Dive Brief:
- In a poll of 2,800 U.S. workers by Robert Half, 62% of respondents said they would consider relocating for a new position. In a separate poll, 2,800 senior managers found that, in the past five years, 34% of companies increased their relocation-package offerings to top candidates beyond their geographic area. According to Robert Half, 30% of companies don’t offer any relocation incentives.
- Respondents cited better pay and perks (44%) as the top considerations in their decision to relocate, followed by family or personal reasons (17%) and cost of living and career advancement (16% each). Professionals ages 18 to 34 (76%) are more likely to relocate, compared to those ages 35 to 54 (62%) and 55 and older (40%).
- Geographically, respondents in the 28 U.S. cities polled were more open to moving if they lived in Raleigh, North Carolina; Des Moines, Iowa; Miami or Charlotte, North Carolina. They were less likely to relocate if they were from Minneapolis, Boston, Philadelphia or Detroit. Cities with the most companies that increased their relocation packages in the past five years were Miami (53%), Houston (48%), Los Angeles (45%) and Dallas (42%).
Dive Insight:
The skills gap and lack of qualified workers from local talent pools have driven much of the relocation efforts in recent years. In the current employee-driven market, where recruiting is at its most competitive, employers that offer relocation packages might have an edge in attracting talent. However, a poll released in August by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. found that fewer job seekers were willing to move to take a new job, and that only 10% of workers in both 2017 and 2018 relocated. The polls suggest that workers may consider relocating, but far fewer do.
But a new trend is on the horizon; instead of workers relocating, jobs are moving to them. One example is the NRP Group, which relocated its suburban Ohio headquarters to downtown Cleveland to attract millennials and other young workers, hoping that they’ll find the city’s social and cultural amenities appealing. Moving headquarters to, or setting up satellite offices in, metropolitan areas is certainly one way to find new hires. Others are opting to hire more remote workers in places across the globe and create a more remote-friendly culture rather than make all employees move to the same place.
For global organizations, relocating workers around the world might be a necessary business expense. But small businesses on tighter budgets might lack the resources to recruit long distance. Rather than expand their recruiting efforts beyond their geographic area, some businesses might need to consider often overlooked candidates outside of typical hiring circles, such as workers with disabilities, veterans, former employees, seasoned gig workers, the formerly incarcerated and retirees looking for work.
