CHICAGO, March 21, 2013 – Can’t find skilled workers for in-demand positions? Nearly half of employers (47 percent) reported that they usually or always hire candidates who have held the same job title as the position they’re hiring for.1 A new study from CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl (EMSI) shows that pursuing alternative talent pools just may be the answer.
The study suggests that limiting your applicant pool according to previous job title may be contributing to the skills deficit in organizations. More than half (55 percent) of hiring managers who can’t find qualified candidates for open positions said they typically hire people who have held the same title as the open position. Comparatively, among hiring managers who don’t have an issue with filling open positions, 42 percent restrict their hiring based on previous job titles.2 Hiring managers who don’t have trouble finding candidates for their jobs are less likely to limit their applicant pools by job title.
Nearly three-in-ten employers currently have open positions for which they can’t find qualified candidates and half said they are concerned about the growing skills gap3,” said Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America. “Instead of waiting for the perfect hire, we see more companies hiring workers from closely-related occupations who won’t require a great deal of training and can get up to speed quickly.”
EMSI compatibility index helps assesses the similarity between occupations based on the knowledge, skills and abilities they require. The following are examples of hard-to-fill jobs and occupations with compatible skills sets according to the index:
Electrical Engineering Technician (helps engineers design and test electrical and electronic equipment such as computers, medical devices, navigational and communications equipment, etc.4) Median salary: $56,950
Related occupations:
· Audio and Video Equipment Technician - $41,808
· Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers - $37,065
· Computer User Support Specialists - $49,046
Machinist (uses machine tools to make or modify primarily parts)
Median salary: $39,353
Related occupations:
· Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators - $35,339
· Automotive Body and Related Repairers - $36,150
· Heat Treating Equipment Setter - $33,488
Medical Assistant (performs administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of health practitioners)
Median salary: $29,473
Related Occupations:
· Pharmacy Technician - $29,265
· Phlebotomist - $31,158
· Occupational Therapy Aide - $28,496
Web Developer (designs and modifies Web sites)
Median salary: $74,859
Related occupations:
· Database Administrator - $75,795
· Computer Systems Analyst - $78,249
· Video Game Designer - $79,310
Business Intelligence Analyst (produces financial and market intelligence by querying data repositories and generating reports)
Median salary: $79,310
Related occupations:
· Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist - $60,507
· Clinical Data Manager - $73,964
· Risk Management Specialist - $59,467
Technical Writer (produces instruction manuals and other supporting documents to explain complex and technical information)
Median salary: $65,936
Related Occupations:
· Reporters and Correspondents - $35,776
· Paralegals and Legal Assistants - $47,860
· Production, Planning and Expediting Clerks - $43,409
Accountant (prepares and examines financial records)
Median salary: $62,483
Related occupations:
· Budget Analyst - $69,617
· Tax Examiner and Collectors, and Revenue Agents - $49,961
· Credit Analyst - $61,672
1 CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive survey of more than 2,000 hiring managers in November 2012.
2 CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive survey of more than 2,000 hiring managers in March 2013.
3 CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive survey of more than 2,000 hiring managers in November 2012.
4 Occupation definitions are based on information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and www.onetonline.org.
About EMSI
Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI) is a CareerBuilder company that provides industry-leading employment data and economic analysis via web tools and custom reports. EMSI has produced more than 1,200 comprehensive impact analyses for colleges and universities in the US and internationally, and its web tools — Analyst and Career Coach — are used by thousands of professionals in higher education, workforce and economic development, and the private sector.
About CareerBuilder®
CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 50 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and talent and compensation intelligence to recruitment solutions. More than 10,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder’s proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com
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