General

There’s no getting around it: Hiring managers and companies with positions to fill have it tough right now. Just as the pandemic shook up so many of our global systems, it also created a labor shortage – which has yet to find its equilibrium.

Employers who hold out, waiting for a sudden shift in the winds, should expect to be sitting on their hands for quite a while. The current bear market for employers isn’t expected to turn for the foreseeable future. In fact, according to U.S. News & World Report, “economists are now starting to believe the pandemic has changed the behavior of the job market in ways that could have a lasting impact, indeed even resetting the relationship between workers and their employers.”

With companies having trouble not only filling open positions but also holding on to their best employees, uncertainty for hiring professionals – even in the near term – may be at an all-time high. During a labor shortage, there are only so many ways a business can respond in order to avoid significant risk while still remaining competitive. Here’s an excellent starting point: hire high-quality contractors who are proven performers.

Targeting the best freelancers will require some urgency and a cost premium in the current market, but the payoff for employers can’t be overstated.

Contractors come with the usual advantages for companies: maximum workforce flexibility, a larger pool of candidates from which to choose and a quicker turnaround in the hiring process. But in this environment, those benefits have become even more critical for most organizations.

And the workforce landscape being what it is today is why high-quality contractors are especially important across all industries. The best freelancers are experienced and versatile, able to negotiate the learning curve at a new company quickly. Hand-holding by staff isn’t necessary for these contract employees, who have a demonstrated ability to work autonomously even in unfamiliar roles. Moreover, many of these top-shelf contractors are capable of more than one job, or multiple sets of duties, meaning they are more likely to be equipped to be brought back as a resource – particularly after they are familiar with a company’s personnel and systems and the company is pleased with their quality of work.

With a talent cloud like PeopleCaddie, identifying and hiring these high-quality freelancers has never been easier. Filter, search and scroll to find our member contractors with the ideal skill sets and experience levels for your company’s needs.

Don’t sit idly by waiting for the best candidates to come to you. The highest-quality contractors are in demand and won’t come cheap. But an investment in the right talent cloud service and gold-standard freelancers will reward businesses with the combination of flexibility and productivity that can help them expertly navigate through the uncertainties of The Great Resignation.

Interested in learning more about PeopleCaddie’s talent cloud? Learn how it works here.

After forced shutdowns left many without work in 2020 and the expiration of government assistance turned up the financial pressure on millions of Americans in 2021, one might think 2022 is shaping up as a year in which the job market finds its equilibrium. Surely, workers are ready to begin stepping into the positions so many businesses are eagerly seeking to fill. But recent trends suggest that simply isn’t the case. The Great Resignation, as it’s being called, is being driven by a combination of pent-up demand from employers and an awakening of sorts among employees.

Given time to consider their professional circumstances, which was followed by an explosion of job openings across industries and sectors, workers – employed and unemployed alike – are taking their time to carefully weigh their next moves.

With more workers than ever reflecting on their careers, values and priorities – which may have been shifted or reshuffled by the global pandemic – it is now employers’ turn for reflection. In order to attract and retain the best talent, and create a satisfying, productive work environment, many businesses must re-evaluate everything from work norms to employee benefits to pay structure. And we aren’t just talking about a ping-pong table in the break room and a company-wide cost-of-living salary bump.

As a business, it is critical to begin quantifying what workers value – not just what you’ve been willing to offer in the past. What will move the needle for a prospect who has not been working professionally through the pandemic, and who is in a position to continue doing so? And what will it take to pry away a worker who maintained their job throughout the pandemic, which likely reflects stability and mutual satisfaction on both sides of the worker-employer relationship or risk aversion? The answers will help to push against the forces 

Additionally, some workers who did make a move in the past two years are surely unsatisfied. Not every professional relationship is a fit. Perhaps the employee had to settle on a salary less than what they felt they deserved. Maybe the upward mobility a worker anticipated in this market never quite materialized. Whatever the reason for an employee’s dissatisfaction, it’s an opportunity for another company to make its own case and pitch an open role.

