What Job Seekers Want
Indeed Hiring Lab

Tara Sinclair,
PhD
@tarasinc @indeed
#indeedwebinar
Indeed Economist and
Associate Professor at
George Washington University

A global research institute committed to advancing the knowledge of human
resource and talent management professionals worldwide.
Our research agenda includes large-scale labor research projects, ongoing
tracking and analysis of employment trends, and surveys of industry professionals.

The US labor market is weak…

The US labor market is weak…
but talent is still hard to find.

Unemployment may be lower than we think…
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012
Less than a High School
Diploma, 25 years and over
High School Graduates, No
College, 25 years and over
Some College or Associate
Degree, 25 years and over
Bachelor's Degree and
Higher, 25 years and over

Employment to Population Ratio
55%
56%
57%
58%
59%
60%
61%
62%
63%
64%
65%
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
The most dramatic graph of the US labor market today
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Even the college educated aren’t working.
Employment – Population Ratio – Bachelor’s Degree and Higher, 25 years and over
(BLS)
Percentage
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
1992 1997 2002 2007 2012

Labor market analysis reports actual job
movements that have occurred in the past

Unlike other markets, labor is a dynamic
market, where the supply – people –
makes choices

What data do we have that could tell us
what people will do next?

Now research on what people
Search for before they make
a job move

A sample month of job search activity by
currently employed US job seekers
430,000

Analyzed according to
standard occupation categories
23

Architecture and Engineering
Arts, Design, Entertainment, etc.
Building and Grounds
Business and Financial Operations
Community and Social Services
Computer and Mathematical
Construction and Extraction
Education, Training, and Library
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Food Preparation and Serving
Healthcare Practitioners
Healthcare Support
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Legal
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Management
Military Specific
Office and Administrative Support
Personal Care and Service
Production
Protective Service
Sales and Related
Transportation and Material Moving

Then we had the data to compare
occupations
Desirability
Satisfaction
Opportunity
Salaries
Education

And answer some interesting questions.
1 Are people searching in their own
occupation?
2 What makes occupations attractive?
3 What factors cause people to change
occupations?

Occupations vs. Industries
Computer and
Mathematical
Retail Education Hospitality
Industry Classification
Occupational Classification
Web Developer Network
Engineer
Software
Engineer

What did we find?

searched in an occupation category other
than their current occupation
81.5%

Architecture and Engineering
Arts, Design, Entertainment, etc.
Building and Grounds
Business and Financial Operations
Community and Social Services
Computer and Mathematical
Construction and Extraction
Education, Training, and Library
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Food Preparation and Serving
Healthcare Practitioners
Healthcare Support
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Legal
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Management
Military Specific
Office and Administrative Support
Personal Care and Service
Production
Protective Service
Sales and Related
Transportation and Material Moving

Only 43.5% of employed
job seekers search in
their own occupation
category

The highly paid search in their current occupation
Healthcare Support
Healthcare Practitioners
Legal
Management
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000
Average Salary
Satisfaction
Architecture &
Engineering
Education
Food Prep
Arts & Design
$20,000
Production

The highly specialized stay put
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Healthcare Support
Office and Administrative Support
Architecture and Engineering
Business and Financial Operations
Computer and Mathematical
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Education, Training, and Library
Sales and Related
Personal Care and Service
0 20% 40% 60% 80%
Source: Indeed Hiring Lab

Salary drives retention
Salary explains 30% of
occupation satisfaction
Salary explains 2% of
occupation desirability

Job supply drives interest
Over 51.4% of the variation of
desirability can be explained
by the share of job postings.

All occupations have outside interest
Office and Administrative Support
Management
Business and Financial Operations
Production
Healthcare Practitioners
Transportation and Material Moving
Arts, Design, Entertainment, etc.
Education, Training, and Library
Computer and Mathematical
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Architecture and Engineering
Food Preparation and Serving
0.0% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00%
People from outside searching within an occupation
Source: Indeed Hiring Lab

Mismatch extends beyond STEM
Share of Job Postings/Share of Experienced Job Seekers
Computer and Mathematical
Architecture and Engineering
Healthcare Practitioners
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair
Food Prep
Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance
Management
Business and Financial Operations
Personal Care & Service
Sales & Related
Healthcare Support
0.0% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00%
Source: Indeed Hiring Lab

Flexible work attracts the highly skilled
“Part time” is one of the top ten search terms used
by people currently employed in STEM occupations.

23 standard occupations are profiled in the full report
Architecture and Engineering
Arts, Design, Entertainment, etc.
Building and Grounds
Business and Financial Operations
Community and Social Services
Computer and Mathematical
Construction and Extraction
Education, Training, and Library
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Food Preparation and Serving
Healthcare Practitioners
Healthcare Support
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Legal
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Management
Military Specific
Office and Administrative Support
Personal Care and Service
Production
Protective Service
Sales and Related
Transportation and Material Moving

More analysis and data is
available in the full report

How can you use this data?
1 Opportunities to recruit for skills, not occupation
2 Expand your talent pool with career changers
3 Consider training and flexibility as a way to
attract and retain talent

@tarasinc
Indeed Economist and
Associate Professor at
George Washington UniversityTara Sinclair,
PhD
Web: indeed.com/hire
Blog: blog.indeed.com
Social: @indeed, facebook.com/indeedjobs