Talent Consulting from PeopleScout Lays the Foundation for a Winning RPO Partnership
When a world-famous consumer goods brand split into two separate companies, their talent acquisition team needed help developing a sustainable strategy to support the future growth of two brands. They turned to PeopleScout and our Talent Diagnostic solution for help optimizing their talent acquisition strategy to prepare for this critical transition.
Situation
A world-famous consumer goods brand that specialized in breakfast foods and snacks engaged PeopleScout to support an over-extended in-house recruitment team. With our Recruiter On-Demand™ solution, our flex recruiters augmented their team, and we provided some much-needed sourcing technology through our Affinix® CRM.
After a three-year partnership, the company split into two brands, one for breakfast cereals and one for snacks, throwing the talent acquisition team into new territory.
Solution
To support the transition to two distinct companies—and two talent acquisition teams—the client engaged PeopleScout for our Talent Diagnostic solution, part of the Amplifiers™ suite. They wanted an objective analysis of their talent acquisition model, including a renewed focus on finding high-quality candidates in highly competitive rural markets.
PeopleScout facilitated over 20 interviews with various stakeholders and assessed the entire talent lifecycle. Our final report gave an overview of:
The current state of their talent lifecycle
Recommendations to streamline their processes and create a more consistent candidate experience to improve quality and equity
Technology recommendations and tactics to optimize their recruitment channels for larger, more diverse candidate pools
Results
Following the presentation of the findings from the Talent Diagnostic, the client engaged PeopleScout for full-cycle RPO for their new snack brand to execute the recommendations we developed.
“The expertise from the PeopleScout team created a big lift with little lead time and a tight timeline for deliverables. I appreciate their thoughts, partnership and flexibility while we worked to align our approach with HR and our leadership.”
HR Director, Global Consumer Goods Brand
At a Glance
COMPANY Global consumer goods brand
INDUSTRY Consumer Goods
PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Talent Advisory, Affinix
ABOUT THE CLIENT This multinational food manufacturing company specializes in breakfast and snack foods that are manufactured and marketed in over 180 countries.
As part of our suite of modular recruiting solutions, Amplifiers™, PeopleScout Talent Mapping helps you unlock the secrets of your talent segments and make better workforce planning decisions. Our experts harness research and analytics to illuminate talent availability, salary benchmarks and more in each of your regions.
Situation A local authority in the southwest of England had a robust talent acquisition team but required additional support for front-end headhunting and sourcing assignments. A new and niche position for a harbor master demanded a comprehensive strategy to locate the right specialist. A habor master ensures the safety of all users of a harbor,…
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face unique challenges in attracting and retaining top talent. Limited resources, lack of dedicated recruitment teams, and the need for agility in hiring can often put smaller businesses at a disadvantage. That’s where Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) comes in— a versatile strategy that businesses of all sizes can leverage to…
U.S. employers added 275,000 jobs in February, outpacing expectations and exceeding January’s gain, illustrating that the labor market remains strong despite high interest rates, inflation and slowing economic indicators. Unemployment rose to 3.9%, the highest rate since January 2022. Year-over-year wage growth rose to 4.3%.
The Numbers
275,000: U.S. employers added 275,000 jobs in February.
3.9%: The unemployment rate rose to 3.9%.
4.3%: Wages rose 4.3% over the past year.
The Good
February’s jobs report outpaced expectations and even exceeded January’s adjusted gain of 229,000 jobs, marking the third straight month of seasonally adjusted gains over 200,000 and the 38th consecutive month of growth, as reported by the New York Times. While January’s numbers caused concerns among economists and investors that price pressures were resurfacing, the Labor Department made substantial changes to those numbers with the release of the February report, reducing those fears. Confidence is growing among investors as the U.S. economy continues to show resilience against the highest interest rates in over 20 years while delivering consistent job growth and some of the lowest unemployment rates in recent history. Another positive sign can be seen in labor force participation rates, which jumped to 83.5% for people in their prime working years—ages 25 to 54.
