Times are tough for both commercial organisations and governments in terms of recruiting the labour needed for economic growth. Employment is high in most developed countries and there is a trend towards disengagement and ’quiet quitting’.
This means that firms have to look further afield (than traditional labour markets) to find new staff. This ‘distance’ brings into play:
- early school and college leavers taking their first step onto the employment ladder;
- the long-term unemployed who have found it challenging to get back to work;
- immigrants looking to establish new careers;
- Released prisoners., who find securing employment to be difficult
- Early retirees who find themselves in difficult financial situations.
Each of these categories offers a challenge but all will need some form of training and preparation for employment to maximise their chances of success – and their contribution.
Governments have a role to play in providing routes to these new markets, especially since many of the people involved may be in the social benefits ’system’.
Firms may want to look at their present aging workforce and consider how they can retain their skills for longer – at least while they train and mentor the next working generation.
A new set of markets might need a new set of employment policies and practices – with increased flexibility of contracts to suit the differing needs of these new groups of potential workers.
So, remember… your talent pipeline may be longer than you think but you may need to carry out some work to make it effective.