In a recent JobLine – Survey Monkey poll, we identified the top priorities that Truss Design candidates have when considering your opportunity. In the past, it took a 20–25% compensation increase to successfully recruit them, but post-crash, salaries have stagnated and employers are looking for other ways to attract new design talent. Candidates are more sophisticated and families are more involved in relocation decisions.
Healthcare
Very Important / top consideration given to plans that help them manage family healthcare costs without bankrupting the budget. Example, one employer has a plan with a $2,500 deductible but the employer pays the first $1,250. The candidate still has a co-pay, but the $1,250 covers their basic healthcare needs. They know that if something major happens, the most they need to have in reserve is $1,250 plus copays. Having the higher deductible lowers overall group costs, and the employer’s cost to cover the first $1,250 can be covered by that savings. Net-zero to the employer but a major insurance win for the employee.
Compensation
35% say they need to make at least 10% more if they are going to change jobs, but 30% just want to be paid fairly. 35% either want 20% or more to change jobs or they want additional perks that make the job more attractive. Telecommuter, flexible hours, and overtime for hours over 40 are cited as key goals, (or complaints about their current position). Most of our employers are switching to hourly, converting existing salaried staff using 45 hours as a basis. The current range for intermediate to advanced level designers (lowest to highest we have on file), is $20–36 hr, with 45 hours per week an expected average by both employer and employee. The majority of our successful hires are in the $26–29 hr range, but top performer range begins at $28 hr and averages $32 hr, plus overtime. Averaging 45 is the goal for most designers, but it is not unusual for designers to work 50–55 hours during high demand seasons. 40 is an understood minimum that keeps a paycheck floor, the security that a salary once offered. We will gladly help you with conversions and offer testing to help you rank a designer’s skill. Along with performance, testing give you a benchmark that tracks a designer’s progress and identifies areas for improvement. Moving to hourly says you recognize a designer’s efforts after a long week, and gives them incentive to crank out work when it is available.
I hear some Millennial candidates say they “get to go to work” versus “have to go to work.” That is a cultural change that should be recognized and rewarded.
Office Environment
Overwhelmingly, 40% just want a nice place that they can get their job done. 28% say they prefer a professional setting, and less than 4% say an office pool or shared space is acceptable. (See JobLine Design Team Suite).
Work Schedule
Overwhelmingly, nearly 50% say they want Flexible Hours over Flexible Days or telecommuting. Still, 31% say they prefer to work from home full time and 9% say work from home part time. The current ratio we see for internal to remote designers tops out at 4-1, with 2-1 as the average. Only a few companies in our network have embraced more remote than in-house designers. More employers are accepting that they have to “be” flexible to “get” flexible in their design capacity. We will be conducting a new survey to find out what motivates and enables remote designers in the near future.
Relocation
Almost always a consideration, 50% say relocation assistance tops their list when consider a job that requires moving, 26% say a hiring bonus is preferable and the balance is split between home buying assistance or temporary housing. Know that the percentage of candidates willing to relocate has dropped drastically post-crash. My personal belief is that it is not related to the crash as much as it is related to the Millennial generation’s social priorities (another survey planned for the future).
Respondents
Less than 200, but still a good representation across the board.
- 29% Truss Designers
- 44% Senior Truss Designers
- 9% Truss Design Managers
- 18% Other
As your recruiter down the hall, I am available if you wish to discuss the above or if you have ideas for future surveys. 800-289-5627 x1 or twm@thejobline.com.