The Bad
Despite the headline job growth numbers exceeding expectations, experts are seeing signs of a gradual slowdown. The overall unemployment rate rose to 3.9%, the highest it’s been since January 2022, and wage growth slowed. The increase in unemployment from 3.7% in January was driven by people losing or leaving jobs as well as an increase in individuals entering the labor force. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, even though the index is elevated compared to prepandemic levels, the labor market is likely to cool off, with modest job gains expected through Q3 and Q4 of 2024.
The Unknown
The Federal Reserve is keeping an eye on the labor market as it contemplates potential changes to interest rates. Fed officials meet on March 19-20 and are expected to leave rates unchanged at that time. If job growth remains steady and the labor market is so strong that wages rise quickly, price increases are likely to persist as companies try to cover their costs. However, if the job market begins to slow significantly, the Fed may consider earlier interest rate cuts.
Conclusion
The February jobs report paints the picture of a labor market that is gradually downshifting with steady hiring and cooling wage growth increasing the likelihood that the U.S. will achieve a “soft landing” and bring inflation down without a recession. Moderate job and pay gains suggest the economy will continue to expand without the risk of reaccelerating inflation, giving the Federal Reserve the confidence they’re seeking to cut rates this year.
Talent Insights Inform Search for Executive Leader for Healthcare System
A non-profit healthcare system engaged their RPO partner, PeopleScout, for talent insights to boost their search for a highly competitive new Chief Analytics Officer.
Situation
A non-profit healthcare network was seeking a Chief Analytics Officer based in a large city in the United States where they’re headquartered. Other requirements for the role included experience in AI and data management platforms.
They had engaged an executive search firm but weren’t seeing results. As their long-term healthcare RPO partner, PeopleScout’s dedicated talent advisory practice stepped in to provide the healthcare provider with an in-depth analysis of the talent market to support a more targeted search.
Solution
The PeopleScout Talent Advisory team worked with the client to define the most pertinent job characteristics and review job skills and compensation. This ensured that the role was aligned with the capabilities in AI and data management that the client required.
Our analysis focused on the talent market in their required location to show the size of the talent pool that possessed their required skills. We were able to determine that there were less than 10 potential candidates based in that city that had all the skills they were looking for. The report we produced showed how adjusting their requirements would affect the size of the available talent pool.
Here’s what we found:
We identified candidates living in other cities that were currently commuting large distances during the week for work. This helped the client see if they relaxed their location requirement or were open to a flexible work arrangement (i.e., two-weeks working in the city, two-weeks working at home), they could grow their talent pool significantly.
We uncovered a pattern that most people in similar roles had a tenure of approximately two to three years before switching jobs, usually after delivering a data transformation project. We advised the client that people who were only a year to 18 months into their current role may be less interested in switching. The optimum level of two to three years of tenure would make candidates more open to moving.
We noticed a pattern that many people with the relevant skills were working as independent consultants. This revealed an additional pool of candidates who might be interested in going back to full-time work which the client hadn’t considered.
We also found that many of the qualified candidates worked in financial services and might be receiving salaries on the high end of the spectrum. This helped the client reset expectations around the compensation range in order to secure the right person for the role.
Results
The talent insights we shared showed the client that flexing their requirements for the position could expand the talent pool in different ways. This data helped the healthcare company to make more informed decisions about the sourcing strategy for their new Chief Analytics Officer.
At a Glance
COMPANY Healthcare Network
INDUSTRY Healthcare
PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS Talent Advisory
ABOUT THE CLIENT The client is an American non-profit healthcare company and integrated delivery network.
U.S. employers added 353,000 jobs in January, nearly doubling what economist had predicted and demonstrating employers’ willingness to keep hiring to meet steady consumer spending. The unemployment rate remained flat at 3.7% despite predictions of a slight increase. Year-over-year wage growth rose to 4.5%.
The Numbers
353,000: U.S. employers added 353,000 jobs in January.
3.7%: The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.7%.
4.5%: Wages rose 4.5% over the past year.
