The blue-collar worker shortage has long been a problem for the American economy. Despite the attention the issue has received, there have been few successful solutions. The move toward a more contingent workforce is happening now. This shift will lead to greater pressure on businesses to identify and hire contingent workers who can get the job done.

37% of blue-collar-heavy companies reported a measurable adverse impact of the worker shortage on the company’s profitability versus just 9% of white-collar-heavy companies.

—The Conference Board, 2020

The U.S. workforce shortage—especially for blue-collar workers—is expected to continue through at least 2030, according to a study by The Conference Board. Factors driving the blue-collar workforce shortage include:

• The baby boomer exodus
• Dismal growth in the working-age population
• Disappointing recovery in overall labor force participation
• Men without a college degree are less likely to work
• Large increase in disability rates
• More young adults are avoiding trades, pursuing college instead
• Young adults are much less likely to be in the labor force

By being open to contingent workers, businesses tap into talent that they might not otherwise gain access to, especially those who may have specific knowledge and training that could be beneficial to their operations. Many businesses are realizing that the quickest and most efficient way to get specialized talent is to hire them as contingent workers. Depending on future needs, these workers can eventually be transitioned into full-time positions.

Offering Greater Flexibility

Flexible working arrangements can also be an asset for a new generation of workers. They may have been recently separated from full-time employment or are reconsidering their career options. People often work on a part-time or temporary basis so that they can pursue other interests or gain experience in their chosen career, with an eye on pursuing a full-time position. The primary reasons temporary workers choose to be temporary workers are:

• As a method of finding a regular/permanent job or because I thought it might lead to a regular/permanent position, 49%
• Supplemental income while looking for a regular/permanent position, 11%
• Supplemental income while not looking for a regular/permanent position, 14%
• Learning new skills/get work experience, 13%

• Other, 13%

Source: Staffing Industry Analysts

Expanding Business Operations

The current environment has provided businesses of every size and sector ample opportunity to reconsider their roles in the continued economic recovery. Businesses will focus on diversifying in order to mitigate risk: Some of them may be eager to grow their project base; others may be looking into different markets.

If businesses are considering expanding their geographic footprint or service offerings, contingent workers may be a tremendous asset during this important transition. With contingent workers, businesses can find workers with the specialized skills that they need for a particular project, without having to make a long-term commitment. 

Staying Agile in Uncertain Times

Businesses are increasingly looking for flexibility and scalability to meet the demands of a rapidly changing economy and to take advantage of new opportunities. As the business landscape continues to change, the makeup of their workforce will need to adjust as well. A temporary workforce allows for flexibility to adjust as needed, accommodating changes in the industry and financial circumstances that businesses will face in the future.

While every business has its own unique needs based on industry, location and other factors, contingent workers can bridge an important gap as leaders map out their plan of action. As we see more people turn to contingent work as they adapt to the current economic climate, having the ability to find workers and in the future is imperative.  

In order to find the contingent workers you need, when you need them, a staffing agency can help enormously and keep things moving along smoothly. If you’re looking for a staffing partner to help you, contact PeopleReady today.

When a string of unprecedented natural disasters struck last year, from hurricanes to wildfires, the call for helping hands was at a peak. All the way from Virginia to California to Hawaii, disaster response was crucial; even the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) struggled to find the personnel to deploy.

During these hardships, the checklist of items to manage can seem overwhelming—and when staffing your business comes into the mix, it can become even more daunting. Not only are your operations off track, but you’re also concerned about the safety and well-being of your team as you try to move as quickly as possible.

There are actions you can take in preparation for storm season to protect your processes and ensure you’re equipped with the tools needed to combat a natural disaster, protect your team and assets, and quickly react when issues arise. Below are some of the keystone actions to have ready in the event a natural disaster does impact your business.

Employ a Full Team

Your regular staff members may not all be available or accessible at this time, and there simply isn’t much you can do about this. Instead of running understaffed or putting your team at risk, find out how utilizing a staffing partner can help bolster your team during your most crucial times. When your staffing partner operates on a nationwide level, you have access to workers outside of the affected area—meaning your business needs don’t need to suffer due to understaffing. Best case scenario? Use a hiring tool that connects you with thousands of workers 24/7, no matter where you are, such as PeopleReady’s mobile app, JobStack.

Move Quickly

When the demand for help is high, agility is critical. When almost every move is time sensitive, being able to make decisions on the fly makes an enormous difference. You’ll want to have the ability to place orders, outline your specific needs, and accept and review orders wherever you are: you never know where you might need to be at any given time. Whether on your desktop or your mobile phone, you can do everything you need to for your temporary staffing from JobStack, immediately and with instant updates in real time.

