Job Seeker Nation Study Digs Into What Job Seekers Are Most Concerned About

Jobvite’s 2016 Job Seeker Nation Study is out.

It’s always an interesting read. (Here’s my post on their 2015 survey.) And this year is no different.

There is information on who’s looking, who’s not looking, who’s having a hard time finding a job, and who isn’t. There are some fascinating data points. And like most vendor “research,” this report is easy to read and very attractively packaged.

Leading themes for today’s job seekers

Here are the leading themes:

The state of work is in flux and today’s job seekers are adjusting to a new reality.
Job seekers are concerned in the short term but optimistic in the long run.
While nearly 75 percent of all workers are satisfied with their jobs, two-thirds are still open to new employment.
Jobs in the “gig economy” are part of the new normal.
Concern about jobs becoming obsolete due to technology is growing.

Jobvite CEO Dan Finnigan introduces the report:

These findings emphasize the fact that the way we look for work, and the way we work, is changing significantly. The gig economy’s rapid growth is remarkable and the data demonstrate that the modern job seeker is now more flexible than ever.”

How job seekers rank the presidential candidates

Two survey areas really caught my attention.

The first, reports survey answers that indicate the use of mobile devices in job search means job seeking behavior happens everywhere, all the time:

You should no longer assume that colleagues active on their smartphones in meetings are playing games or reading their Facebook feed. They could very well be researching their next employer! Even more troubling is what is happening behind closed doors at the office or in the cubicle farm!

The second survey area that caught my eye, was the section on job seekers and the presidential election. (Not kidding.)

As of early February when the survey was fielded, only three presidential candidates had double digit support from job seeker nation:

Hillary Clinton — 23 percent;
Donald Trump — 21 percent; and,
Bernie Sanders — 12 percent.

Looking at the demographics of candidate support and then correlating that support to concern that automation will diminish their job/career opportunities is either brilliant or something else. But I found it fascinating:

Concern about robots taking away jobs

Just when you thought the election couldn’t intrude into any more corners of your life! But the data is interesting. Look at the demographics and industry sectors. And Hillary supporters are way more concerned that robots will take their jobs than those who feel the Bern. Fascinating.

That’s why I always look forward to the annual Jobvite Job Seeker Nation Study. They vary the questions enough to make the results and insights different from year to year, and certainly more relevant.

Give the survey a read. I think you’ll enjoy it.

This originally appeared on China Gorman’s blog at ChinaGorman.com.