The Hidden 97%: Why Top Franchise Talent Are Not on Job Boards
Why franchisors can’t rely on postings to find their next franchise brand leaders
At Franchise Hire, we often say that 97% of top talent is not on job boards. This isn’t just a marketing claim, it’s a conclusion backed by labor market data and real-world talent search behavior.
If you’ve ever wondered why résumés from job postings rarely match the caliber of leader your franchise system truly needs, here’s the reason: the right people were never on the boards to begin with. The executives who can drive franchisee profitability, protect brand standards, and accelerate system growth simply aren’t applying online. While postings attract the most active candidates, they don’t capture the best ones — and every day you rely on them, you’re missing out on the very leaders who could transform your brand.
Meanwhile, those game-changers are quietly advancing in other systems, strengthening competitors, and making an impact where they are. By depending on job boards, franchisors unintentionally compete over the small fraction of visible candidates, while the hidden 97% — the true difference-makers — remain completely out of reach.
The Breakdown of Numbers
Step 1: Start with the Market Numbers
The U.S. unemployment rate hovers around 4% (BLS, 2025).
For high earners ($100K+), unemployment is even lower: 2–3%.
Surveys from Gallup, LinkedIn, and Indeed show that only 10–15% of employed professionals are actively applying and interviewing at any given time.
Add those together, and just 14–18% of $100K+ earners are actively in a job search at any given moment.
Step 2: Filter for the Top Performers
As a franchisor, you don’t just need résumés — you need results. And results come from the top 25% of performers: the leaders who can coach, scale, and safeguard your brand.
But here’s the catch:
Top performers are less likely to job hunt. They’re engaged, rewarded, and difficult to move.
Research and recruiter benchmarks suggest only ~7–12% of top-quartile talent is actively searching at any given time.
That means almost 9 out of 10 top performers aren’t even in the market.
Step 3: Who Actually Uses Job Boards?
Even among the small group of top performers who are active, not all use job boards.
LinkedIn and executive search studies show only 20–40% of high earners rely on job boards as their main search tool.
The rest find opportunities through recruiter outreach, industry networks, or referrals.
Do the math:
7–12% of top talent is active.
Only 20–40% of them use job boards.
That equals just 1–5% of top talent visible on job boards.
Step 4: The Proof
If only 1–5% of top franchise leaders can be found through job postings, that leaves 95–99% who are invisible to job boards.
That’s why we confidently say:
97% of top talent isn’t on job boards.
What This Means for Franchisors
If your brand is relying on job postings, you’re fishing in the shallowest part of the talent pool. Instead of accessing the leaders who can build systems, support franchisees, and fuel long-term growth, you’re competing over the small fraction of active candidates who happen to apply online.
The reality:
The executives you want most are already working and winning inside other franchise systems.
They’re not scrolling Indeed. They’re not clicking “Apply.”
While you wait for résumés, they’re busy strengthening your competitors.
Every week you rely on job boards alone, you risk falling further behind in the race for leadership talent.
How Franchise Hire Reaches the Hidden 97%
At Franchise Hire, we don’t sit back and hope great leaders apply. We:
Identify top-quartile franchise performers through research, benchmarking, and insider networks.
Engage them directly and discreetly, so they’ll take your call when they wouldn’t respond to an ad.
Leverage decades of franchise relationships to uncover talent no job posting will ever attract.
This is how franchisors build winning leadership teams — by accessing the hidden 97% that competitors can’t see.
Conclusion
Would you rather compete for the 3% of top talent browsing job boards, or engage the 97% of leaders who can actually move your brand forward?
Your choice defines whether your franchise system keeps pace with competitors or pulls ahead of them.
