By Tom Hasara, President, CareNational
The rise of the staffing industry in the U.S. has been well documented over the past 20 years and they are expected to continue providing key staffing resources to companies across all industries. Nearly 2% of the entire of the total U.S. non-farm employment is supplied by the staffing industry, which employs nearly 4 million workers daily.
The staffing workforce is a very diverse group and covers a wide range of professions, including accounting, IT, healthcare, marketing, office/administrative, light and heavy industrial, and construction workers, to name just a few. Staffing firms often play a critical role in a company’s workforce strategy, deriving the best possible outcomes when the client company and the staffing agency truly partner to source and acquire the right people for the right roles.
Who has the leverage?
As we continue to emerge from the pandemic, businesses are learning just how important talent is to ongoing operations, and how the right talent becomes a true strategic differentiator for successful companies. In addition, employees have also realized their own workplace significance and the crucial roles they play. They now view their current skills, and those that they develop, are much more essential than employment security. Talent now has a greater advantage than ever before in the employer-employee relationship, and this shift will likely continue for some time into the future.
The good news is that staffing firms are, and have always been, recruiting organizations. They consistently seek new talent with varying skill levels and skill sets to serve the diverse needs of their clients. As such, staffing organizations have become key resources for businesses, helping them find and acquire key employees.
More than just staffing
While sourcing, screening, assessing, and placing talent in client companies is the core competency of staffing firms, they also provide significant value to larger workforce strategies. Because they work with a wide range of companies in terms of culture, size, as well as products and services offered, staffing firms become keenly aware of companies’ best practices relative to talent acquisition. Given the staffing firms’ expertise in job assessment and placement, they work closely with clients to help them create, revise and update job descriptions and compensation plans. They sometimes also work closely with companies to create unique programs that develop existing internal talent.
How to get the most from your staffing partner
The key is the word partner. Client companies must consider their staffing provider as a true partner in the process of acquiring talent. At the same time, staffing firms must have a broad and deep understanding of the companies they support. What are the short-term and long-term strategic objectives of the organization? What is the company culture like? What are the work policies, procedures and safety measures? Additionally, organizational background, such as employee satisfaction survey results, turnover/retention data, and compensation and benefits policies, is vital information for the staffing firm. Once the staffing partner has a clear understanding of the client’s workplace and expectations, the staffing provider can develop a specific strategy for talent identification, recruitment, and ultimately the successful placement of desired talent. Ongoing communication between the staffing partner and the client company about the relationship and the outcomes of past placements is the final step in making certain the partnership is creating win-win results.
The final word
The challenges U.S. companies face in today’s labor market will continue to hinder their efforts to acquire sufficient talent to sustain current operations, as well as detract from any growth plans. One of the most significant gaps between talent need and availability is in the field of healthcare. Given a rapidly aging population, a dramatic shortage in nurses, and the continued development of medical technology, finding qualified professionals to continue providing necessary services will make or break the success of the healthcare industry.
CareNational is a leading provider of unique and highly-qualified healthcare professionals. For more information about CareNational and the services they provide, please visit their website at carenational.com.
