Job seekers say tight labor market makes job search process like ‘Hunger Games’

photo: 123 RF

Job seekers say it is not uncommon to face hundreds of applicants in the current market environment, and some employers are deploying Hungry Gamesstrategies to eliminate the winners.

RNZ reported on Friday that The number of applicants per job advert is almost three times that of 2019.

One applicant, Natalie, said even for less likely “dream” positions, there are 150 to 300 applicants at a time.

“I know this because Seek emailed me these statistics after the ad expired. I was shocked to see how much interest these basic, low to mid-level salary positions received.

“It’s really frustrating because you think, ‘Out of 300 people, there’s always going to be one person who’s more qualified than me.'”

She said the employer had clearly already picked out the candidates.

“Never in recent years has an employer been faced with such a large pool of applicants, many of whom are desperate for a job, overqualified and willing to compromise on salary and flexibility… I find that this is why employers take the time to contact me and adopt a ‘you need me, I don’t need you’ attitude.”

She said she had encountered a situation that felt like an unexpected Hungry Gamesan employer asked her to attend a two-hour “group recruitment event” at noon on a weekday.

“When I responded that I was currently employed and couldn’t take time off at such short notice, their response was ‘well, then you’ll miss your holiday.’ They didn’t offer any other options.”

Kate applied for an in-house position that she said was equivalent to the job she had before her children were born. She didn’t even make the shortlist.

“I accepted the position but felt sad because the public agency I worked for had a history of valuing men – the leadership team was 80% male, while the general staff was only around 35% – and I had been waiting for this position to become available because that was where my experience lay.

“I’m worried that my inner experience is making me lose my mind, and I’m worried Recent layoffs The competitive job market will primarily affect entry-level nursing staff.”

In Wellington, Daniel said he applied for a policy position and was on a shortlist of 18 people.

“From what I understand, they have about 100 applicants. Layoffs occurred simultaneouslythe market cannot absorb the excess workers.

“I know friends who are going to Auckland, but a few people To Europe and Australia… New Zealand is going to lose a lot of high-quality people over the next year or so. I think that will lead to a skills shortage in three to five years.”

Hayley Pickard, founder of recruitment firm Fortitude Group, said she had seen a “skyrocketing” number of applicants.

A plant operator position has 255 applications, a construction supervisor position has 260 applications, and an office administration position that launched Thursday has 60 applications.