Unemployed managers and professionals can expect to spend more time looking for a new job in 2005, according to a survey by human resources firm DBM.
In its annual career transition study, DBM said unemployed Canadians found new work in an average of 3.6 months in 2004. In 2003, it took just 2.5 months to find a new job.
The company predicts it'll take even longer in 2005, thanks to a slower rate of job creation and a longer selection process.
"Relocating to new employment will take even longer this year because the pace of full-time job creation is slowing in Canada. Interviewing and selection processes are also taking longer as hiring organizations use more behavioral interviewing techniques to ensure that new hires have the desired cultural fit," says DBM managing consultant Terry Lende.
Downsizings, plant or office closures and organizational re-structuring are the main reasons Canadians lose their jobs. Only four per cent were fired for poor performance.
The survey also reinforces the trend toward part-time and contract employment. Forty-two per cent of respondents found full-time work, while 25 per cent found temporary or part-time work or became self-employed.
Fifty-six per cent of respondents took a pay cut when they signed on with their new employer.
Networking remains the most successful job-hunting technique, with 64 per cent saying they found a new job through networking.
Employers are becoming increasingly cautious in their hiring and that's prolonging the job search process, says Lende.
"The need for soft skills is growing in significance and is resulting in more organizations turning to behavioral interviewing to ensure that new recruits will fit into their workplace culture. Behavioral interviewing tends to take longer because it can involve multiple interviews by a number of people in the organization. High performance expectations for new recruits and the cost of recruiting means organizations have to get their hiring decisions right. As a result, the decision-making process is taking longer, lengthening the time to new employment."