Utilize the Right Skills

Not only do you need a team of workers to help get your operations back on track, but you also need workers suited to your specific requirements. Whether you’re searching for a crew of general laborers or a few additional workers with hospitality experience, finding the right worker for your job is easy and quick with JobStack. Looking for an individual with HAZMAT training? You can find them and even request certain people who have worked for you before to return. If someone didn’t meet your expectations for any reason, you’re able to track and rate workers to make sure you only get those who fulfill your needs moving forward.

When you’re able to handle your staffing needs simply and quickly, you’re able to focus on the other aspects of your business where your expertise is needed. Let PeopleReady help you prepare for the times when you need them most and get started with JobStack now.

Natural disasters never leave as quickly as they arrive. After a hurricane, storm, fire or other disaster is over, the hard work begins: rebuilding a community and helping people return to their normal lives.

When you’re dealing with people’s livelihoods, you’re dealing with more than just jobs; a responsibility that no one should take lightly. For 30 years PeopleReady has been proud to bring workers to disaster recovery sites as businesses help communities rebuild.

Organization under pressure

Last fall, when Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle, a PeopleReady team arrived in Panama City to find a heavily damaged scene with downed power lines and debris throughout. Although without power, the local PeopleReady branch was still standing and the team managed to clean up the site, power up the generators, and open for business. Eager workers lined up at the location and the recruiting team onboarded more than 300 people on Saturday morning. By the next morning, the first associates were dispatched to work.

Working behind the scenes

The month prior, when Hurricane Florence struck Virginia and the Carolinas, PeopleReady was equally prepared to get people working and restoring the affected communities. Although important, our team also knew it wasn’t simply about having a functioning brick-and-mortar location. They needed to be prepared behind the scenes so finding and placing associates was seamless and effective.

In preparation for the storm’s arrival, the PeopleReady team worked around the clock to:

• Ensure we had accurate contact information for all employees, associates, and customers in the potential impact zone.
• Activate remote recruiting teams to assist with surge hiring to get associates on clean-up sites quickly.
• Encourage customers to download and use JobStack so that they could still place orders and approve associate pay on their phone even if the power was down.
• Arrange transportation to get associates into work sites following the storm.
• Have enough personnel in place to handle administrative and support tasks from remote markets.
• Ship scanners and pay cards in order to accelerate hiring and assist with problem-free associate pay.

Looking beyond the storm

Before the storms arrived, PeopleReady teams monitored the safety and well-being of their teammates and continued to do so after the storms passed. They stayed in constant communication to ensure everyone was safe and had the resources they needed. When you partner with PeopleReady, you’re partnering with a team that understands what it takes to recover and succeed after a natural disaster.

When your business is met with a disaster of any type, you’re dealing with an intense situation that requires order and composure in the midst of chaos. You need to move as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality or safety during large loss events. Pardon the term, but it’s a perfect storm of high-stakes matters. That’s why you need to be thorough about choosing a staffing partner that will ease your stress and deliver the results you need.

PeopleReady has made the selection process a bit easier by putting together five questions you need to ask your staffing partner. The last thing you want is to work with someone whose lack of experience means more stress (and expenses) for you.

Who’s my point of contact?

Think about how frustrating a call to the bank can be. From tracking down a phone number, navigating through a series of menus, and then you’re lucky if you finally make your way to a human. If you need to call back, the process starts all over again—and this time you’re speaking to a different person who doesn’t know anything about your situation. Don’t find yourself in that predicament during a disaster.

At PeopleReady, you won’t get bounced around having to repeatedly explain your situation. PeopleReady has the staff and resources to address all of your needs—and you have one person dedicated to help you get everything done. No more phone tag.

Do you have centralized billing and invoicing?

Even during large loss situations, you need to handle billing and invoicing. Workers are eager to get paid and you don’t want a backlog of administrative tasks to get to.

We centralize billing and invoicing so the entire process is streamlined. Plus, our 30 years of experience gives us insight into the complexity of insurance requirements.

What can your app do?

The question today isn’t, “Do you have an app?” but rather “What does your app do?” When you’re moving between job sites (or disaster sites), you don’t want to be chained to your desk to get anything accomplished. After all, you might not even have access to your computer. A mobile app enables you to be more productive with less worry.

JobStack lets you do all of the above—and it’s available for PeopleReady customers at no additional cost. Order workers (and reorder the ones you liked) and approve hours from the convenience of your phone. And if you do prefer to do all of this via a desktop computer, you can use the online portal to from there instead.

Do you use remote recruiters?

