The hourly job site Snagajob published some interesting stats from a survey they did with 1,000 hiring managers and 2,000 job seekers. It contains unique insights into summer hiring practices for both job seekers and employers.

The survey was conducted among retail, restaurant and hospitality seekers and employers. Key findings include;

• Seventy-three percent of employers looking to hire summer employees plan to have all positions filled by the end of May. This is down from 82% last year, an indication of the more challenging climate for hiring.
• Sixty-seven percent of employers are anticipating hiring more summer employees than last year. This is up from 40% in 2016, a 68% increase year over year.
• The top perks employers plan to offer include rewards or coupons (56%), flexible shift preferences (52%) and free meals (44% – up from 19% in 2016).
• The number one on-the-job perk hourly workers look for is a flexible schedule (36%) followed by bonuses (27%) and tied for third are benefits separate from health insurance or health benefits (13%) and vacation (13%).
• Sixty-seven percent of hourly workers are optimistic about their career path, thinking their current job may be a position they will have for a long time, or a step toward a salaried position.
• Eighty-two percent of job seekers use mobile and smart phones to conduct their job searches (up from 72% in 2016) while 66% use PC/desktop computer (down from 70% in 2016) and only 41% fill out paper applications (down from 48% in 2016).
• Fifteen percent of job seekers (up from 10% in 2016, a 50% increase year over year) have been able to find a job in just one day.

Our surveys show that thirty-six percent of workers rank flexibility as the most important on-the-job perk they consider when looking for a job, while more than half of employers plan on offering it,” said Peter Harrison, CEO of Snagajob. “These findings are consistent with other trends we’re seeing as more and more workers enter the gig economy so they can grab shifts when and where they want. At a time when we have near zero unemployment but still substantial under-employment, employers should consider how they offer increased workforce flexibility to stay ahead of the competition.