The Good
January’s jobs report defied expectations with job growth nearly doubling forecasts, the unemployment rate holding steady and wages outpacing predictions. Experts at The Wall Street Journal also point out that while the bulk of hiring in 2023 came from just three sectors: government, healthcare, and restaurants and hotels, job gains in January broadened, with nearly two-thirds of private sector industries adding to their payroll or keeping them steady. January’s report adds to months of data showing that economic growth is remaining stable, if not accelerating. And after being hit hard by inflation, Americans are finally starting to feel better about the economy, according to a University of Michigan survey which showed a 29% improvement in consumer sentiment compared to November 2023, the biggest two-month increase since 1991.
The Bad
With few signs of weakness, the January report was described by many as universally positive. Yet, some analysts have argued that after such a big rally, further gains will be more difficult to come by. Further, despite markets buoying, stock gains did not extend across the entire market, with shares of smaller companies falling in general. These businesses may continue to suffer if the Fed takes longer to cut rates, which as reported by the New York Times, they are now in no hurry to do.
The Unknown
January jobs reports have been somewhat hard to read since the onset of the pandemic. While job gains have consistently been above economist’s expectations for the past few years, some believe that may be the result of shifts in seasonal hiring patterns, according to The Wall Street Journal. Further, recent high-profile layoffs from companies like UPS signal for some that demand for workers may cool in the coming months, but for now as reported by Bloomberg, there’s still plenty of evidence that employers are still hiring.
Conclusion
For months, U.S. jobs data has pointed to a gradually cooling labor market, which along with receding inflation led experts to believe the Fed would start cutting interest rates in early 2024. However, this “blockbuster” January report has turned that narrative on its head, suggesting a reacceleration that is likely to delay any rate cuts, at least for the time being.
Skills in the workplace are evolving faster than ever thanks to advances in AI, the greening of the economy and shifting demographics. But, our latest research, The Skills Crisis Countdown, shows that HR leaders seem oblivious to the urgency of the coming change.
Nine out of 10 of HR pros surveyed said up to half of their workforce will need new skills within the next five years. Yet, only 7% are actively investing in reskilling programs right now, and 45% admit they have no plans underway to prepare their people for the shifting skills landscape.
Our data quantifies the massive disconnect between awareness of looming skills gaps and action being taken to reskill workers. Check out the infographic below to see the stats and get ahead of the curve on developing a future-ready workforce.
By Simon Wright, Global Head of Talent Advisory Consulting
The workforce skills landscape is transforming at blinding speed. Automation, AI, sustainability initiatives, demographic shifts—global forces are conspiring to make skills gaps and talent shortages more acute by the day. Don’t think it’s moving that fast? Well, the World Economic Forum predicts that a jaw-dropping 85 million jobs could sit vacant by 2030, resulting in $8.5 trillion in lost revenue.
The very meaning of “skills” is shifting beneath our feet. Skills requirements have already changed 25% since 2015, and experts forecast 65% more change by 2030. However, companies still rely heavily on degrees and experience over skills when it comes to making hiring decisions. No wonder we’re careening towards a global skills crisis.
PeopleScout partnered with skills-based workforce management platform provider Spotted Zebra to survey over 100 senior HR and talent acquisition leaders globally, plus over 2,000 employees worldwide, to compare perspectives. Our new research report, The Skills Crisis Countdown, maps the skills landscape and diagnoses the disconnects between employers and their workforce.
Read on for some key findings from our report.
HR Leaders are Ill-Prepared for the Skills Crisis
According to a study by PwC, 40% of global CEOs believe their business will be economically unviable in 10 years unless they reinvent for the future. Our study revealed that nine out of 10 HR leaders believe that up to 50% of their workforce will require new skills to effectively perform their job in the next five years. Yet, when asked if they are currently undergoing or planning a workforce transformation initiative in the next three years, nearly half (45%) of HR leaders admit to having no plans to undertake one.
So, in other words, half of employees will soon be underprepared for the future, but most companies have no strategy in place to address the issue.
According to LinkedIn, 84% of members are in occupations that could have at least one quarter of their core skills affected by generative AI (GAI) technologies, like ChatGPT. So, how are HR leaders preparing for this digital transformation and the AI era? Shockingly, a full third (34%) say they have no preparations in place to prepare for new technologies. Those who are preparing emphasize bringing in outside talent rather than reskilling existing employees.
