More Than 1/2 of Senior Managers Plan to Add Positions in Q4 of 2021

It appears that job seekers will continue to enjoy a wealth of work opportunities in the remaining half of 2021 — even as employers in various sectors have trouble finding workers.

According to a new survey of more than 2,800 senior managers from global human resource consulting firm Robert Half, 51% expect they’ll add new permanent positions in the latter half of 2021. Meanwhile, 48% expect bringing back furloughed workers or filling vacated spots. Here’s what else the survey revealed.

San Diego, Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles senior managers most likely to add new positions

Among the 28 major cities included in the survey, senior managers in San Diego (62%), Dallas (61%), Atlanta and Los Angeles (both 58%) said they’re most likely to fill new roles. Other top cities followed, including:

• New York: 57%
• Tampa, Fla.: 55%
• Boston: 54%
• Detroit: 54%
• Miami: 54%
• Phoenix: 54%
• Chicago: 52%
• Cleveland: 52%
• Denver: 52%
• Philadelphia: 52%

Challenges ahead in hiring qualified workers

While senior managers seem to be eager to fill roles, they’re likely to encounter stumbling blocks, including:

• Finding candidates with the right skill set
• Hiring quickly enough to snag the best talent
• Locating talent who are a good fit for the company’s culture

Further, it can take managers an average of seven weeks to recruit and hire for an open role. For nearly 1 in 4 businesses (22%), the process can take more than two months.

The Robert Half survey broke down results by practice area (finance, technology, marketing, legal, administrative support and human resources) and company size (20 to 499 employees, 500 to 999 employees and 1,000-plus employees).

Senior managers in finance (nine weeks) said they take the longest time to fill an open position, while those with 1,000-plus employees said they take eight weeks on average. Meanwhile, senior managers in human resources said they take the least amount of time (six weeks) to hire.

Senior managers offering incentives to sweeten the deal for talent

Senior managers are upping the appeal of working for their companies by offering the following incentives:

• Signing bonuses: 48%
• More paid time off: 43%
• Better job titles: 40%

Among the practice areas surveyed, senior managers in technology, administrative support and human resources (each 53%) are most likely to offer a signing bonus. Meanwhile, senior managers in human resources (48%) and marketing (47%) are more inclined to offer paid time off. Lastly, those making the hiring decisions in administrative support (53%) and marketing (48%) are more likely to offer a better job title.

By company size, those with between 20 and 499 employees are more likely to offer signing bonuses (47%) than more time off (44%) and better job titles (40%). And those with between 500 and 999 employees reported offering signing bonus (52%), followed by better job titles (44%) and more time off (41%).

If it’s taking longer than ideal to recruit and hire talent for an open role, 6 in 10 (60%) companies are expanding their hiring search beyond their geography to find qualified talent.

Methodology: An independent research firm fielded an online survey on behalf of Menlo Park, Calif.-based human resources firm Robert Half from June 4 to July 1, 2021. More than 2,800 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees were included.