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New HERC Report Highlights What Matters Most to Current and Prospective Higher Education Professionals

By Marcia Silva posted 07-16-2024 08:58:43 AM

  
We’re excited to share the results of HERC’s annual job seeker survey in our new publication, “2024 HERC Job Seeker Survey Report: What Matters Now – Insights from the Higher Education Talent Community.”  Recruitment and retention remain top priorities for higher ed employers, especially with the recent media attention on higher education leadership and on-campus activities. The report shares the needs and expectations of today’s higher education job seekers and employees, and pinpoints practical, realistic, and impactful enhancements higher education employers can take. Members can download the full report here.

The report provides timely insights into the higher education talent community, including what benefits are most attractive and the impact of campus culture on job interests. Some trends remain consistent year after year, such as job seekers' attraction to remote work and the importance of inclusive workplaces. However, new data has surfaced that could guide higher education institutions in refining their recruitment and retention strategies, helping them decide where to allocate their time and resources best. New survey questions dive into what would tempt staff and faculty to look for new jobs as well as what would make their current job more satisfying.

Other highlighted report findings include:
  • The active job seeker market has shifted from the trends seen in previous years. The number of respondents who are actively seeking a new job has fallen from 47% in both 2022 and 2023 to 40% in 2024, while those who are open to the right opportunity has continued to slowly but steadily increase, moving from 38% in 2022 to 42% in 2024
  • When asked to describe their current job search, 9% of respondents indicated that they are exclusively looking for jobs outside of higher ed and 41% indicated they are looking for jobs in many industries, emphasizing competition from other employers as well as an opportunity to better retain the current workforce. 
  • The year-over-year data shows that while work modalities are still shifting, the landscape continues to look very different from the norms prior to the pandemic. While in-person work hasn’t changed much, job seekers with flexible/hybrid work modalities have increased from 14% in 2023 to 19% in 2024. With 38% of respondents in remote or flexible roles and the demand for more such opportunities, this is an area of the workforce landscape that seems unlikely to revert to pre-pandemic norms.
 
The rise in restrictive legislation hasn’t weakened job seekers’ emphasis on potential employers’ policies regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion – 77% of respondents say that DEI policies are very or somewhat important when searching for employment.

The diverse perspectives of job seekers that we gather shape the development of our programming and content for HERC members and job seekers. We highly encourage you to use the survey findings and recommendations to support and guide enhancements in your institution's recruitment and retention policies.

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