The Forgotten Workforce: New Research on the Hourly Candidate

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 82 million workers in the United States are paid hourly, representing 58.5% of all wage and salary workers. Hourly workers comprise the largest segment of today’s workforce yet, these individuals are too often ignored.

I am so excited about the latest research study by Aptitude and Alexander Mann Solutions on The Forgotten Workforce. We found that only 62% of candidates hear back from an employer after they have applied for a job. This reality means that many hourly job seekers that invest the time to research and apply do not even get the courtesy of a response.

The latest chapter talks about strategies for improving the candidate experience for hourly job seekers. In industries like retail and hospitality, there is a direct correlation between the candidate experience and the success of the organization. The majority of companies that have filed for bankruptcy in 2019 include organizations in industries that hire hourly workers. Comparing these companies’ business performance and Glassdoor employee ratings, it becomes clear how closely the consumer experience and the candidate and employee experience are intertwined.

The average rating on Glassdoor is 3.4.

Glassdoor announced its top 10 places to work in 2019 and number 3 on the list was In-N-Out Burger. In-N-Out Burger is close to $1 Billion in revenue and has a loyal customer base. It is a company that has not moved to a franchise model or gone public despite pressure to do so in the past few years. One reason for In-N-Out’s success is its commitment to its employees. In-N-Out pays its employees $14 an hour – well above minimum wage and supports policies and programs that recruit and retain talent.

We have three more chapters to publish in this report series that will look at topics such as age discrimination, industry trends, and candidate communication.