Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Getting hired today takes twice as long as in 2010

Kai Ryssdal and Tommy Andres Jul 20, 2015
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Getting hired today takes twice as long as in 2010

Kai Ryssdal and Tommy Andres Jul 20, 2015
HTML EMBED:
COPY

The labor market has been doing pretty well in recent years. There are plenty of jobs out there for people to take advantage of. But now it looks like the wait to get that job is taking longer.

According to Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor, it’s taking twice as long for job offers to come through than it did in 2010. “The single biggest reason that hiring appears to take longer seems to be more screens,” Chamberlain says.

These screens include “things like group panel interviews and skills tests and background tests,” he says. “There are several reasons for it, but the most important one is that jobs are getting more complicated than they used to be.”

That comprehensive process likely comes from companies having more sensitive data online compared to just a few years ago. “They’re being much more careful about who they hire,” Chamberlain says. “There’s really not much you can do as a job seeker other than just wait it out.”

Click the media player above to hear more.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.