Current struggles to hire and retain workers will continue into next year, according to a survey of 380 US and Canadian employers by Willis Towers Watson.
The survey found 73% of employers are having difficulty attracting employees, up from a similar survey last year that found only 26% were having difficulty. It’s also up from 56% in a survey earlier this year. And 70% of employers expect difficulty in recruiting to continue into 2022.
Retaining employees is also difficult, with 61% having a hard time keeping employees now, according to Willis Towers Watson’s survey.
Reasons for the difficulty in attracting and keeping employees varied by position, career and industry. Postponing return to work and collecting unemployment is the most commonly cited driver of difficulties for hospitality and restaurant employees as well as warehouse and distribution employees. The survey found 72% of hospitality employers cited this as a reason while 62% of warehouse employers cited it. Meanwhile, 48% of employers in the digital space cited high wage expectations.