What are jobseekers looking for in 2022?

The widespread spread of the coronavirus has prompted many people to reconsider the things that are most important to them. It should come as no surprise that many people have rethought their present job position and have joined the movement that many people are calling the Great Resignation. We spend roughly a third of our lives working, so it's no wonder that many people have joined the movement. The ongoing health crisis has brought about a profound shift in the conception of what constitutes a decent employment. As a consequence of this, workers are more in control than ever before of their job prospects and are more likely to wait until they find a position that is a good fit for them, regardless of whether the position provides better compensation, more schedule flexibility, or the ability to work from home.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the recovery of the labor force participation rate, which measures the proportion of the American population that is either employed or actively seeking for work, has been gradual and has mostly been unchanged since June of 2020. Indeed, according to economist Nick Bunker, worries about the pandemic itself have prevented many people from looking for work, and they have also been unable to fulfill their child care obligations in light of the shifting COVID-19 interruptions at schools.

In this piece, we analyze current work patterns by analyzing data from Indeed and then give our six predictions for what job seekers might anticipate in the year 2022.

1. Applicants for jobs will raise the bar for themselves in terms of employment requirements

The epidemic provided many individuals with fresh openings to think about the things that are most important to them in their lives. In a recent survey1 conducted by Indeed of individuals who had changed professions at least twice since the beginning of the epidemic, 92% of respondents said that the pandemic made them understand that life is too short to remain in a job that they were not enthusiastic about.

According to the findings of the poll conducted by Indeed, employees are less inclined to accept employment that do not live up to their expectations and are more prepared to look for work elsewhere if they can find something that better meets their requirements. A little less than three quarters of individuals who participated in the poll made their initial job transition with the knowledge that it would be temporary as they continued their search for the ideal permanent match.

A poll was given to workers, and three quarters of them responded that they felt the labor shortage encouraged them to move employment since it provided them with new career chances that they otherwise would not have had. The increase of remote work, which workers believed opened doors to employment they may not have been able to pursue otherwise, was cited as the cause of this phenomenon by the majority of polled employees (82 percent).

It is obvious that the epidemic has caused many people to reevaluate their priorities, and it is also evident that workers are less likely to remain in positions that they do not find satisfying. New employment alternatives have become available for employees as a result of the labor crisis and the rise of remote work. Eighty-five percent of people searching for work are interested in making a significant career shift and are exploring job options in industries unrelated to their present work.

2. Job searchers and workers will have an advantage over employers when it comes to negotiating salaries—at least for the time being.

Early data from 2022 reveals that the tendency of 2021 workers to go for higher-wage labor that can be done remotely rather than in-person work in industries that typically pay less, such as child care or food preparation and service, is continuing.

Indeed, economist AnnElizabeth Konkel asserts that "these companies have just one significant lever: boosting salaries." This is due to the fact that changing to employment that is performed remotely is very uncommon.

Even though the economy was in the throes of a shutdown, the findings of our study reveal that 87 percent of employees were rewarded the same or more when they started their first new job. In point of fact, according to a poll conducted by Indeed, half of those who switched jobs were given a pay raise, and those who did were given an average rise of 52 percent. There is a significant correlation between increases in job seeker interest and median advertised hourly earnings.

Although just 24 percent of job switchers cited a desire for a job with higher income as a motivation for leaving their work before the epidemic, this desire became the top reason why they opted to leave the first job they got after leaving their employment before the outbreak. Job switchers left their first job an average of five months after starting it, and almost half (48%) of them found a new job that earned an average of 38 percent more than their previous one.

According to the findings of this poll, the first motivation for switching jobs during the pandemic was flexibility and the ability to work from home; nevertheless, the prospect of earning more money soon became the primary impetus for people to keep looking for employment. In point of fact, sixty percent of people who responded to our survey said that they are still actively seeking for a new job despite the fact that they had already held at least two different positions in the preceding nineteen months. What is their primary driver? Almost half of respondents, or 49%, said they were interested in receiving a greater salary elsewhere. ¹

Wages tend to go up if there is a larger turnover rate.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report that was released on February 1 indicates that layoffs hit a new all-time low in December (1.2 million workers, or 0.8 percent of all workers), and the voluntary quits rate ended the year at 2.9 percent (4.3 million workers), which is close to its all-time high of 3 percent reached in November. Both of these statistics were found in the United States. Because of the surge in people changing jobs, pay growth in the United States has increased at a pace that hasn't been witnessed in the labor market in over a decade.

"Anyone who wants to understand where pay growth is heading should keep an eye on the quits rate," says Bunker. "It will tell you everything you need to know."

You may use the salary calculator on Indeed to assess your current take-home pay and get a tailored report on the typical pay range for your work. The calculator is very easy to use. Make use of this information to evaluate your current salary in comparison to that of other people or to negotiate a higher salary or a better job offer.