Recruitment: After 38, You're Out!
31 March 2009
Read by 1925 persons
• Age is becoming an even more decisive factor in the job market
• Yet, long-term unemployment persists
• On average, a manager stays with their employer for 3 years
"Technical profiles are a rare commodity on the market, while they are the most sought after," says Philippe Montant, CEO of Rekrute.com. Employees are increasingly mobile and demanding when it comes to their career progression.
"In the past, they showed loyalty to their employer. Today, the situation has changed and companies must adapt. We need to put in place tools to retain employees: salaries, training, benefits, work environment," advises Alexandra Montant, Deputy CEO of Rekrute.com. Experience has shown that employees leave their employer after an average of three years. This period allows them to acquire know-how that they will sell to the highest bidder.
The market is increasingly demanding specialized profiles but is facing a skills shortage. "We need civil engineering engineers that we can't find," reveals Laurent Guillaume, HR Director of Lydec. The demand for expertise in civil engineering is exploding with the growth of the construction industry and the acceleration of infrastructure projects.
For once, the balance of power has shifted in favor of job seekers. To increase their attractiveness, companies are willing to offer a little more than their competitors. The salary level of civil engineering engineers is under upward pressure. It's a bit of a golden age for these profiles, similar to what the early 2000s were for computer scientists. Graduates of the Ecole Hassania des travaux publics (in Casablanca) are now recruited before they even graduate, despite competition from the Ecole Mohammadia d'ingénieurs (EMI).
Another major trend: profiles with more than 3 years of experience are the most sought after. This requirement is even becoming a culture among employers. "Companies believe that these profiles adapt more quickly than less experienced ones," explains Montant.
However, this opinion does not seem to convince everyone. "Beginners could very well adapt if the company provides them with good training," tempers the HR Director of Lydec. The figures from Rekrute.com confirm this requirement. Thus, 55% of the offers posted on the online portal corresponded to profiles with 3 years of experience or more. Announcements targeting candidates with 1 to 3 years of experience only represented one third of the total.
By level of education, qualified profiles are the most sought after. Thus, one in two announcements concerns candidates with a bac +5 and above, and 42% target bac +3-4. Graduates from private higher education benefit from a favorable bias compared to public ones. However, this prejudice is not always verified in practice. "Very often, graduates from public institutions are better. It's a mentality that shouldn't exist," says Nathalie Geschwind, head of HR at Rekrute.com. People aged 28 to 38 are those who easily find work. Beyond 38, finding a job is almost an impossible mission, while long-term unemployment is increasing. At least one in two unemployed people has been out of work for more than a year.
By function, sales representatives are at the top of recruitment with 21% of the announcements posted, closely followed by finance and IT professionals.
Human Resources positions represent 6% of the announcements posted. Marketing profiles and general management positions each represent 5%. By sector, industry is at the top of the demand with 29% of the offers posted, compared to 11% for telecommunications. IT is in third place with 10%, followed by finance with only 5%.
Regarding the profiles of candidates on the portal, bac +4s dominate with 37%. Baccalaureate levels only represent 4%. This shows that the population of job seekers using the web is largely limited to bac + profiles. Therefore, people with a certain level allowing them to apply online.
By experience level, the highest use of the portal was made by people with 1 to 3 years of experience, with 23% of requests.
Beginners represent 20%, while 19% are made up of people with less than one year of experience.
By sector of activity, candidates from finance (banking, insurance, and auditing) are in the majority with 21% of applications, followed by IT professionals at 16%. Civil engineering and construction only represent 3%. This confirms the scarcity of skills compared to the evolution, for example, of the construction market.
March 5, 2008
L’Economiste of February 29, 2008
• Yet, long-term unemployment persists
• On average, a manager stays with their employer for 3 years
"Technical profiles are a rare commodity on the market, while they are the most sought after," says Philippe Montant, CEO of Rekrute.com. Employees are increasingly mobile and demanding when it comes to their career progression.
"In the past, they showed loyalty to their employer. Today, the situation has changed and companies must adapt. We need to put in place tools to retain employees: salaries, training, benefits, work environment," advises Alexandra Montant, Deputy CEO of Rekrute.com. Experience has shown that employees leave their employer after an average of three years. This period allows them to acquire know-how that they will sell to the highest bidder.
The market is increasingly demanding specialized profiles but is facing a skills shortage. "We need civil engineering engineers that we can't find," reveals Laurent Guillaume, HR Director of Lydec. The demand for expertise in civil engineering is exploding with the growth of the construction industry and the acceleration of infrastructure projects.
For once, the balance of power has shifted in favor of job seekers. To increase their attractiveness, companies are willing to offer a little more than their competitors. The salary level of civil engineering engineers is under upward pressure. It's a bit of a golden age for these profiles, similar to what the early 2000s were for computer scientists. Graduates of the Ecole Hassania des travaux publics (in Casablanca) are now recruited before they even graduate, despite competition from the Ecole Mohammadia d'ingénieurs (EMI).
Another major trend: profiles with more than 3 years of experience are the most sought after. This requirement is even becoming a culture among employers. "Companies believe that these profiles adapt more quickly than less experienced ones," explains Montant.
However, this opinion does not seem to convince everyone. "Beginners could very well adapt if the company provides them with good training," tempers the HR Director of Lydec. The figures from Rekrute.com confirm this requirement. Thus, 55% of the offers posted on the online portal corresponded to profiles with 3 years of experience or more. Announcements targeting candidates with 1 to 3 years of experience only represented one third of the total.
By level of education, qualified profiles are the most sought after. Thus, one in two announcements concerns candidates with a bac +5 and above, and 42% target bac +3-4. Graduates from private higher education benefit from a favorable bias compared to public ones. However, this prejudice is not always verified in practice. "Very often, graduates from public institutions are better. It's a mentality that shouldn't exist," says Nathalie Geschwind, head of HR at Rekrute.com. People aged 28 to 38 are those who easily find work. Beyond 38, finding a job is almost an impossible mission, while long-term unemployment is increasing. At least one in two unemployed people has been out of work for more than a year.
By function, sales representatives are at the top of recruitment with 21% of the announcements posted, closely followed by finance and IT professionals.
Human Resources positions represent 6% of the announcements posted. Marketing profiles and general management positions each represent 5%. By sector, industry is at the top of the demand with 29% of the offers posted, compared to 11% for telecommunications. IT is in third place with 10%, followed by finance with only 5%.
Regarding the profiles of candidates on the portal, bac +4s dominate with 37%. Baccalaureate levels only represent 4%. This shows that the population of job seekers using the web is largely limited to bac + profiles. Therefore, people with a certain level allowing them to apply online.
By experience level, the highest use of the portal was made by people with 1 to 3 years of experience, with 23% of requests.
Beginners represent 20%, while 19% are made up of people with less than one year of experience.
By sector of activity, candidates from finance (banking, insurance, and auditing) are in the majority with 21% of applications, followed by IT professionals at 16%. Civil engineering and construction only represent 3%. This confirms the scarcity of skills compared to the evolution, for example, of the construction market.
March 5, 2008
L’Economiste of February 29, 2008
