According to a report from the National Federation of Independent Business, 26% of small business owners say finding qualified workers is their number one problem.
The report goes on to say that 88% of small business owners looking to hire new employees are finding there are no qualified candidates.
The historically low unemployment figures in the Philadelphia area appears to be the root cause of local hiring woes. The metro area's jobless rate stands at 3.4%. There are just not enough qualified workers to go around.
Most small business owners have exhausted the traditional methods of recruitment. These include online job board posts, newspaper ads, referral bonuses, and help wanted signs. All to no avail.
To successfully attract the qualified applicants they yearn for, local small business owners need to command the attention of 'passive' job seekers. The number one source for these candidates is Philadelphia radio.
According to the Society For Human Resource Management, passive job seekers are "individuals who are currently employed and not actively looking for a new job, but who may be open to a good career opportunity if one came along."
The SHRM website goes on to explain that "many employers target passive job seekers because they are looking for candidates who have positive employment records and who are satisfied with and successful in their work. Employers often target passive job seekers because of the lack of qualified job candidates to fill critical roles. Locating, wooing, and successfully luring passive job seekers are critical for organizations to remain competitive in a tight labor market.
Philadelphia radio reaches 94.3% of all passive job seekers every week. This is significantly more than are reached by online job sites, local TV, newspaper, and social media.
Philadelphia radio is the dominant source of media among passive job candidates of all ages, including millennials.