Compensation and Awareness are Major Challenges to Recruiting into the Incentives Industry

Washington, DC (April 13, 2023): The Incentive Research Foundation is pleased to announce the release of The Future of the Incentives Industry Workforce. This study explores the need for new, next generation talent in the incentives and meetings industries, and the challenges in attracting and retaining that talent in a post-pandemic world.

“As we look to the industry’s future, it’s critical that we recruit and foster a workforce that possesses both technical skills and passion for motivating improved performance,” said IRF President Stephanie Harris. “The industry is a relative unknown among emerging talent and not a focus within most academic settings. IRF’s new report focuses on the specific challenges and opportunities when recruiting and retaining incentives and meetings talent.”

The Future of the Incentives Industry Workforce explores post-pandemic workforce attitudes and priorities, and addresses challenges in attracting and retaining talent. The study draws from an employer survey of incentive and meeting professionals, a survey of workers and job seekers, and a series of interviews with professionals and workers from the incentives and meetings industries.

Key insights reported in The Future of the Incentives Industry Workforce include:

• Compensation, benefits, interesting work, and flexibility were the top priorities for employees seeking jobs in the incentives and meetings and events fields.
• The most appealing aspects of working in the incentives industry are the opportunity to design creative incentives, international travel, and developing new skills, according to job seekers.
• Awareness is a top challenge to recruiting. Only a minority of entry-level workers and job seekers are aware of job and career opportunities in the meetings and events industry, and even fewer are aware of the incentives space.
• Job security is considered a major barrier to recruiting into the incentives industry.
• For all levels of hires, the most effective recruiting source is employee referral programs.
• When incentives and meetings employees leave their jobs, they tend to move within the industry rather than to related or other industries.  

To view or download a copy of the full report, please visit The Future of the Incentives Industry Workforce webpage.

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