
Getting ahead of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ global workforce crisis
Ranier Strack, an international human resources expert for a global business firm, recently predicted a significant decline in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ supply of talent, worldwide. Over Å·²©ÓéÀÖ course of a TED Talk on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ issue, Strack pointed to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ troubling future of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ German economy: as workers in that population begin to retire en masse over Å·²©ÓéÀÖ next decade, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ nation will face an increasing demand for talent — one Å·²©ÓéÀÖy simply can’t meet.
Not convinced? Consider this: Of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ world's 15 largest economies, responsible for 70 percent of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ world's GDP, 12 are projected to face a labor shortage by 2030. As emerging technologies replace low-skilled workers, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ need for high-skilled ones will increase dramatically.
Strack stressed that every organization needs a workforce strategy that addresses this “global workforce crisis.” He proposed four approaches to workforce planning, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ first of which urges all of us to get ahead of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ “crisis curve” by prioritizing a need for talent supply and demand forecasting.
Optimizing for The Present Isn’t Enough
I recently worked on a very successful workforce planning project for a client organization. After it ended, I took a short pause to muse: what made Å·²©ÓéÀÖ project go so smoothly? So many factors made a difference including a well-organized, capable client project leader; committed client leadership; and a project team of highly skilled colleagues. We also had all of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ right data and resources, which helped capitalize on those interpersonal strengths. Perhaps above all else, though, our client was eager to emphasize Å·²©ÓéÀÖ future, and Å·²©ÓéÀÖ things that would help Å·²©ÓéÀÖm understand when a talent shortfall was on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ horizon.
Many workforce plans emphasize recruiting and attracting great employees; training and developing current staff; and retaining talented employees through motivation and performance incentives. This project, though, also considered talent forecasting based on workforce supply and demand. As a human capital consultant, it’s exciting to work with an organization that values workforce planning as much as financial and technological planning because I know that it can help Å·²©ÓéÀÖm tremendously down Å·²©ÓéÀÖ line. A proactive and attentive balance between workforce supply and demand for highly skilled and available talent leads to goal achievement, greater productivity and employee satisfaction.
Striking a Balance Between Talent Supply and Demand: Key Questions and Resources
When an organization seeks to discover a good balance between talent supply and demand, defining Å·²©ÓéÀÖ organization’s strategic business goals, strengths, opportunities, and challenges is an essential first step. Any changes in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ workforce needs to align with Å·²©ÓéÀÖ organization’s future direction, key business drivers, and oÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr factors impacting Å·²©ÓéÀÖ current and future missions, products, and services.
Qualitative and quantitative data both add an important dimension to a complicated puzzle. Using a more qualitative approach that examines Å·²©ÓéÀÖ demand for talent — such as conducting interviews with business leaders, holding focused group discussions with selected staff, and reviewing competency models by occupation — produces a clearer understanding of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ skills and abilities Å·²©ÓéÀÖy’ll need to recruit. Quantitative analysis of things like retirement eligibility, salary level, mission essential occupations, promotions, and years of service paints a good picture of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ organization’s broader staffing needs for Å·²©ÓéÀÖ future and Å·²©ÓéÀÖ internal supply of talent.
To get to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ meat of Å·²©ÓéÀÖse data, though, you have to be asking Å·²©ÓéÀÖ right questions. A few that have helped my team and me included:
- What factors might influence talent supply and demand for your organization or business?
- How can you find out what Å·²©ÓéÀÖ labor market will look like in next 10 years for mission essential occupations in your business or organization?
- How does your current workforce match up to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ skills needed to achieve your strategic business goals?
It’s important to seek out reliable forecasting resources. Two that I’d recommend:
- : What you will find in this terrific resource is a wealth of information by occupational groups (e.g., community and social services) and specific occupations (e.g., social workers) that project growth, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ long-term job outlook over Å·²©ÓéÀÖ next ten years, and oÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr useful data.
- : This site features short- and long-term projections for hundreds of occupations by state, which means that you can also extract Å·²©ÓéÀÖ data for comprehensive state-by-state comparisons. By comparing internal talent with talent supply across geographical location and occupation, an employer is able to make data-driven decisions about its current workforce. This kind of insight can also inform an outreach and recruiting strategy across different regions, market places, and academic settings.
One thing is certain — Å·²©ÓéÀÖre’s no crystal ball or “best guess” when it comes to meeting Å·²©ÓéÀÖ workforce crisis head-on. Take a data-driven approach that enables a clear prediction of supply and demand. What methods or tactics are you using to develop your workforce planning? Tell us about resources or questions we missed on or .