35 Recruiting & Talent Acquisition Statistics to Know for 2020

As we enter 2020, it’s a great time to reflect on the HR and recruiting trends that shaped 2019 – a monumental year for job growth. For employers, the struggle to attract qualified candidates was one of the most common themes, while many discussions surrounded employer branding, recruitment marketing, talent retention, the multi-generational workforce, and interview and job ghosting.

On the job seeker side, the applicant “black hole” was a prominent trend, as candidates voiced frustration about applying for jobs and never hearing back from employers. We also observed a rise in job-hopping due to a candidate-driven labor market and an increased emphasis on working for employers with strong company cultures.

To highlight these HR trends, we’ve pulled together 35 of the most interesting recruiting industry statistics from our various surveys and polls conducted throughout the past year.

Talent Acquisition Statistics

• 30.9% of employers said receiving too many irrelevant applicants was their number one challenge when recruiting through an online job board, website, or community, while 22.6% cited receiving too many underqualified applicants.
• 5.8% of employers said being ghosted by candidates who don’t show up for interviews was their most pressing recruiting challenge.
• 52.5% of employers said they first consult a general job board when posting jobs (aside from their company website).
• 53.7% of employers who cited receiving too many irrelevant or underqualified applicants as their top online recruiting challenge prioritized using a general job board. Just 14.7% of those employers prioritized using an industry-specific job board.
• 64.2% of small businesses said too many unqualified applicants apply for their jobs, while 55.3% experienced a low volume of applicants per job opening.

Sources: State of Online Recruiting Report 2019 and Small Business Hiring Challenges for 2020

Job Search Statistics

• 26.4% of job seekers said their top challenge was not hearing back from employers after applying and/or interviewing, while 14.1% said they struggled to find jobs in their desired location.
• 45.6% of job seekers who’ve been searching for a job for 12+ months listed general job boards as their go-to resource.
• 62.6% of job seekers said they are more likely to apply to an employer’s job ad if it includes company culture information. However, less than half of employers (46.1%) said they include this information in their ads.

Source: State of Online Recruiting Report 2019

Talent Retention Statistics

• 51.7% of employees have left a job voluntarily in the past five years and 75.5% said they planned to stay with their current employer no longer than five years.
• 59.9% of employees were merely “somewhat satisfied” or “neither satisfied nor unsatisfied” with their jobs.
• 35% of employees admitted to job searching during work hours.
• 16.9% of employees said unsatisfactory salary/pay is the primary reason they would voluntarily leave their job, while 11.7% cited few growth or advancement opportunities.
• 48.6% of employees said a raise or bonus would increase their likelihood of staying with their employer if offered a new job elsewhere, while 21.6% said the same about clear growth opportunities.
• 10.7% of employees would leave a job due to a negative/toxic work environment, showing the importance of a positive company culture.

Source: 2019 Talent Retention Report

Employer Branding Statistics

• 39.1% of companies do not have an employer branding strategy.
• 20.1% of employers were “unsure” of their branding efforts.
• 39.8% of employers without branding efforts said they didn’t know enough about the topic in general in order to create a strategy.
• 40.7% of employers said they had a branding strategy. Of that group:
  • 51.7% said employer branding is critical recruiting top talent.
  • 30.1% said it’s critical to retaining top talent.
  • 51.2% said it supports their broader marketing efforts.
  • 41.2% said it builds credibility and trust with internal and external stakeholders.

Source: Employer Branding Demystified: Separating Fact from Fiction

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Baby Boomer Job Seeker Statistics

• 52.5% of baby boomers said they have felt discriminated against by an employer due to their age.
• 82.9% of baby boomers felt either “very qualified” or “overqualified” for the jobs for which they were applying.
• 69.9% of baby boomers who felt overqualified when applying for jobs believe they’ve been subject to ageism.
• 44.5% of baby boomers believed their generation is unfairly stereotyped by today’s employers.
• 73.5% of baby boomers said a fair salary/compensation was their most desired workplace offering.

Source: Baby Boomers: The Missing Link in Addressing the Talent Shortage

With these HR trends and recruiting statistics in mind, start the new decade off right by finding your next great hire or landing your dream job through our 56 industry-focused talent communities.