Hidden workers: Uncovering untapped talent
December 13, 2021
December 13, 2021
This is a diverse group of individuals. It spans caregivers, veterans, immigrants, refugees, and people without traditional qualifications. Also included are persons with disabilities, mental health challenges, and from less advantaged or marginalized populations.
Our research shows how hidden workers can face enormous challenges finding work or increasing their hours. The reason? They’re often screened out early on by hiring processes that rely on recruitment management systems to automatically filter and rank candidates.
Ninety-percent of executives surveyed believe qualified candidates are vetted out of the process because they don’t match exact job criteria.
Hiring hidden workers is not just good for the individuals concerned, it also offers real benefits to the organizations they join. Nearly two-thirds of executives hiring hidden workers report that their new recruits perform "significantly better" than average across a range of key indicators including work ethic, productivity, work quality, attendance, and innovation.
We found that organizations that hire hidden workers are less likely to face challenges hiring talent with in-demand experience and skills. They are also more likely to benefit from workers with a positive work ethic and attitude.
A number of hurdles on the route to employment systematically exclude hidden workers. Among them? Excessively specific job descriptions, inflexible working practices, and difficult job application processes. All these contribute to the finding that just 7% of hidden workers manage to obtain a full-time job offer.
Around one in two hidden workers say that the job application experience stopped them applying for employment in public service.
Organizations also face barriers that prevent them from tapping into this pool of hidden talent. The three most critical are:
Public service-organizations have much to gain from accessing hidden talent. To do so, they’ll need to address five key issues:
As the private sector begins to recognize and champion the case for hidden workers, Canadian government departments are prioritizing the integration of hidden workers successfully into the workforce through apprenticeship opportunities for Indigenous people, establishing a fair system for hiring temporary foreign workers and creating disability-inclusive spaces. Public sector leadership is key to establishing a model that facilitates the prosperity of hidden workers in Canada.