5 Ways to Solve the Biggest Challenges Facing Temporary Staffing with Workforce Software
Across the Western World technology, people´s habits and legislation are changing the rules of business for both temporary staffing agencies and firms that utilise atypical labour for their own needs alike.
At PARiM, we are building a world-class workforce software with many of these trends in mind. Due to that, we can offer unparalleled support for needs specific to your organisation active in this fastly changing field. And we can prove that to you in 5 minutes or less with glimpses of our software in action below, addressing each individual challenge with a concrete solution. You can follow along with 14-day free trial for which you can sign up here.
Demand for Competent Contingent Labour Increases
Growing Skills Mismatch with Simultaneous High Unemployment and Lack of Workers
Skills shortages were reaching “critical levels” in the last quarter of 2017 putting future growth at risk, according to a survey from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), with a record number of firms reporting recruitment difficulties. - Telegraph
The situation is not limited to the UK or to anglophone countries as Germany and France and other countries globally are affected by this trend:
"Job vacancies in Germany hit an all-time high in the last three months of 2017, data showed on Tuesday, underlining the strength of a labour market that is pushing up wages and fuelling a consumer-led upswing in Europe’s biggest economy... Asked for the main reasons that are complicating recruiting, most employers pointed to a lack of applicants and insufficient job qualifications. - Reuters
The situation is most stark in France as the labour shortages - a problem that also afflicts the construction, engineering and IT industries - come despite a stubbornly high unemployment rate that is currently 9.4 percent and has not dropped below 9 percent for six years. The reason for the simultaneous high unemployment and lack of workers is a massive skills mismatch. France simply does not produce enough of the skilled workers it now needs. - Reuters
1. Unlimited amount of workers, freelancers and contractors at your call at a moment´s notice.
With PARiM you can gain an edge on your competitors by keeping a unlimited database of active workers ready to call at a moment´s notice that can be filtered by over 30+ criteria, rows and columns in seconds. While your competition is forced to keep labour-intensive manual records or pay through their nose for pay-per-user software.
You can provide your clients with labour located at the place they need, available when they need it and for the price, they are willing to pay. You can go through the entire process in minutes and you end up only paying for the hours your staff actually works. That is the beauty of our system.
2. Add an unlimited amount of qualifications and filter staff by them in seconds
This second step pushes PARiM way ahead of alternatives when it comes to managing contingent labour in today´s competitive environment. We give you a cost-effective way to manage a limitless labour pool that can be filtered by qualification, location, individual pay rate or more than 30 other fields. And thanks to PARiM using the latest web technologies you can do that with unrivalled speed.
Changing Labour Landscape
Fewer Migrant Workers Coming to the UK, the US and Western Europe Underlines Worker-Friendliness
The approaching Brexit in the UK and the recent stricter approach to immigration enforcement in the United States lead to fewer migrant workers moving to these countries for work and in some cases lead to reverse migration. Case in point:
"The number of Poles, Latvians and other eastern European nationals working in Britain fell by 5% last year, providing fresh evidence that a “Brexodus” is underway. The ONS said the slowdown in the number of employees coming from lower-income countries – especially eastern European states such as Poland and Latvia – and the higher net increase in the number of British people in work, might eventually push average wages higher." - The Guardian
For firms active Britain and Western European countries the threat of reverse migration is only increasing as living standards and wages arise in Eastern Europe: it is worth considering that almost all Eastern European capitals and regions closely around them have an average and median GDP per capita that are at least 130%-150% percentage of the EU average. These days Warsaw, Tallinn, Prague, Budapest and others offer at times higher living standards for a somewhat cheaper cost than Western capitals with an added value of living in one´s own native country.
The issue goes beyond the proverbial Polish plumber and includes the ability for even Western Europeans themselves to become temporary expatriates in search for better opportunities or a more desirable lifestyle. Thus, it is increasingly vital to retain talent, that even a couple of years ago was taken for granted, in the open warfare between companies for it.
Having modern technological solutions that your staff can interact with and get their work done with is every day a larger part what separates great companies from the run-of-the-mill.
3. Our worker-friendly software helps to keep people connected to your company.
PARiM offers native mobile apps for both staff and their supervisors to manage their shifts, view their schedules and to receive the latest notifications and reminders regarding upcoming work.
