As winter fades into the ether and the warm weather season starts to take shape, it won't be long before college graduates take their final exams and enter the working world for the first time, opening up new opportunities for them but also for business owners looking to hire newly minted professionals. And if entrepreneurs want to keep their new hires loyal – i.e. wanting to stay with the company for the foreseeable future – they might consider extending the same type of fidelity to them by emphasizing that their position is built to last, a new poll suggests.
Nearly 7 in 10 employment seeking students would rather have a stable job than one comes with a lot of "bells and whistles," based on a recent survey conducted by staffing firm Adecco. In other words, 70 percent of college-aged employment seeking adults favors job security over a position that has a high level of emotional investment or one that they're truly passionate about.
Though the economy does seem to be making some steady improvements – e.g. the unemployment rate has been below 6 percent consistently for seven consecutive months, according to the latest numbers released by the U.S. Commerce Department – there are still signs that conditions aren't as good as they could be. For example, in March, just 126,000 jobs were added to the economy. Prior to this past month, there had been 12 straight employment reports in which job gains were north of 200,000. This may explain why job security is taking on a greater degree of importance.
Joyce Russell, president of Adecco Staffing, noted that business owners are preparing for the dawn of a new era, as not only are employment seekers modifying what they most want in a career, but a new generation is entering the jobs sphere, that being Generation Z.
"With the first group of 'Gen Z' now in college, it will be fascinating to learn how this new generation of the labor force differs from Millennials in terms of their aspirations, outlook, expectations and priorities," said Russell.
She added that while there are a number of differences between millennials and Generation Z – such as their level of worry as it pertains to financing college, for example – where there's some unanimity is in regards to what their greatest aspiration is. The poll found that nearly 70 percent of respondents pointed to financial stability as their top goal 10 years from now.
"The data shows us that these students are willing to make mature decisions, like pursuing financial stability over passion and focusing on long term goals as a way to ensure their future," said Russell.
Other top aims that respondents pointed to included career growth, fulfillment and being in a "dream position," one that they'd also wished for when younger.
Hiring on tap in second quarter
Summer is frequently a busy hiring period for small-, medium-, and large-sized business organizations, and this coming season is proving to be no different. In the second quarter, nearly 1 in 4 companies with an employment base of 50 workers or less intends to enhance their recruitment activity, according to a new poll from CareerBuilder.
"Small businesses have been playing a larger part in the solid stretch of job growth the U.S. has experienced over several months," said Matt Ferguson, CareerBuilder CEO. "When you pair that with the fact that hiring has increased in a variety of industries and regional areas, it bodes well for workers seeking new and better-paying employment prospects."
One of the perks that comes with having a full-time job are employee benefits because they provide workers with financial protection through health insurance. But they also help entrepreneurs as well because they're highly valued and something that job seekers take into heavy consideration when looking for a job or deciding whether they want to pursue a different line of work. In a recent poll, 95 percent of working professionals said that employee benefits affected their level of satisfaction with their present line of work, according to primary care provider One Medical Group.
