A fatal desire to change jobs

Job seekers are now being presented with a bill

"As a candidate, you can't say: 'I don't care'," warns Bettina Kern about the long-term consequences(Bild: Karl Schöndorfer, Markus Wenzel, Krone KREATIV)

The stuttering economic engine is causing companies to part with employees more quickly again and to look around at the growing number of job seekers. And this is exactly where the past is now catching up with applicants: frequent changes of employer are now taking their revenge.

Uncertainty, declining orders, recession - the stuttering economic engine is also forcing domestic companies to tighten their belts. "To a certain extent, the issue of finding employees has been replaced by the issue of retaining employees," said AMS Upper Austria Managing Director Iris Schmidt recently.

However, the trend towards separation is also noticeable. "Companies are now taking a very close look again," confirms Bettina Kern, who places technicians and IT specialists at her company "Kern engineering careers".

Unemployment rate has risen

38,836 people were registered as unemployed with the Public Employment Service in Upper Austria in February 2024, with a further 10,906 people in training. This put the unemployment rate at 5.4 percent, compared to 4.7 percent in February 2023.

The HR consulting expert speaks of a "shakeout" after an exceptional phase: "We had a time when everyone was taken - if you had two hands and two feet, you were hired. Now many jobs are being cut, and this affects a wide range of sectors."

"You're getting applications again"
The fact that the supply on the labor market has increased again means that you no longer keep every employee at any price, says Kern: "If it doesn't fit or the performance isn't right, then this is addressed more quickly. We now have this luxury because we are receiving applications again."

And the selection process is now also more selective again: "Average candidates who have even less experience and have had many changes are now presented with the bill. This hop-on, hop-off catches up with you at some point, because you always see each other twice."