Half Of Companies Hiring Out Of Desperation, Study Says

Nearly 2 out of every 5 businesses (39%) report hiring someone they otherwise would not have in order to fill an open position, according to a new survey from The Harris Poll.

This statistic increases with company size to 47% of companies with more than 500 employees, 46% of companies with 100 – 499 employees, 47% of companies with 50 – 99 employees, 29% of those with 10 – 49 employees and 25% of those with 2 – 9 employees. 

Of those who have hired a candidate they would have traditionally overlooked, roughly 3 in 5 (63%) say they have overlooked soft or hard skills, while 45% have overlooked an applicant’s ability to pass a background check or drug screening. 

However, there were also some indicators that there may be an end in sight for hiring woes. Nearly two-thirds (66%) of hiring decision-makers believe the tight labor market will end before 2023.

The Harris Poll was commissioned by Express Employment Professionals and was conducted in November and December of last year.