new employee and training development programs, which could also improve recruitment and retention efforts.
The desire for autonomy also translates into the need for employees to show certain skills to their employer. Skills of critical thinking, time management and professionalism are particularly important for showing one’s individual contributions.
As the work environment continues to ebb and flow, there’s no doubt that hiring will need to become more nuanced. Additionally, with the rising use of AI in job recruitment practices, it will be important hiring managers in search of specific skills look beyond the paper and the technology to truly see the skills and the experiences in the human they hope to hire.
