Dive Brief:
- Randstad Sourceright’s 2017 Talent Trends Report shows that 25% of companies polled used more robotics in the past 12 months while one-third plan to use more contingent workers, freelancers, contractors and consultants.
- A majority of employers in the study (80%) said concern about talent scarcity might be driving the shift towards using more robotics and contingency workers.  Randstad Sourceright CEO Rebecca Henderson said the shift is making the workforce more flexible and changing the way employers manage talent.
- According to Everest Group Research, the integration of talent — full-time and part-time employees along with contingency workers — saves organizations 12% in general recruitment costs. The Talent Trend Report showed that 91% of HR executives who have chosen an integrated talent model said they’re very satisfied with the decision, and 68% said they’ll likely adopt that talent model in the next 12 months.
​Dive Insight:
The Talent Trends Report 's results seem to be aligned with those of other Randstad studies. Henderson said that contingency workers will make up a third of the survey participants’ staff. Previous Randstad data suggested that temp workers, independent contractors and other contingency workers could soon make up as much as 50% of the workplace.
Using robotics and automation is a natural transition for employers, and HR executives specifically, as organizations adopt emerging technologies to streamline operations and hold down costs.
An interesting study result is that employers with well-defined, recognizable brands have an edge in recruiting talent. By solidifying their brand and promoting it in job ads, career fairs and other recruiting strategies, employers will be in a better position to attract talent.
