As we head in 2022, managers hoped the staffing challenges weโve been facing throughout the pandemic would have eased so we could start the new year off on the right foot (in the hiring landscape, at least). Yet there are ten million job openings in the U.S. and 8 million people looking for work โ which doesnโt quite add up. What can we expect to see from 2022 staffing trends?
Everyone thought pandemic benefits ending would send workers back to the market. Then we thought a pay increase would be the panacea. Yes, there was a small bump. But now what? There are several hypotheses among economic experts about where all the workers have gone. Among them, many have become remote workers once they figured out if โ and how โ to work from home. In fact, a new World Economic Forum report says 84% of employers plan to expand remote working in the coming months.
For a staffing company like LGC, whatโs more interesting in the WEF report is that 43% of responding leaders say theyโre set to reduce the workforce due to technology integration and then another 41% say theyโll use contract workers for task-specialized work throughout the next couple of years.
This, combined with the fact that itโs a jobseekerโs market, means HR teams need to be forward-thinking and creative to sell a desirable workplace environment and culture โ especially for gig staffing jobs where workers need to be onsite. As we roll into the new year, here are the 2022 staffing trends our team predicts.
2022 Staffing Trends
Importance of the Employee Experience
Business leaders who understand the importance of retention and engagement will be focusing on the employee and their experience in the workplace. How many years have businesses done employee opinion polls with results telling what employees want, yet the feedback isnโt seriously considered or implemented? Smart C-suite executives will listen and respond quickly to employee ideas, feedback, and requests in the New Year. Prioritizing the employee experience also helps with future recruiting efforts. If past employees had a good experience during their time with you, itโs likely that theyโll spread the word, leading to more word-of-mouth marketing.
Right now, workers have a lot of choices. Often their asks are small. No email after 5 p.m. or slight flexibility in working hours, for example. Itโs these small things that make a difference in retaining talent.
Value in Upskilling Workers
This is a huge part of our 2022 staffing trends. The top reason employees leave their job is due to management. In fact, two-thirds say their manager is not properly trained, according to a study of 2,000 employees from Predictive Index. But thereโs an upside; according to the World Economic Forum report, a large majority of employers recognize the value of investing in their employees, leading to a new wave of leadership candidates.
- Thereโs a newfound emphasis on personal development courses, with growth of 88%.
- Employers expect to offer reskilling and upskilling to just over 70% of employees in the next three years.
- And an average of 66% of employers surveyed expect to get a return on investment in upskilling and reskilling within one year.
Placing this emphasis on upskilling workers can positively impact employee retention and engagement rates, like creating a great employee experience. And when employees know that management is invested in their future, theyโll feel less likely to leave their jobs.
Welcoming Immigrant Employees Back to the Workforce
In a normal year, the U.S. welcomes roughly 1 million immigrants, and roughly three-quarters of them end up participating in the labor force. In 2020, with borders closed due to the pandemic, the number dropped to about 263,000. Industries with labor shortages currently include hospitality and warehousing. Traditionally, 21% of immigrants accept jobs in both of those sectors. With the U.S. reopening borders post-pandemic, weโll be welcoming these jobseekers while watching and waiting to see the impact to these sectors.
New Focus on Internal Talent
A recent Gartner survey of 550 HR leaders says one of their focus areas in the New Year is current and future leadership bench strength (45%). It might sound strange for a staffing company like LGC to point out that human resources teams should focus on internal talent โ but itโs not. We have over 40 offices nationwide staffed with creative and talented team members. Keeping them engaged and more importantly, investing in their personal talent is a priority. While leadership hiring will be key in 2022, focusing on the talent we already have is critical to operations.
Continued Emphasis on Soft Skills
Itโs often been said to โhire for culture,โ and thatโs never been truer. With so many options available, candidates will leave a position if they donโt fit in well with the workplace environment. And conversely, managers will let employees (often with the right technical skills/experience) go if they donโt mesh well with the current team and environment.
According to a recent LinkedIn Global Talent Trends survey, 92% of hiring professionals stated that itโs โincreasingly importantโ to hire candidates with well-developed soft skills, especially in todayโs evolving workplace. In the same survey, 89% said that bad hires โtypically have poor soft skills.โ Solid soft skills can increase both retention and productivity, both critical to business operations in a marketplace where itโs tough to find new employees. Though weโve got this listed under 2022 staffing trends, we donโt expect to see this โtrendโ go anywhere soon.
Defining What Flexibility Means
Over the last few years, weโve heard more and more that workers want flexibility. Then the pandemic compounded this need, which is why itโs one of the major 2022 staffing trends. We know this trend is here to stay, especially as it becomes clearer as to what type of flexibility can be offered. The traditional business leader with an office is trying to figure out how to define flexible work โ hybrid, work-from-home, four-day work weeks, etc. Businesses with customer facing jobs, including retail and hospitality, have figured out how to make it work for their teams since traditional schedules demanded weekends and nights.
More Personal Settings
Though we probably wonโt see the sprawling Google or Amazon campuses going anywhere, offices and other workplaces will likely do away with the giant floorplans that (inadvertently) discourage employee interaction. This is due in part to much of the corporate workforce being remote. Gone are the days of the closed office door; employees want to feel like theyโre being heard and seen by management, figuratively and literally.
Weโve been hearing for a while now that itโs an employeeโs job market. They have the power and employers are at their will, right? Not exactly. By referencing the 2022 staffing trends, employers and managers have a great opportunity as we head into the new year โ to build a workplace that supports and empowers employees and makes them want to stay.