The key for employers is understanding that 2022 doesn’t have to be the year of the Great Resignation. What appears to be a bleak labor market is a chance to assess the pros and cons of your business through the eyes of current and potential employees. It’s an opportunity to consider contract positions that create more flexibility for your workforce and appeal to a wider spectrum of workers – including those seeking short-term gigs, or part-time roles.

Employees not currently participating in the workforce won’t hold out forever. But when the time comes and they begin returning to work en masse – and that may be exactly how it unfolds – would you prefer that your business be at the top of the best prospects’ lists or simply settle for whichever workers are left over when the dust settles? By striving now to create favorable compensation packages, clear career-development tracks and an attractive work environment and structure, your business is far more likely to land the employees needed to take it to the next level.

Looking for additional tools to combat the Great Resignation? PeopleCaddie’s talent cloud can provide a stopgap for companies.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that the best jobs are full-time positions. Salary. Benefits. Security. Staff opportunities are expected to be the goal of every responsible adult – especially those with a family and the need for a settled lifestyle. But this isn’t the 1950s, you aren’t your grandfather and even the promise of a gold watch at the end of a long and industrious stint as a full-time staffer can no longer be counted on today. If workers hadn’t received the message before the pandemic flipped the job market on its ear, they’re hearing it loud and clear now: a career is entirely what you make of it. And for many working parents, they’re noticing the benefits of contract work.

Mind you, that’s a good thing. For too long, many American workers felt stuck in full-time roles, with little choice but to slog through the monotony. Working parents, in particular, sensed higher stakes: mouths to feed, insurance to cover their little ones, 401(k)s or pensions to ensure they had something socked away after the kids were all grown up and starting families of their own. The traditional rules, however, are changing.

Today, with more companies turning to contractors, old perceptions about freelancing – namely, that it’s a risky, unvalued, fringe existence – are fading. Contractors increasingly are critical to the mission of most organizations, and are regarded with the same respect and appreciation as full-timers. And as such, many workers – including those with family at home – are beginning to wake up to the benefits of freelancing.

Increased compensation. The vast majority of contractors earn more per hour than salaried employees (more than $5,000 annually, according to one recent survey – but often much more). And unlike staffers, freelancers keep earning anytime they remain on the clock beyond 40 hours. Some working parents can rely on a spouse who receives good benefits through their own employer, but single parents and contractor couples still have options. Many staffing agencies and talent clouds, such as PeopleCaddie, offer their contractors benefits, including robust healthcare insurance coverage – the non-negotiable necessity that had long shackled many full-timers to thankless staff jobs.

Flexibility. Many contract gigs allow for (and, in some cases, encourage) work from home. This can be an enormous perk – not to mention a sizable cost savings – for freelancers who prefer to avoid sending their young children to daycare. Work-from-home contract gigs cut out the daily commute, giving back a freelancer hours in their life and perhaps translating to fewer missed games and recitals. A recent analysis by a Stanford economist showed that employees value work-from-home flexibility about the same as a 10 percent increase in pay.  Contract work also offers more opportunities to slip a foot in the door at in-demand companies, or in specific roles that can help an employee make strides toward the mastery of new competencies. In that sense, freelancers can translate that flexibility into higher future earning power.

Reduced stress. Let’s face it: Many of us are over office life – or were just never hard-wired for it in the first place. In addition to removing the grind of the daily commute, many contract workers are finding an improved work experience with the ability to more easily unplug from office politics, fewer distractions, and the ability to avoid unpleasant engagements with mean bosses. Working at home with kids presents its own set of challenges, but the rewards of those interactions far outweigh anything most parents will find in the office.

Are you a working parent looking for more flexibility? Check out PeopleCaddie’s jobs board.

Amid a pandemic that has forced business shutdowns, created supply chain issues and rejiggered the economy and job market, employers are facing challenges like nothing in recent memory. One of the problems to be solved: employee wages, which rose by an estimated 2.7 percent in 2021, are expected to climb another 3 percent in 2022, according to Kiplinger. Many companies, ready to staff up again after the large-scale layoffs witnessed over the past 18 months or so, are finding employees reluctant to return at or near their previous wages. All of which has forced them to strategize on navigating wage inflation.