One size does not fit all when it comes to large loss events. When you need people, you don’t always have time to wait until you’re there in person. Recruiting needs to begin immediately—especially for large-scale efforts.

PeopleReady has the ability to recruit remotely. As soon as you contact us, we can begin finding the candidates you need, wherever you need them without delay.

Do you provide on-site teams?

Remote recruiting doesn’t eliminate the need for on-site help. Finding the right people is one task; getting them ready to work at the job site is another matter. Regardless of how great your technology is, you can’t ignore the value of in-person resources.

PeopleReady has over 600 locations and our teams are prepared to help onboard and ensure your job begins on time. We’re committed to helping you get the right people to work through every step of the process.

Whether a hurricane, earthquake, tornado, wildfire, or blizzard—a natural disaster leaves behind a laundry list of issues that need addressing. While many aspects are unpredictable, there are those which businesses can plan for in advance. One of those is how to navigate with your current staff and what to do when you need an additional workforce and hiring resources.

The economic damage left by a natural disaster can be devastating, but one positive outcome is watching communities throughout the country come together to rebuild and support. If your business is recuperating after any type of natural disaster, enlisting your temporary workforce should be the least of your concerns.

When partnering with a trusted staffing provider, you should have access to around-the-clock support on a national level combined with local knowledge and expertise—an invaluable asset, particularly when certain regions are recovering. With an established staffing partner, you’re paired with decades of industry know-how. Even better is when you’re offered technological innovations, such as JobStack, which gives you access to the workers you need, right from your mobile phone or desktop.

Because the staffing aspect of your recovery plan is in order, you can focus on regrowth, supporting your current staff, and playing a part in your community.

Here are some ways you can get started in before, during, and aftermath of a natural disaster:

Communicate

Keep your employees informed throughout and after a disaster—and do so through multiple channels. While some might lean on email to stay updated, others may not have internet access—so texts, phone calls, physical postings, or signage might be necessary. Regardless of the streams in which you communicate, do so often. Your staff will know what is expected of them and can plan their next actions. Keep messaging brief, supportive and informational: Getting the message across is key when access to battery power and electricity may be limited, and sending on a regular schedule can be even more helpful.

Coordinate

When positioning the next steps for your team, be as specific as you can. Not everyone has experienced an event such as a natural disaster, so explaining what should be done and why it’s important can make a great difference. Knowing answers around what is happening can be a comfort to your workers and helps them integrate back into work more easily. Some things to keep in mind and explain clearly are office hours, operating days, how to log time (for PTO or sickness), and who they need to update and how often.

Care

Just like you, employees need support. Whether or not your company provides any special coverage or funding due to natural disasters, you can always guide employees to outside resources and organizations who offer assistance. Keep in mind that employees have families, friends, and their own lives that have been affected—so a bit of flexibility in their work lives can make a world of difference.

Collaborate + Cooperate

Caring doesn’t stop with your employees. Your customers and community will also be ready for helping hands, and you can help both through your team collaborating with the public. Some employees may be less affected by the disaster than others and ready to help. Others might want extra hours on the job for various reasons. Organize opportunities for your staff to volunteer or set them up with extra hours and additional responsibilities, which can help to meet customer and/or community needs. The more you work with those around you, the more successful you’ll be in gaining momentum.

Counsel

When employees get back to work and their regular schedules, they may still feel disturbed by the recent events. Some feel guilt for not having as bad of a situation as others, while some may feel useless in the aftermath. You can play a part in returning to normalcy by encouraging them for what they have done in supporting. You can focus on their role in reviving the community from the work they’re doing. Their attention can be turned to their efforts in serving customers and coworkers. It’s a great reminder for all that there is no perfect timeline or specific way they need to feel.

PeopleReady helps connect the ideal workers from across the nation with companies who need feet on the ground, ready to help.

Upskilling, or teaching an employee additional skills, is not a new concept, but it’s not always the first thing you think of in the staffing world. After all, workers come and go and there’s no guarantee you’ll work with them again after summer is over. Spending the time (and even money) helping them learn a new skill might not make sense for every worker, but it’s an option you should consider—even for seasonal workers.

Large companies with the staff and budget available might implement large-scale training programs. Other businesses choose to create small-scale or less formal programs that rely on mentorships and on-the-job training. Here are reasons why your business, wherever it falls on the spectrum, can benefit from an upskilling initiative:

Bypass the Talent Competition

When you’re hiring for a position, you probably have a set of requirements you can’t budge on, and then another set of qualities that are nice to have but aren’t essential to the role. How often have you found a worker who has many but not all of the qualities you want? When the supply of workers outnumbers the demand, you might have the luxury of looking for the perfect candidate who has everything and more. But when you’re trying to woo workers who have their choice of jobs, consider investing a little time in applicants who have the potential to be great.

