Growing number of ‘unemployables’ frustrated by the job market

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Radhika Panjwani is a freelance writer from Toronto.

• Rising number of experienced and competent professionals are finding it difficult to re-enter the labour market after being let go or quitting
• Employers are receiving thousands of applications and are relying on artificial intelligence to sift and select candidates, which is making for a frustrating experience for jobseekers.
• More than four in 10 hiring managers in Canada say they’ve made a regrettable hire in the last year.

“Applying for jobs and networking is exhausting and a full-time job and it’s slowly beginning to take a toll on my health,” says S.J., a Toronto-area-based HR leader and senior executive laid off from her job with a telecommunications firm in February.

The Globe and Mail is not identifying S.J. by their full name because they fear sharing their frustrations will hurt their chances at getting a job.

Despite having 20 years of experience underscored by notable achievements, the response from prospective employers has been cold.

“I can see evidence during my job search now that it’s not all human directed but driven by artificial intelligence,” S.J. said. “It’s demotivating when you get an automated e-mail declining you as a candidate. I have had few moments where I have felt maybe this is it, this is the end of my HR career.”

S.J. said she sees a growing number of mid- to senior-level professionals in Canada are struggling to find new roles and many are leaving their industry dejected.

Dan Kaplan, a senior client partner at global consulting firm Korn Ferry, and his colleagues have observed this trend unfold across the U.S. and Canada over the last few years. Mr. Kaplan calls it a “scary” situation where experienced, skilled and competent professionals are not able to now find their way back into the work force. He refers to the group as “unemployables.”

“The label [unemployables] is potentially terrifying and we never want to put it on someone,” Mr. Kaplan said. “When we looked into it, we came about this phenomenon in multiple geographies, functions and backgrounds. We are also seeing anecdotal evidence and hearing from individuals who have had successful careers and were previously able to find new roles easily not being able to find work for one or two years.”

The unemployables would have likely remained in their jobs had it not been for extenuating circumstances such as downsizing, acquisitions or other compelling reasons beyond their control, he said.

What changed?

The length of unemployment is now stretching for people mostly because of the general uncertainty of the current labour market, Mr. Kaplad said. And some companies aren’t recruiting because they have stockpiled talent over the last few years by retaining their workers through upskilling and other incentives. The widespread use of technology in recruitment may also be a factor for why good candidates are getting ghosted. The introduction of AI in the recruitment processes has somehow managed to make the hiring process even more frustrating for job seekers, he said. Interacting only with a bot can sour the experience for candidates.

“Career websites are drowning the recruitment process,” Mr. Kaplan said. “You put a job posting out and six minutes later you have tens of thousands of applications that the employers will not be able to go through. Many qualified applicants are never going to hear back because it’s a numbers game now.”

Regrettable hires

A new report from recruitment firm Robert Half shows 41 per cent of managers say they’ve made a regrettable hire in the last year, up from 17 per cent in 2022.

“One of the main reasons [cited by managers] is they put too much weight on technical skills,” said Cal Jungwirth, director of permanent placement services with Robert Half Canada. “Hiring managers should ensure that the questions they’re asking in interviews are prompting responses that truly showcase the full breadth of what a candidate can bring to the role, including their soft skills such as communication, time management [and] problem solving.”

The report says companies also lost out on the top candidate because they took too long to make an offer, or they hired a candidate who ended up leaving for a job with more remote flexibility.

Mr. Jungwirth suggests interviewers ask behavioural and situational questions so that candidates are able to offer concrete examples of how they approach situations that require these types of skills along with the technical skills and experiences. He said organizations will need to reassess their hiring strategies or risk critical projects.

He said many professionals rely on job boards and end up competing for the same spots. He suggests jobseekers broaden their search by growing their network, joining a professional organization or working with a talent solutions firm.

“I don’t think anyone is unemployable, but sometimes jobseekers need to re-evaluate their strategy to better set themselves up for success,” Mr. Jungwirth said. “There are many things professionals can and should be doing to increase their chances of a successful job search, starting with doing their research to ensure they are applying for roles that they are qualified for, and that also fit what they are looking for as well.”

What I’m reading around the web

• When organizations reward employees for speaking the truth, we can create more productive workplaces, notes best-selling author Stephen Shedletzky.
• In this psychology.com post, Dr. Guy Winch explains the science behind irritability and offers suggestions on what to do when you find yourself on the edge of irritation.
• Pim de Morree, co-founder of Corporate Rebels, presents a compelling case for asynchronous work, which he describes as, “the practice of working collaboratively without the need for real-time interaction.”

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