SIA: employers turning to contingent talent during recovery.

Over the last year, companies around the world have come to see the value in having a flexible workforce. Contingent, project and contract workers can be ramped up — or scaled back — as needed to get the job done.

This was a common theme for 850 C-suite and talent leaders from 17 global markets represented in Randstad Sourceright’s 2021 Talent Trends research. The majority (77%) agree that their talent strategy is more focused on workforce agility, with 51% saying that they have consolidated internal responsibilities for permanent and contingent workers.

Total talent investments are up at 47% of the companies surveyed, with money going to new HR technologies including talent analytics (42%). Over 70% believe that AI and robotic solutions can also support recruitment for both permanent and contingent staffing.

"Deploying talent analytics is essential for companies trying to achieve greater agility," says Michael Smith, global CEO of Randstad Sourceright. "During this period of recovery, it's imperative that organizations are assessing how leveraging new tools and data can expedite their development of a more holistic, agile workforce strategy."

Read more in Staffing Industry Analysts to see what are the other priorities HR leaders have. You can also get your exclusive copy of the Q2 issue of Talent Trends Quarterly, “The rise of the agile workforce,” for the latest on workforce planning for greater agility.