Instant communication is key to building a lasting relationship with your contingent labour - you are talking to them precisely when they need you to be and that builds invaluable trust. With PARiM, by simply using their mobile phones, your workers can stay in touch with your supervisors and managers. Here´s how straightforward it is in PARiM to send a selection of your staff a custom message:
Engaging the Disengaged
Lower Labour Participation Rates Due to Quality of Life and Life Expectancy Issues Lead to Challenges with Workers
With continuing lower birth rates and the trend of deaccelerating immigration the labour participation rate and productivity growth have become key economic indicators for strategic planning for institutional investors, smarter managers of individual companies and national institutions alike.
Each country has its own set of unique problems and trends to take into account. For example, uniquely among developed nations the United States faces an intense struggle with deaths due to the opioid or prescription drug overdose and that sad trends effect on the labour participation rate or in other words on the amount of capable, working-age people who actually work. "Last fall, Princeton economist Alan Krueger found that the increase in prescribing rates can account for between 20% and 25% of the approximately five-point drop in labour force participation that occurred between 1999 and 2015. 'Other countries had severe recessions worse, in many cases than the U.S.,' Krueger said. 'Yet they don't face nearly the type of opioid crisis that the U.S. is facing. So I think this is at the moment a uniquely American problem.' - CNN
This has had a big effect on the services, hospitality and restaurant sectors even in very affluent areas such as Anne Arundel County in Maryland on the East Coast, which as an official unemployment rate of 3.2%
Maryland saw a 70% increase in opioid-related deaths in 2016 when 1,856 people died. Although local law enforcement agencies often track overdoses, few governments have comprehensive data on the number of people in treatment for addiction at any one time. Anecdotal evidence, however, suggests that population has grown quickly.
As a result, some employers that typically screen drug users out through testing are starting to become less picky, according to Central Maryland Chamber of Commerce president Raj Kudchadkar.
"There's definitely a direct impact on the business ecosystem," said Kudchadkar, who has noticed changes primarily in the restaurant and retail sectors. "People have expressed fear about screening because it might impact their ability to fill positions."
Adding to the issue is the sad fact that the life expectancy in the United States has fallen for the second year in a row. As USA Today reports: "'The consequences of these choices are dire: not only more deaths and illness but also escalating health care costs, a sicker workforce and a less competitive economy. Future generations may pay the greatest price,' the report concludes."
This has had lead to agencies and companies to decrease the quality of their labour pool and their expectations when it comes to the background of their workers. From the CNN article above:
"Deena Bradbury, co-owner of neighbourhood favourite Grump's Cafe in Annapolis, said it would be hard to fully staff her two locations if she hired based on drug test results. One of her largest sources of labour are nearby sober houses, where residents are required to find a job, and usually, don't have a vehicle to travel far afield. Bradbury will hire the people who list those telltale addresses on their applications, but she has to take extra precautions.'Once we realized that there was a lot of folks with this set of circumstances, we changed how we dealt with it,' said Bradbury.
For example, she makes sure that recovering addicts are honest about any past criminal records, and doesn't assign more than one at a time to the same shift, to make sure they don't negatively influence each other. It doesn't always work out. Some employees relapse and disappear. But those who stay, Bradbury said, can be even better workers than those who've never popped a pill in their lives."
However, looking at the bigger pictures shows that similar problems are not unique to the United States. For example, in many metropolitan areas around the world, there is a shortage of qualified workers for the service sector. The problem is made worse due to rising housing costs which are threatening cities ability to 'retain a world-class workforce even in more highly paid fields of engineering, IT and healthcare. Let alone for contingent labour.
CP24 reports that in Toronto, Canada 4 out 10 young workers are planning to leave the Greater Toronto Area - mostly due to housing and rent costs which they consider not only to be high but absurdly so.
4. Use PARiM´s Unique Location-Based Search to Find the Person the Most Appropriate for Each Job
In this worsening situation - having access to software that helps you to find the locale staff members for your clients at the time your client needs them the most is a critical not only as an advantage over your competition but also for the long-term survival of all companies that provide temporary workforce services. With PARiM you can do exactly that. See how:
5. Hold Your Flexible Workers Accountable to Your Management Team with a Live Dashboard
Between strategic management and day-to-day labourers are your supervisors and managers whose efficiency and ability to do their jobs with the correct tools and timing is fundamental to your company. Many of our clients find our live Time Clock dashboard one of the most valuable tools at the disposal of their organisation.
With this dashboard you can see in real-time as your workers clock in and out of specific shifts at specific locations - you can see customisable colour coded warnings and messages that warn you if somebody is running late or is doing overtime and much more. It makes for a smooth daily work environment but at times of need - it is a lifesaver. Get a brief glimpse here: