Where is recruiting heading? How do we get ready for it?
Contingent employees will be the big trend. Similar to how IT staffs many positions today. Demand is going to be for specific talent sets that may be needed for relatively short periods of time. Today that’s 10% of the workforce. Over the next few years that percentage likely will increase to 20-25% of the workforce.
Why? Skilled labor, world-wide is getting scarce. Employees who have willingness to stay abreast/ahead of the skills needed to succeed will be fewer as the pace of technological advancement increases. At the same time, all our customers are becoming more sophisticated and demanding better, faster, and seamless service. Dana Shaw, SVP of Strategy and Solutions for Staffing Industry Analysts talks about the need to view things through a “talent lens.” Employees will need to look at what their company offers through the lens of the customer to have a proper view on how their company should function and what skills are needed at every level.
Demand for people in staffing will increase. Staffing employees in companies will take a larger role in decisions on the type of staff necessary and whether a position should be permanent or contingent.
Employees want more control over their lives, including the duties assigned by their employers schedules, and how their jobs impact their lives.
Why?All employees, but especially contingent employees want to be sure the jobs/assignments they take on will utilize and EXPAND their skills to make them more valuable in the future.
People in staffing and recruiting will be viewed as business partners and have the opportunity to find creative solutions to meet the talent acquisition needs of their employers.
Lynn Taylor, an outstanding workplace consultant and author, refers to ‘tempreneur.’ A combination of a temporary employee with entrepreneurial skills. Our industry has many functions that can use ‘tempreneurs.’ In hospitality industry, F&B functions such as menu development and writing, using social media to drive short-term business, financial analysis can all be handled by part-time contingent employees. Some of those functions, and many others can be done by contingent staff outside our borders. These opportunities are available to small and large companies.
Outsourcing
The distinction between outsourcing and contingent employees will blur. Companies specializing in each category exist and many more players will enter each space. External staffing and placement firms will offer additional HR services such a payroll, benefits management, b ackground/drug screeningand/or compliance. MSP (managed service providers) and VMS (vendor management systems) will continue to proliferate.
How does all this impact recruiting?
Today the terms staffing and recruiting are often used interchangeably. Slowly staffing will refer more to planning the overall employment (contingent and permanent) needs of a company. Recruiting is likely to be used more to describe specific campaigns to find the talent the employer needs.