When you hire a qualified worker who can get the job done, look for the aptitude and desire to learn the skills that bring them to the next level. You don’t have to immediately decide whether or not you want to invest in additional training, education, and mentorship. Wait to assess their performance and after a while, you can see if you want to keep them on board once you know they are a good fit. When you decide to invest in a worker, you have already built the relationship and made them part of your talent pipeline, while other employers are starting their recruitment process from scratch.

Brand Affinity

We’re in a different era of work. Yes, today’s workers want a paycheck—that hasn’t changed. However, they’re also looking for places to work that either have a purpose or create a culture that they want to belong to. While you might think this isn’t a top priority when it comes to temp work, it’s actually just as relevant. After all, contingent workers often use temp jobs to test out an employer. If their brief stint at your company doesn’t align with their goals, they might move on to one that does

Upskilling sets a tone for your business. It shows that you’re willing to allocate resources—whether that’s time or money—to help a member of your team. That not only creates a positive image and relationship with a current worker, but it lets other job seekers know you are different than other businesses. Remember, you can set official and unofficial parameters for the situations where you are willing to upskill a worker; don’t fear that you’re opening the floodgates to a pool of workers you’re not willing to or capable of helping.

Understand the Market

Perhaps the most intangible element of upskilling is that it gives you a glimpse into what talent is available. On paper, applicants can look similar. On the job, you start to understand what soft skills (and hard skills) are prevalent. You might discover that today’s workers have the basics of your industry covered, but only some have the critical thinking or leadership qualities you need. Once you start pinpointing the areas you need to upskill workers, you’ll quickly find out which qualities are common and which are rare finds. Then you can make more educated decisions about which workers to hold on to and upskill.

Ultimately, the true benefits of upskilling will come when your talented workforce is delivering the results and quality you need to succeed. Talk with your PeopleReady partner to let them know what you’re looking for in a worker so they can find you the best fit.

PeopleReady understands how to staff all scenarios, whether building a work team for the Super Bowl, finding the best personalities for a hospitality crew, or helping prepare employment for auto auctions. PeopleReady Skilled Trades, a specialized division within the company, recognizes when and where it is particularly important to know the ins and outs of an industry: namely skilled positions.

When completing a project, we know being equipped with workers who have expertise in their trade makes the difference between a successful project and potential disaster. With dozens of combined years of industry knowledge, we intend to thoroughly understand your project so we may assist in helping you find the best hands for your job and keep them working for you.

Who exactly do you need?

Will your project require the expertise of a skilled trades professional and if so, what type? Where have they been trained? Depending on the project and what type of materials and jobs your team will be doing, different certifications are required. We’ll ensure that your worker is trained properly and thoroughly for the job at hand.

Where can we save you costs?

Sometimes all your jobsite needs are extra hands on deck, ready and motivated to work. We want to make sure that your skilled craftspeople focus on what you specifically need doing and that prep and cleanup is handled by a separate team, potentially an area where we can cut your costs.

What can we do to promote the safest workplace?

With thorough processing and candidate screening occurring at the start of hire, you’ll feel at peace knowing that your workforce cares about safety: their own and of those around them. We know that job sites pose particular risks; finding well-trained, skilled craftspeople who value safety could save you thousands of dollars, not to mention your reputation.

If you’ve spent time in the last few years recruiting skilled workers, you know demand for these talents are at record highs. There are a variety of reasons which have contributed to the shortage of labor in the U.S., likely the biggest factor is aging baby boomers retiring out of the workforce in large numbers. As we discussed previously, Pew Research Center estimates every day for the next 17 years, 10,000 baby boomers will reach retirement age. There isn’t enough of the population entering the workforce to replace the number of baby boomers that have left, and continue to leave each day.

According to Harvard Business School “69 percent of HR executives say their inability to attract and retain middle-skills talent frequently affects their firm’s performance.”

In order to successfully recruit and retain skilled workers, companies must recognize that these individuals have the freedom to choose employers based on benefits such as career growth, and incentives. With that being said, how can firms better attract skilled workers with the labor pool tightening every day?  

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and Accountemps have both conducted surveys which offer top strategies employers use to recruit skilled workers.

• Improve benefits.
• Increase wages.
• Invest in training and development for existing staff.
• Consider temporary workers.
• Provide incentives for employee referrals.
• Partner with educational institutions to align curriculum with talent needs.

At PeopleReady and PeopleReady Skilled Trades we make it our mission to recruit the best-skilled staff for our customers. Our goal is to help ease the strain caused by the tradespeople shortage.

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