Industry Composition by GAI Segment Percentage of LinkedIn Members by Industry
(Source: LinkedIn Economic Graph Research Institute)
This is likely because they lack an understanding of the skills they have within their existing workforce. Our data revealed that 68% of organizations identify skills from manager feedback, which is highly subjective. So, it’s no surprise that 56% of employees think their skills are underutilized in their current roles, and 61% think there are other roles in their organization where their skills could be utilized.
An unprecedented skills revolution is barreling down the tracks, but companies are fast asleep at the switch. It’s time to wake up and get employees future-ready or risk a global skills crisis and talent scarcity for decades to come.
Digital & Tech Skills Gaps are Widening but Tech Skills are Viewed as Unimportant
Both employers and employees dangerously underestimate the importance of tech and digital skills. In our survey, both parties listed tech and digital literacy skills with low importance. With the skyrocketing demand for tech and digital talent, this does not bode well.
Mobile apps, ecommerce and digital transformation have made technology integral to every corporate strategy. However, supply isn’t keeping up with demand. McKinsey analyzed 3.5 million job postings in high-tech fields and found there’s a wide divide between the demand for tech and digital skills and the qualified talent availability. The most sought-after skills have less than half as many qualified professionals per posting compared to average global figures.
No wonder 63% of HR leaders in our survey admit they struggle to recruit the skills they need. Closing tech and digital skills gaps through recruitment alone is no longer sufficient. So, we were concerned when our research showed that 73% of the workforce haven’t been offered opportunities to reskill.
Organizations must invest in helping their employees evolve their skills via reskilling and internal mobility to cultivate digital and tech literacy across their entire workforce.
Case Study: Reskilling in Action
The Challenge:
A large global financial services company needed to undertake a major digital transformation program. The organization needed to acquire key digital and tech skills while leveraging the existing company knowledge of employees in declining customer service roles by reskilling them.
Previous efforts by the organization to assess employees’ suitability for reskilling were led internally and included multiple, time-consuming line manager interviews. Of even greater concern, around a quarter of those who began the reskilling program dropped out.
The Solution:
The bank worked with their long-time RPO partner, PeopleScout, and Spotted Zebra to assess customer service staff in bank branches and call centers to find ideal candidates for its tech and digital skilling program. Skills profiles were created for tech roles, which employees were assessed against to find the best fit.
The Results:
Redeployed 150 people, saving over $2.5M in exit costs
Saved over $350,000 in training and development costs
Reduced time investment by hiring managers
Reduced the reskilling cost-per-person by 70%
Employees Don’t Feel Confident in their Skills for the Future
A third (34%) of workers have doubts about how their skills will keep pace with new technology and automation. Meanwhile, just 17% of organizations are offering targeted reskilling programs for existing employees.
Where are HR Leaders Deploying Skills-Based Practices?
(Source: PeopleScout and Spotted Zebra)
This imbalance spells disaster. As change overwhelms existing skill sets, most workers will begin to feel unsure of their career paths or left struggling to stay relevant.
Investing in reskilling makes solid business sense. We must bridge the gap between workers anxiously facing uncertainty and leaders failing to invest in their resilience. HR leaders who empower their workforce with adaptable skill sets today will drive continued success in times of swift and sweeping change.
Finding a Talent Partner to Support Your Skills Transformation
The agility to match emerging skill requirements will soon become a competitive necessity. If you haven’t started your skills-based transformation, now is the time.
In our survey, one in two HR leaders admitted to a lack of understanding of skills-based practices. If you’re struggling to understand how to take advantage of skills-based practices in your organization, PeopleScout is here to be your guide.
As a recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) partner, we can help you understand the skills within your existing workforce as well as the external market supply and demand. We offer solutions across the skills agenda, from skills-based talent intelligence and market insights, building skills frameworks, and creating skills-based success profiles to redesigning recruitment processes, skills-based hiring strategies, and helping you maximize the potential of your existing workforce.
