Insights / Hiring Strategy
5 Reasons Why Some Jobs Are Tough to Fill
This article explains five key reasons certain jobs remain difficult to fill, from skills gaps to worker relocation reluctance.
Tough-to-fill jobs stem from untrained workforces in new fields, shortages of qualified candidates like RNs, declining college graduates causing skills gaps, workers choosing temporary over permanent roles leading to turnover, and geographic talent shortages where workers won't relocate.
Overview
Not enough of an established, trained workforce is available for newer positions, such as data scientist or software engineer. This situation requires workers to enter this field from other disciplines which, in turn, necessitates a period of training and a learning curve.
There exists a lack of qualified workers for in-demand jobs, such as for RNs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the projected need for nurses is more than a million more than are currently employed.
There is a decline in the number of recent college graduates. This lack creates a skills gap. But there is also a skills gap in general labor, such as truckers and construction workers.
Many skilled workers or nearly skilled have opted for temporary or contract positions rather than permanent positions. That accounts for high turnover.
Some geographic locations lack the talent pool from which to choose, even to train workers in new skills and workers elsewhere may decline to relocate.
Frequently asked
Why are newer positions like data scientist or software engineer hard to fill?
Not enough of an established, trained workforce exists for these newer roles, requiring workers to transition from other disciplines, which creates a training period and learning curve before they're fully qualified.
Why is there a shortage of registered nurses?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected need for nurses exceeds current employment by more than a million, creating a significant lack of qualified workers for this in-demand role.
How does worker preference for temporary positions affect hiring?
Many skilled or nearly skilled workers have opted for temporary or contract positions rather than permanent roles, which accounts for high turnover rates that make certain jobs consistently difficult to fill.
Let's get to work.
Tell us what you need staffed, or what you're looking for — a local Lingo team takes it from there.