The Job Seeker Market in the St. Cloud Area Could Be Changing

It is still more of a job seeker market in St. Cloud but that trend is starting to change for the first time since the pandemic.  Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation Talent Director Gail Cruikshank joined me on WJON.  She says they have 5,500 jobs available within the 3 county area, as of last week. Cruikshank says they peaked at 8,000 jobs available in 2020 during the pandemic.

Cruikshank still believes it is a job seeker market but she's heard from employers who are telling her that recruitment, applications and interviews are much more positive than they were 6 months ago.  Find out about job opportunities at stcloudshines.com.

Today's discussion with Gail centered around the importance of employee perks.  Gail highlights the following:

Why do Benefits Matter more now than ever:

● Before 2020 people worked and fit life into their work. Now people live and work needs to fit into their life. - Paula Erickson, SHRM
● Employees will always take more money if you offer it. But pay alone isn’t necessarily all it takes to attract and retain good employees. Few Fun Facts:
● 40% of employers say employees leave their job to find a role that offers better employee benefits. (Forbes Advisor)
● The survey also found that 62% of businesses have changed their benefit offerings in the past year.
● 1 in 10 workers would take a pay cut to have access to better benefits.
● Over 30% of 18-41 year olds are most concerned with having pet insurance available as a benefit.
● Nearly 40% of 42-57 year olds are most likely to want mandatory paid time off Top Benefit to Support Company Culture
● Work-life balance: this is the most valued element of company culture by both employers and employees.
● Building Trust
● Team Camaraderie Top Benefits
● Employer covered healthcare
● Life Insurance
● Pension and Retirement Plans
● Mandatory Paid Time off
● Mental Health Assistance - 23% of employees listed this as top benefit needed

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Meet employees where they are at:
● First Job ● Marriage ● Growing Family ● Relocating ● Gender Transition ● Divorce ● Continuing Education ● Aging Parent ● Grief/Loss ● Phasing out of workforce You have many associates and they do not all fit ONE benefit plan. Providing options to your employees is essential. Listening to your employees is critical in identifying what benefits are the most desired.

Remote Work - Remote work perks most popular employees seek: ● Four day work week ● Child Care Assistance ● Fitness Perks ● Finance Resource Planning By age, those who wanted to work from home include: 18–25 (27%) 26–41 (41%) 42–57 (40%) 58–76 (38%) Most desired Fringe Benefits for In-office Workers ● Flexible hours ● Work from home options ● Employee discounts ● Professional development ● Four-day work weeks Key Take aways: ● Cover the basics ● Support work life balance supporting employee’s whole person - whatever that may look like● Listen to your employees - what do they really want? Don’t assume! ● Focus on the perks that matter - it may actually save you $$$ How does this help our economy/region?

Our region has so much talent right here – all with different priorities and needs; Listening to your employees and adapting desired benefits as you are able, will go a long way in the area of retention and recruitment. In closing, to share ideas/feedback with me, go to www.greaterstcloud.com where you can find several employer resources. www.greaterstcloudshines highlights all you our community has to offer in addition to job opportunities within a 3 - county region. Job seekers can find a wide range of job seeker tools on JobSpot located within stcloudshines.com.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Gail Cruikshank, it is available below.