To learn more about PeopleScout’s skills-focused talent solutions, get in touch.
[On-Demand] The Ticking Talent Clock: Is Time Running Out to Address the Skills Crisis?
With the rapid advancement of AI, accelerated digitalization and the greening of the economy, businesses are grappling with the changing nature of work—how we work and the types of jobs we do. In fact, a new research report from PeopleScout and Spotted Zebra, The Skills Crisis Countdown, reveals that nine in 10 HR leaders believe that up to half of their workforce will need new skills to perform their jobs in the next five years. Yet, only less than one in 10 say they are actively investing in reskilling programs.
Are HR leaders running out of time?
Join PeopleScout’s Global Head of Talent Consulting Simon Wright and Spotted Zebra’s Chief Customer Officer Nick Shaw as they delve into the key findings from the research, lay bare the skills crisis and show why the clock is ticking for HR leaders.
In the webinar, Simon and Nick cover:
How organizations are addressing the mismatch in skills demand and supply
The current state of skills utilization, skills-based hiring and the need to expand talent pools
Strategies for improving talent mobility (including case studies and success stories)
Practical steps you can take to transition to a skills-focused model
The Skills Crisis Countdown: The Clock is Ticking on Tackling Skills Gaps
Our latest research reveals, nine in 10 HR leaders believe that up to 50% of their workforce will need new skills to perform their jobs in the next 5 years. Yet, only 7% say they are actively investing in reskilling programs, and 45% admit to having no plans to undertake a workforce transformation initiative to prepare for the changing skills landscape.
PeopleScout partnered with skills-based workforce management company Spotted Zebra to survey over 100 senior Human Resources and Talent Acquisition leaders from organizations around the global and 2,000+ employees globally to compare perspectives on workforce skills. The resulting research report, The Skills Crisis Countdown: The Clock is Ticking on Tackling Skills Gaps, provides a detailed picture of the current skills landscape and the disconnects between the perspectives of employees and businesses.
Download our free report for the latest research exploring:
The current state of skills in the global workforce and outlook for the future
How HR leaders are preparing for the impending skills crisis
How employees expect their skills will need to adapt to new technology or automation.
Plus, you’ll get a roadmap of actionable steps to help your organization become more skills-centric.
U.S. employers added 216,000 jobs in December, exceeding economists’ expectations and fueling optimism that the economy can achieve a so-called soft landing. The unemployment rate remained flat at 3.7%. Year-over-year wage growth rose slightly to 4.1%.
The Numbers
216,000: U.S. employers added 216,000 jobs in December.
3.7%: The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.7%.
4.1%: Wages rose 4.1% over the past year.
The Good
December’s jobs report shows a pace of hiring even stronger than expected, wrapping up a year of steady gains in what experts at The Wall Street Journal call “a job market that continues to defy expectations.” The addition of 216,000 jobs suggests a healthy economy, with the most significant growth seen in the healthcare, leisure and hospitality, and government sectors. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.7 percent, despite analyst predictions of a slight bump over last month.
The Bad
Despite overall job growth, losses in transportation and warehousing indicate sector-specific challenges that could be a sign of shifting consumer behavior or technological advancements impacting these industries. Further, the labor force shrank by nearly 700,000 workers in December, which as reported by the New York Times is disappointing after seeing strong labor force growth through much of 2023. This decrease is likely what caused the unemployment rate to remain flat.
The Unknown
Last month’s job gains have diminished previous hopes of an interest rate cut in March, with Bloomberg reporting experts now predict the rate cut is more likely to come in May. Time will tell if additional data will help convince the Fed that inflation is still falling as hoped. According to the New York Times, Federal Reserve officials have also indicated that wage increases above 4 percent are “a little too hot for comfort,” so December’s wage gains are also likely to keep them on watch.
Conclusion
The December 2023 U.S. jobs report indicated that the economy avoided a recession last year, and experts think it’s likely to continue to grow through 2024 as labor market resilience supports consumer spending. However, this growth is likely to delay cuts in interest rates by the Fed, keeping them on the sidelines longer than expected.
