Solving the staffing crisis is on just about everyone’s wish list going into 2022. While there are no easy answers, some promising trends could mean good news for employers.
Over 8 million people are seeking work in this country. Sounds good, right? Well, not when you consider that 10 million workers are needed to fill job openings nationwide. And this situation is particularly dire in senior and long-term care, where providers say they need to hire at least 50% more workers to be fully staffed. So what are the answers?
Watch these 5 trends for ways increase staffing, identify new sources for good workers, and keep the good team members you hire:
- Focusing on internal talent and upskilling existing workers. In a recent survey of HR leaders, half cited this as an important priority. Identify good workers who – with some upskilling – could take on new roles and responsibilities. Also look at volunteers, students, and even retired staff who might be good additions to your team with a bit of training.
- Hiring immigrant employees. About three-quarters of the million or so immigrants who come to the U.S. every year enter the labor force. That number dipped to under 300,000 in 2020, which has resulted in labor shortages in many industries. As borders reopen to some degree post-pandemic, healthcare and other industries look forward to welcoming more immigrants into the workforce.
- Defining and maximizing flexibility. Increasingly, workers want – even demand – flexible work schedules. Moving forward, managers need to determine how they will define and enable flexible work. Will it involve hybrid schedules? Work from home? Four-day work weeks? Remote work? Varied or customized schedules? Define these upfront and share appropriate options with job candidates.
- Hiring for soft skills. Identify skills that are valuable and contribute to the organization’s success but don’t specifically relate to day-to-day tasks. Determine what administrative skills are teachable, then hire people for the excellent soft skills they have.
- Social media recruiting. Not just a passing trend, social media recruiting is here to stay. You need to be aggressive and strategic about posting jobs on targeted social media platforms that attract millions of users every day. At the same time, use social media platforms to promote your organization generally as a great, exciting, fun, innovative place to work. Highlight volunteer/charitable activities, social events, community involvement, awards and honors, promotions, etc.
A key to success is not just to follow the trends but to do so with creativity. Create strategies that reflect your culture and why candidates should choose your organization over another. Engage your workers as recruiters. Consider offering bonuses or prizes if they recommend good candidate that end up getting hired.
