Dive Brief:
- Forty-four percent of single parents in the U.S. have had to turn down job interviews because companies were inflexible about scheduling times, according to the results of a recent survey by Careerminds, an outplacement and career development firm. When they’ve had to give up an interview, only 34% were offered an alternative, per the survey.
- Of the 3,000 single parents surveyed in August, 68% identified child care as the biggest barrier to attending interviews, while 16% said school pickups and after-school activities were the main challenges.
- Forty-two percent of single parents said they never thought they needed to hide their status during the interview process, but 48% said they always, often or sometimes felt pressure to keep their status a secret, the survey found.
Dive Insight:
Anticipated problems with scheduling have led nearly two-thirds of single parents to question if they should apply for jobs, and the same share have had to find last-minute child care to make an interview, the survey found.
“It’s clear that the job market still has a long way to go in accommodating the unique needs of single parents,” Raymond Lee, founder and president of Careerminds, said in a statement. “While some industries are making strides, there’s a pressing need for more flexible, understanding approaches across the board.”
Single parents identified the tech sector as the most accommodating, followed by the healthcare and education fields, then the hospitality and tourism industry, based on the availability of flexible and adaptable schedules, per the survey.
Flexibility is key, parents said. Flexible scheduling, virtual interviews and on-site child care all could improve the job search experience, respondents said.
Many of the same problems identified by single-parent job seekers are echoed by employed working parents, including the need for flexibility and child care assistance.