The holiday season is looking a little less holly-jolly this year. We’ve seen plenty of hiring woes over the last few years, but the latest industry to be hit by worker shortages is especially disappointing: there’s an official Santa shortage!
Mitch Allen, the founder and “head elf” of HireSanta.com, revealed to Entrepreneur that demand for Santas is up 30% year over year. There’s also a significant gap between available Santas and the number of job openings: the current ratio is approximately 20 open jobs to every one candidate. The result is a shortage of over 2,250 unfilled Santa jobs, with just weeks to go before Christmas!
While a “Santa shortage” is only temporary and seasonal, it’s part of the larger trend of unfilled roles across the board. Companies that are still relying on just placing job ads are finding that it’s not enough, especially when it comes to highly in-demand roles like those in IT and cybersecurity. Additionally, plenty of great candidates aren’t actively looking for a new job, making it even harder to reach qualified talent who fit both the job’s requirements (and certifications, in many cases) and the company’s approved salary range.
Reaching those candidates can have a very different outcome if the approach is led by someone who knows how to best position open job opportunities. Money is always an important aspect, of course, but in-demand professionals are looking for more reasons to change jobs, and they need to have those opportunities framed in ways that appeal to those factors.
In contrast with companies where recruiting is just a necessary part of getting people to fill roles, professional recruiting firms are purely in the business of recruiting. That means they have access to resources and candidate pools that most companies won’t have on their own. They’re also more experienced in finding those “unicorns” – the rare candidates who are a perfect fit for even a hard-to-fill role.
Velocity Search Group is the expert recruiting team you’ve been looking for. With a team of experienced recruiters and a robust talent pipeline, Velocity specializes in matching highly talented individuals with key roles in IT and cybersecurity. So make your wish list, check it twice, then talk to Velocity about making it come true!
