Passive candidates are defined as employees who are open to moving but put in little or no effort to look for new job opportunities. The CEB Recruiting Leadership Council Global Labour Market Briefing suggests these candidates now dominate the workforce.
Just under half (49.5%) of the 17,900 employees polled defined themselves as passive candidates. This is compared to fewer than a quarter (21.8%) who class themselves as actively seeking a new role.
Indicators also suggest passive candidates are higher performers when they are hired. Performance was rated as 9% higher than active candidates, with employers reporting them as 25% more likely to stay with the company long-term.
CEB senior director Clare Moncrieff told HR magazine even though these candidates are harder to recruit, the benefits are clear. "Obviously there is more work to be done to hire these people," she said. "But if you can then the rewards are there. Employers should ensure they have a recruitment strategy in place to attract these people."
The survey also revealed UK workers expect a higher increase in pay to encourage them to move jobs than this time last year. British employees now report they would only be comfortable moving for a 5.3% raise.
This is an increase of 2.1 percentage points from 12 months ago, but below the global average of 8.6%. Moncrieff said it demonstrates the increased confidence of UK workers compared to those in other countries. "There is a mixed picture globally, but the UK definitely seems to be in a good place right now," she said.
