The last two years have changed everything for businesses and employees alike. However, one thing rings true in the wake of the pandemic: adapting to today’s job market entails being people-first. All the staffing trends emerging this year can be attributed to this shift in power – from organizations to people. Now, an organization is only as good as the people it employs.
As employees ask critical questions about their work, many reconsider their jobs. The competition for talent has been getting fiercer and stiffer. So, how can your staffing agency ride these new waves of change and journey smoothly toward the new era of work? In this article, we discuss in detail the staffing trends you need to know to respond to the job market change and thrive this year.
2022 Staffing Trends
Understanding all the changes and responding to them has now become one of the crucial skills for staffing agencies and businesses. Once you get a hold of the new ways people work and the technologies currently available to you, adapting to the shifting staffing trends becomes easier. To help you stay ahead, we listed the staffing trends you need to consider as you chart your strategy for the coming months:
1. Reinvention in the Face of Disruptive Change
In 2020 and 2021, organizations were forced to reinvent and be reactive. In 2022, however, reinvention will be intentional. The market will continually face matters like climate change, digital disruption, talent shortage, and supply chain issues while catering to the changing customer’s needs. As we face circumstances full of opportunities and challenges, business models will change and adapt.
How Organizations Will Reinvent
- Platform and marketplace business will exponentially grow, which will lead to new jobs, ways of working, and business models.
- Companies will become more fluid in terms of structure and priorities. Non-hierarchical structures and project-based work will grow.
- The focus will shift from employee performance to people’s capabilities alongside technology.
- Hybrid work models will be formalized as companies reinvent where work gets done.
2. Talent Shortage Will Continue
The number of unfulfilled jobs keeps on growing. This staffing trend can be attributed to fast economic expansion, projects delayed due to the pandemic, and skills mismatch. As digital innovation speeds up, the talent gap widens.
Talent acquisition and employee retention used to be a numbers game, but this year calls for a more human approach. Building relationships with candidates and employees alike is now a must. Learning how to successfully manage a team and retain employees will be crucial for your organization’s long-term success.
Ways to Address the Talent Shortage
- Come up with new methods to incentivize candidates to join and employees to stay
- Improve the candidate and employee experience you provide
- Create robust training programs
- Explore all the possibilities to be flexible
- Build inclusive hiring practices
- Focus on internal mobility, reskilling, and upskilling
3. Employee Well-Being Takes Center Stage
Even though employee well-being has always been important, it’s now imperative for companies to create strategies with it at the center. Hybrid work gave employees a deeper understanding of their well-being and worth. Hence, putting people first is not just a business strategy. It’s the right thing to do.
Today, employee well-being is no longer just a perk but a value proposition. So, it’s a great opportunity to offer support to your employees in all areas of their personal and professional lives.
4. Evident Focus on Sustainability
The business world is noticing how companies are accountable for their impact on people and the planet. But just because it’s trendy doesn’t mean there isn’t much hard work involved. If you take sustainability seriously, you can get ahead by thinking green and acting green — and marketing your efforts properly. It all comes down to doing no harm and encouraging others to do the same.
To be truly sustainable, we need to minimize our negative impact on people and the planet. Efforts to build a sustainable future are now vital in attracting new talent, investors, and customers. Conversations last year revolved around it but failed to comprehensively address how to make that transition happen. This year, we expect to see the fruit of that idea: the green transition.
5. Employee Experiences Will Be Personal
Providing a positive employee experience is imperative in attracting, engaging, and retaining the best professionals. Companies are expected to meet the demands of their employees by delivering consumer-grade employee experiences at work.
This year, there is a call for employers to move to a more personalized approach to understand employees at a deeper level. Here are some ways your staffing agency can personalize the employee experience:
- Identify the talent segments by values first, not demographics
- Incorporate simplicity and flexibility in your policies and process
- Empower your leaders to deliver
- Leverage personalized opportunities at each employee experience touchpoint
6. Emphasis on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Protection in the Workplace
These days, diversity, equity, inclusion, and social protection are commonly regarded as fundamental values to be promoted for individuals and organizations across diverse cultural contexts. It has been shown that it’s harder to foster an inclusive environment without a higher degree of employee empowerment.
According to the Korn Ferry Future of Work Trends 2022 report:
- 64% of organizations identify building diverse and inclusive teams as a key challenge.
- Only 32% are purposely creating diverse and inclusive teams to drive performance.
- Only 42% are developing their leaders to be inclusive.
Fostering collaboration and diversity takes work. But when you get this right, you’re on your way to a more productive, collaborative, innovative, and satisfied team.
7. Micromanagement Has No Place in the New Era of Work
Accountability in the workplace is nothing new, but its meaning is starting to change. It’s not just about getting things done. It’s also about transparency, trust, and confidence on all levels. This year, we can see changes in what accountability means in the workplace:
- Corporate accountability. Companies are expected to be transparent in declaring achievements and admitting mistakes.
- Leadership accountability. Leaders are expected to adjust to new forms of work and respond to the requirements of leading agile and fluid teams.
- Individual accountability. Employees will have more opportunities to make their own decisions.
8. A Shift in Recruitment Marketing Priorities
Before the pandemic, recruiters were focused solely on getting vacancies filled as fast as possible. Today, it’s all about improving the quality of hires. But when effectiveness comes into the mix, how can you market your staffing agency to the best talent?
First, try and answer these questions:
- What makes your staffing agency unique?
- How much do you invest in your marketing efforts?
- How do you find your current candidates and clients?
- What is your brand positioning in the job market?
- Do you have tools available to use in your marketing process?
As we all face talent acquisition and retention challenges, marketing has become more important for your staffing agency to thrive. Microsoft’s 2021 work trend report states that 41% of surveyed employees were considering quitting or changing professions. This is as much of a challenge as it is an opportunity for staffing.
Are you focusing on diversity? Do you have sustainability efforts in place? Do you put people first? If you’re looking into building strategies around 2022’s staffing trends, let your audience know! This will give you that much-needed edge in the market. In addition, keeping up with what the staffing industry demands right now will help you hire and retain the best talent.
RIDE THE RISING WAVE OF CHANGE WITH ALLIED INSIGHT
Allied Insight understands the importance of knowing how to navigate the current staffing market. We’ve got you covered! We deliver strategic marketing solutions that will elevate your staffing agency.
Allied Insight is a fractional CMO and growth marketing company specializing in leveraging the best practices of recruitment marketing, inbound marketing, SEO, lead generation, account-based marketing, and sales enablement.
Contact us If you’re looking to get more insight into today’s staffing trends and how they can help your staffing agency thrive this year and beyond! We’ll be more than happy to jump on a call and see what we can do to give you a hand.
