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Today might be a good day to ask for raise. That is, if you have another offer in hand. Apparently, corporate talent supply lines are understocked and that’s putting the squeeze on hiring managers.

Nearly four in five staffing directors expect the competition for talent will intensify this year, according to a new study of 3,725 job seekers, 628 staffing directors, and 1,250 hiring managers, conducted in five global regions by Development Dimensions International (DDI), in conjunction with Monster.com. “Candidates are in a very powerful position-organizations need to think about hiring as a competitive practice if they want to attract the best people,” said Scott Erker, SVP at DDI.

“Right now, there is a significant gap between what candidates want and what employers think they want,” asserts Erker. “That’s dangerous for organizations, because many don’t understand the motivations of the candidate sitting right in front of them.”

Other key results of the study:

• Job seekers have more power. The proof point cited by DDI is that a majority of hiring managers believe they must “sell jobs to candidates.” Shouldn’t they do this even when the labor markets are better stocked with talent?
• A gap exists in how employers and job seekers view the hiring organization. According to the study, “74 percent of job seekers consider it important to work for an organization that they can be proud of, while only 55 percent of staffing directors consider it an important issue for candidates.” That’s because they know better - they are already work there. That’s probably why they aren’t knocking themselves out to sell you the job either!
• The job seekers have roaming eyes. “Nearly one-third of candidates had been in their current job less than six months, yet they were already on the market for a new position,” according to the study. I take this as a proof point that it is very difficult to properly evaluate an employer’s culture before you work there.

Do you believe that job seekers are in a more powerful position? If so, is that a short-term trend or something that’s likely to continue for many years?