According to the latest statistics from the American Staffing Association, the staffing industry directly provides employment for over 16 million people annually in the USA. This is against a backdrop of the significant role it plays in providing recruitment services and workforce solutions for other sectors across the country. The industry is, therefore, intricately intertwined in the production fabric that sustains the economy at large.
Most companies experience cyclical demand in relation to hiring needs. Some factors determine the size of the workforce required. Some of them are predictable, and businesses can plan and adjust their workforce appropriately while others are hard to anticipate. It is, therefore, important for the staffing industry to take note of the trends that can foretell a spike in recruitment needs so as to respond accordingly. Here are some highlights of the developments that have significant bearing in the staffing industry.
Growing prominence of online work platforms
Online work platforms have continued to gain momentum over the recent past. The model has especially been adopted by information technology companies, publishing houses, design agencies, among others. Today, it is quite possible to successfully collaborate in real-time with someone from a different continent, and this has made the idea of the global workforce a reality. A survey by the online freelance job board Up work and the national freelancers union estimated that more than 55 million Americans were gainfully employed via online platforms in 2016 – up from 53 million in 2014. While most of these jobs may have been temporary gigs, the trend is an important pointer to the rising prominence of virtual employment.
Political uncertainty
The biggest news item trending for the better part of 2016 was the US presidential elections. As with other elections that involve a change in the country’s administration, there was – and there still is an atmosphere of uncertainty. It is interesting to see how the labor policies will take shape under the new administration. Issues surrounding outsourcing and rejuvenation of the domestic manufacturing sector were major talk points during the campaign period with the main candidates promising to create more jobs locally. The staffing industry is, therefore, poised for increased recruitment activities if indeed the job creation pledge becomes a reality.
Technology
The use of technological innovations to recruit and manage the best human resource capital is a trend being adopted by most firms within the staffing industry. A recent survey revealed that 80% of staffing agencies depend on some form of recruitment software solutions to carry out their tasks efficiently. Robust human resource management systems with cutting edge features such as real-time reports on applicants and passive activity tracking are now replacing legacy software applications used in the past. The immediate benefit of these innovative solutions is the streamlining of the recruitment process. Employers are also able to match the right candidate to the appropriate role in their companies.
The use of Data
With the increasing use of enterprise level solutions in the staffing industry, there is a need for data intelligence to improve processes and ensure quality placements. A survey carried out in 2015 among recruiting agencies revealed that 1 out of 4 respondents struggled to find candidates with the required skills in the industry for which they recruit. Data collected and shared across the industry will, therefore, result in a more refined recruitment process. This will increase the odds of picking the right candidate for any given position within the industry at large. Staffing agencies should also look into the use of recruitment analytics, which can provide immense business insights going forward. Get in touch with us now for information on starting your own staffing franchise office. You may also sign up for free information and downloads.