Workforce Trends
2 October, 2024
This post summarizes key workforce trends represented by FireUp’s growing talent network. We characterize candidate experiences, sector interests, preferences, and transferrable skill sets.
FireUp’s emerging talent pool includes diverse professionals across a variety of job fields and career stages, who can meet various organizational needs across the fire, forestry, and land management sectors.
In terms of years of experience, the FireUp Talent Network includes early-career professionals with 1-5 years of experience (34.8%), mid-career professionals with 6-9 years (18.8%), candidates with 10-19 years of experience (27.5%), senior management with 20-29 years (13%), and some retirees with 30+ years (5.8%) round out the pool. This range shows a diversified representation across career stages, offering a blend of fresh perspectives and seasoned expertise.
When looking at sector interests expressed by this pool of candidates, the most sought-after areas include fuels management and prescribed burning (50.7%), training, education, and community outreach (47.8%), and emergency response management (40.6%). Additionally, fields such as science, data, and technology applications (39.1%), research (39.1%), and wildland firefighting (36.2%) are well represented. These sectors highlight a strong interest in roles related to forest management, disaster response, and scientific innovation, indicating that our talent is aligned with critical environmental and sustainability challenges.
In terms of job function preferences, the most popular roles are in training, education, and outreach (49.3%), project management and coordination (44.9%), and operations (42%). There is also significant interest in professional services and consulting (40.6%) and research (40.6%), demonstrating that our talent is well-equipped to handle both strategic and operational roles across the fire, forestry, and land management industries.
The FireUp Talent Network possess a wide range of transferable skills that are valuable across different roles and industries. The top skills in our talent pool include communication (30.4%), project management (26.1%), Microsoft Excel (26.1%), and leadership (26.1%). Additionally, technical competencies like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (13%) and Python programming (11.6%) are well-represented, reflecting the high level of expertise within the network, particularly in data science and environmental management.
When it comes to benefits, retirement contributions and healthcare, including dental and vision, top the list, with 52.2% of candidates valuing these benefits. Paid vacation (43.5%) and training and certifications (36.2%) are also important, reflecting the desire for comprehensive benefits packages and opportunities for professional growth.
📊 Takeaway for Employers:
Contact us at hello@fire-up.net if you’d like to tap into FireUp’s growing talent pool. We will match you with the best suited candidates and bring agility to your recruitment workflow!
Add your company to the FireUp job board so you are visible to talent.
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📊 Takeaway for Talent:
Join FireUp’s talent network if you need help making your best career move, no matter what career stage you’re at!
FireUp’s Resume Template can make it easy for you to apply for a range of jobs with a well-rounded resume that can be conveniently parsed by employers and Applicant Tracking Systems. Learn more here.