The State of HR: Insights and Trends from MidAtlantic Employers

The State of HR: Insights and Trends from MidAtlantic Employers

hr trends report

To gain insight into current HR trends impacting the workplace, MEA collected data from MidAtlantic employers on key workplace issues related to compliance, recruitment and retention, compensation, DEI, leadership, and much more.

Here are the results from the HR Trends Survey, conducted during February of 2023: 

Participant Demographics

53 total employers participated in this survey.

Participating Organizations by Employee Size

  • 1-49 Employees: 34%
  • 50-199 Employees: 42%
  • 200-499 Employees: 17%
  • 500 or More Employees: 8%

Top Participating Industries

  • Manufacturing: 17%
  • Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 17%
  • Wholesale Trade: 9%
  • Financial and Insurance: 8%

Most Serious Challenges our Members are Facing Today

Short Term Challenges

  • Competition in general: 32%
  • Cost of materials: 34%
  • Ability to pay for benefits costs: 35%
  • Technology Issues/utilizing the right systems: 38%
  • Ability to pay competitive wage/salaries: 45%
  • Inflation: 45%
  • Employee Engagement: 51%
  • Talent Retention: 67%
  • Talent Acquisition: 68%

Long Term Challenges

  • Ability to maintain quality of product/service: 30%
  • Competition in general: 31%
  • Technology Issues/utilizing the right systems: 38%
  • Inflation: 40%
  • Cost of equipment: 42%
  • Cost of materials: 44%
  • Ability to pay for benefits costs: 48%
  • Ability to pay competitive wage/salaries: 54%
  • Employee Engagement: 56%
  • Talent Acquisition: 65%
  • Talent Retention: 72%

Everything that our participants believe to be challenging in the short term was also reported to be challenging in the long term, with increasing focus on the cost of doing business – cost of materials, cost of equipment, ability to pay competitive wages, and ability to pay for benefit costs.

Top 5 Overall Workplace Challenges

When asked to identify their top 3 workplace challenges, the top results were:

  1. Recruiting & Retaining Talent: 100%
  2. Leadership Skills: 43%
  3. Employee Training and Development: 30%
  4. Keeping up with Changes in Laws, Rules, or Regulations: 29%
  5. Compensation Program/Structure: 24%

All of our participants responded that recruiting and retaining talent is one of their top 3 workplace challenges.  Training and development is at the forefront of our Members’ minds as participants reported leadership skills and employee training and development as their second and third top workplace challenges.  

Recruiting Strategies

Over the course of the next six months, participants do not expect their employee headcount to decrease at all. Instead, 54% of participants expect their headcount to increase and 46% think it will stay the same.

Across the board, our participants responded that all job groups are equally challenging when it comes to recruitment, onboarding, and retention.

MEA Members have access to the full report in the Help Center. Not an MEA Member? Email mea@meainfo.org for a copy of the full report.

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