About Nine in 10 Employers Are Open to Negotiating Salary for Either Some or All Positions

The overwhelming majority (89%) of organizations are open to negotiating salary for either some or all positions once a job offer has been made, according to 324 US employers responding to XpertHR’s Recruiting and Hiring Survey 2021.

However, when it comes to bonuses and benefits, employers are more rigid in their terms of employment. About four in 10 (42%) organizations are open to negotiating bonuses for either some or all open positions, and approximately one-third (32%) of companies are willing to negotiate benefits (excluding bonuses) for either some or all job openings.

“The survey results show that employers are much more likely to negotiate pay with a prospective hire than benefits,” says Andrew Hellwege, Surveys Editor, XpertHR, “something jobseekers may want to keep top of mind when presented with a fresh offer of employment.”

Additionally, the survey asked about 10 various parts of the hiring process – such as interviews, skills assessments, and presentations – and found that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of each in-person method has decreased and the use of each virtual or phone method has increased.

In particular, the use of phone interviews more than doubled from 36% of organizations pre-pandemic to 84% of employers in December 2020, and the use of video interviews more than tripled, surging from 19% to 72%.

When it comes to the use of in-person interviews, the survey found that the percentage of organizations using this traditional method fell from a pre-pandemic level of 69% down to 50%.

“While there has been a major shift to virtual hiring methods during the pandemic,” notes Hellwege, “it remains to be seen if virtual methods will maintain their pride of place post-COVID, or if in-person methods will enjoy a renaissance.”

XpertHR’s Recruiting and Hiring Survey 2021 was conducted from December 8, 2020, to December 31, 2020, and published on January 28, 2021. The survey includes the responses from 324 US employers of various industries and workforce sizes. The total estimated number of employees of responding organizations is 494,418. The survey report covers key aspects of recruiting and hiring, such as methods to attract candidates, the role of social media, applicant tracking systems, negotiations, interview and assessment methods, and vacancy costs.

XpertHR has been providing HR solutions since 2002, empowering organizations across the globe to build successful workforces and create a purposeful workplace for all. The platform delivers expert insight, trusted resources, data analysis and practical tools to help achieve greater efficiency, reduce risk and increase employee engagement. XpertHR is developing smarter data analysis tools and cutting-edge technology to support future demands on HR in an increasingly digital world.