• i3-Blog | Staffing

Staffing is firmly anchored on a landscape which is volatile and ever-evolving. Its fast-paced nature ensures its permanent place in the winds of changes and incidents. Last year, there was strong hiring and low unemployment. For the last quarter of the current year, staffers are optimistic about higher revenue and billable hours. There are reports suggesting that staffing industry market size is expected to reach a total revenue of $145.1 Billion in the current year. Though it’s an indication that economy is humming along, concerns about possible trade wars and the next recession cannot be written off. Temporary staffers should keep an eye on it, as staffing is often a tool that organizations can use to manage uncertainty. To make you aware of the future of staffing, we have listed down the most important staffing trends.

A) The Future of Staffing Will See Rise and Rise of Technology:

No business and business activity can stay untouched by the galloping speed of technological advancements. Staffing is no exception. According to the Bullhorn study, 52% of staffing firms anticipate an increase in tech spending in 2018. Majorly, this investment will be in AI technologies to attract and hire skilled workers. Its implementation will be seen in areas like candidate screening and sourcing, candidate rediscovery from existing databases, bias removal, and AI chatbots. It may put the future of staffing on the edge where staffing firms may begin to offer artificial intelligence and robotic work solutions to their clients, in addition to traditional staffing.

B) Temporary Workers Will See A Steady Growth:

With varied job roles and project natures, staffing needs of companies are not always consistent. During the peak hours and seasonal rush, they might need to scale up their staff. And as the need recedes, they might have to think about paring down the staff. Only temporary staffing can shower this flexibility on companies. Consequentially, the future of staffing will see increased demand for temporary workers. Staffing professionals will be eager to pounce upon this demand. Though this shift towards temporary staffing will take place gradually, 40% of the average business’s workforce will be made up of contingent workers by 2020, including temp staffing employees.

C) Social Recruiting Will Become A Norm in The Future of Staffing:

Social media, the lovechild of World Wide Web, is changing the way people used to communicate. Since it is blurring all the geographical lines, more and more people will join it. It is believed that the total number of social media users is expected to reach some 3.02 billion monthly active social media users by 2021, around a third of Earth’s entire population. Clearly, staffers can’t let go this huge repository off the hook. By a single post related to a job opening, they can expect an unprecedented reach. Moreover, they can search for the right candidates on social media networks like LinkedIn and Facebook. It’s true that with various and comprehensive job boards, it’s possible to find qualified candidates. But on the other side, you will find junk applications which make searching for the right talent difficult.
Besides, nowadays companies not just hire aptitude. They give equal, if not more, importance to attitude. Through the analysis of candidates’ social media posts, staffers can gauge their thoughts, awareness level, attitude towards life, personal inclinations, and personality traits. This coupled with candidates’ resumes will allow staffers to evaluate them properly based upon their aptitude and attitude. That’s the prime reason why social recruiting will feature predominantly in the future of staffing.

D) Legislative, Social and Political Changes:

Since staffing essentially deals with humans, the future of staffing will always be affected by social, political and economic upheavals. Immigration directly means a change in candidates’ demographics, and thereby the change in their availability. Proposed immigration reform such as changes to the H1-B program is sure to hamper IT staffing firms, as many firms get workers through that specific skilled worker program.
Similarly, if Trump administration decides to do away with Obamacare, it will affect the volume for healthcare staffing. The reason for it is a lot of healthcare staffing is driven by Obamacare. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which went into effect this year and contains many tax cuts for businesses, will give a short-term boost to staffing firms.