Orange, California Jul 30, 2023 (Issuewire.com) - Quiet hiring happens when companies fill positions without publicly advertising them. This can be done by promoting existing employees to higher positions, outsourcing roles to freelancers, or using other methods. Since its rise in popularity, it has sparked a significant debate regarding its ethical implications and raised questions about its fairness and transparency. 

To answer these pressing questions, Skill Success, which is one of the leading e-learning providers in America with over 500,000 students and 3,500 courses, surveyed a population of professionals, career builders, and entrepreneurs in various industries to gather valuable insights about quiet hiring practices.

The survey found that 82% of respondents had not heard of quiet hiring. But once they've learned about its definition, 74% believed it silently exists in their industry or field of expertise. 70% of respondents also claim to have been involved in a job opportunity that wasn't publicly advertised or widely known.

According to Damian Birkel, Director of Professionals in Transition Support Group, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to this phenomenon. As people returned to work after the massive layoffs, the job market experienced significant changes leading to a shift in the hiring landscape. As a result: Hiring amidst firing became very quiet.

"Because hiring amidst firing has such a huge impact on morale and may cause potential 'blowback' from the public, external hiring sources became low key and many times came through networking, employees, alumni groups, and recruiters," said Birkel.

With quiet hiring, job seekers get increased chances of securing desired jobs with less competition, access to better-paying positions that are not widely available, and gaining an advantage over other candidates with inside information. Companies also get to save money on job ads, encourage growth opportunities within their organizations, streamline the hiring process by reducing applicant influx, and hire familiar employees for smoother transition and training.

However, the survey found that 70% of participants believe quiet hiring could potentially disadvantage certain groups of job seekers. Only 48% of participants consider it fair, while 52% had reservations.

In the midst of this silent revolution, industry experts resound the same advice. Strengthening your skills, profile, and network can help job seekers successfully navigate through this trend.

"Always aim to learn more and never stop learning and re-learning. This will make your profile more attractive to employers and widen your funnel of job opportunities," said Cathleen Garcia, HR & Recruitment Manager of Skill Success.

To learn more effective strategies on how to take advantage of this trend, read the full report on quiet hiring.