Business as Usual: Survey Finds Trump Election Has No Immediate Change on Hiring Plans in 2017

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2017

In the new survey, while the majority of employers (77%) said hiring plans were unchanged, 12 percent anticipated more hiring on the horizon directly related to the election of President-elect Donald Trump. Hiring managers who recruit for a variety of professionals attribute an overall improvement in the economy under a Trump administration (35%) along with tax reform for corporations (19%) as a potential positive impact. Hiring managers who primarily recruit tech professionals were slightly more positive regarding tax reform (39%) than their peers who recruit across professions.  

Conversely, those hiring managers who expect a decrease in hiring driven by the election (11%) anticipate immigration reform and reducing available skilled labor in the United States (26%), as the primary negative impact on hiring. Concern over immigration reform is significantly more apparent among those managers who hire technology professionals, with 44 percent citing immigration reform as a concern.

"Tech is an industry that is consistently in need of highly skilled talent and will source far and wide to ensure the best talent is hired," said Michael Durney, President and CEO of DHI Group, Inc. "Having the ability to recruit from the widest talent pool is a key driver of the ability to innovate for companies with tech needs. We've long said programs like H-1B visas are necessary as long as companies are not exploiting the system and the program is leveraged as intended, which is to bring access to the best and brightest to American employers."

According to over a third of hiring managers recruiting across industries, overall compensation packages were higher in 2016 than 2015.The overall company bonus pool was mostly unchanged for tech-focused recruiters and those who recruit a variety of professionals. For those employers with higher bonus pools, the majority (64%) said overall firm performance was the main driver followed by department performance (14%) and a shift to more incentive-based compensation (14%).

Employers continue to struggle to find top talent and have discovered that leveraging employees' own networks may still not be enough to attract a larger pool of passive and available candidates. A majority of employers (83%) have employee referral programs, however many hiring managers say that fewer than 10 percent of hires result from these programs. External tools and services like Open Web, Lengo and getTalent compliment employer internal programs, offering a wider and more targeted talent pool. 

"Compensation is still the most important factor for companies to consider when attracting skilled talent, yet that's not the only bait to attract candidates," said Mr. Durney. "Those employers who think strategically about the Millennial talent pool, their employer brand and what impact culture has on recruiting, will be more equipped to entice—and retain—talented professionals, leading to a more engaged and satisfied team all around."