Tinder for jobs launches in Austin
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As job postings increase in Austin, folks in the industry are getting creative to attract workers.
The latest report from the Austin Chamber of Commerce indicates 88,000 available job postings in June, up nearly 4,000 compared to the previous month.
"The job search process is way, way harder than it has been in the past," said Reed Faitak, culinary operations director at Austin Daily Press.
Faitak has worked there for nearly a decade and says hiring has never been more competitive.
"All restaurants just kind of faced a major influx of business at the same time," he said.
ADP is also trying to expand hours to make up for revenue losses during the pandemic.
They've increased starting wages by 20% and overall payroll by 25-30% since the beginning of the year. They're also thinking outside the box for benefits.
"We're working on getting yoga and other classes available to our staff at a discounted rate," he said.
Hiring platforms are also getting creative.
Swob, which stands for swipe jobs, launched in Austin about three months ago. Users download the free app, answer some questions and upload their resumes. Jobs nearby will pop up. Users can swipe left if they're not interested or swipe right to send their profile and resume straight to the employer.
"I remember starting to look for new opportunities and becoming really frustrated with that process, and I really thought to myself, 'there needs to be an easier way to do this,' and I'll admit, at the time I was using Tinder," explained Alexander Florio.
That's how he and his sister, Stephanie, first got the idea. They launched in Canada in 2017.
"When we spoke with students about this idea, because we would hold focus groups and meet with students, the number one comment that we get back and forth is available now? They all understood the Tinder reference; they all knew how it was gonna work," Alexander said.
The Florios chose Austin as the first U.S. city in which to launch.
"Austin is one of the markets that's booming. We're seeing a lot of companies in there, and we just thought it was a great spot for us to start our expansion in," Stephanie said.
Employers can sign up online for a monthly or annual subscription or pay to post one job for 30 days.
Another employment website, Indeed, recently launched two different virtual resources to help employers hire more quickly. A spokesperson said in some cases, the hiring process can go from weeks to days with these new tools.
The Indeed Hiring Platform helps employers automate steps like screening, scheduling and communicating with candidates so that employers can fast-forward to the interview.
The company also expanded free video interviewing tools to help businesses hire employees more quickly, saying the new resources would allow employers to hire 20% faster than in-person interviews.
All options that come at the right time for businesses like ADP who are hurting for hires.
"We'll try anything to make it happen," Faitak said.