This shouldn’t come as an enormous surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. Prior to the pandemic, the U.S. economy – and business with it – had enjoyed a good run. Even now, expected wage increases are projected to fall short of the 2022 Social Security cost of living adjustment (5.9 percent), the largest COLA since 1982.

What’s important to note is that these developments figure to be largely temporary. The federal government is generally favorable to business, and as the economy gradually stabilizes, the job market should follow. The question employers need to ask themselves in the meantime: What should be done until then?

First and foremost, you need a long-tail plan for staffing. Start by assessing your business needs and current staffing status. Are you in a position to wait for the economy and job market to normalize? Take a hard look at your company so that you understand your margins. Where can you afford to pay more? What can be categorized as nonessential expenditures until a recovery is in full swing? You will need to have a clear picture of the ebb and flow of your new business, which may dictate increases or decreases in staff needs.

Begin evaluating your current staffing structure, as well as individual employees. Are they performing at optimum levels? Could your staff be leaner, or at least more efficient? Indiscriminate cuts are risky. Hiring new employees is costly and time consuming, which can create a drag on productivity and depress profits in the long term. If you anticipate an uptick in business sooner rather than later, riding out the storm may be the safest approach.

Keep in mind, a contractor who  $55 per hour. last year may now cost $75 per hour. That, in the short term, is the price of doing business. But PeopleCaddie anticipates a not-so-distant future when wages come down again. In order to compete for top talent and maintain viability (let alone thrive) in the interim, companies must assess and, if necessary, restructure – not just staff but perhaps their entire operations.

Boom times always follow lean periods. Take stock and adjust as needed so that your business is in position to take advantage when the eventual turnaround arrives. 

How can PeopleCaddie help? Navigating wage inflation might be easier with the support of a talent cloud.

If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that building a business and maintaining a baseline level of operations during lean times requires a flexible workforce. Many companies shaken by the pandemic, as well as the accompanying government response, have lost both business and employees, prompting widespread restructuring and rethinking of corporate strategies in a still-unsettled economy and job market. The resulting labor shortages are expected to affect businesses across industries, possibly for years to come.

And although that may force a lot of companies to think long and hard about their operating costs, the only way to take advantage of a recovery is to participate in it. The opportunity to capture new business in the coming months and years can only be realized by growing a workforce to account for it.

Yet there’s the rub: Recruiting is one of the most labor-intensive and expensive elements associated with running a business. In this environment, how does a company forge ahead without taking too great a financial risk or falling behind?

The most logical place to start is with a contract workforce. Building a business is all about creating a system, a machine that will activate a specialist or bring a new resource online – even if only temporarily for a specific project. Maybe a company needs only a handful of new employees for a six-month contract. Maybe it’s one for three months to cover a maternity leave. Perhaps it’s a part-timer who can pitch in for a month. Hiring those workers as full-time staff would be grossly inefficient. Outsourcing the work could be expensive and lead to inconsistent results from vendors who lack the experience or understanding of a company’s unique challenges.

In a volatile market where labor shortages pervade, flexibility is one of the most chronically overlooked business assets. A talent cloud offers the flexibility companies need – plus plenty more. At PeopleCaddie, we provide a digital marketplace for professional talent, one that allows a hiring manager to easily and efficiently search for, identify and select proven contract workers.

A talent agency or headhunter may have access to freelancers, but PeopleCaddie maintains a network of contractors, building detailed and informative worker profiles and connecting businesses with the right people for the job – sometimes even contractors who have worked with the company before. Better yet, our platform allows a hiring manager to quickly identify available contractors by experience level, rate, skills and competency, cutting through much of the traditional hiring process in seconds.

During a labor shortage, a business doesn’t have to be defined solely by the availability of its permanent staff. Projecting talent needs into a murky future isn’t just difficult – it amounts to a commitment that can transform into a financial albatross. PeopleCaddie is a partner that can help build a workforce containing the desired percentage of contractors and make connections with other flexible resources for specific and finite projects and tasks. With access to a modern talent cloud, any company can design and adjust a business strategy for growth – even (and perhaps especially) when labor is scarce and at a premium.

Interested in learning how PeopleCaddie’s talent cloud and help your company in this labor market? Click here to see how we can help.

As we put more distance between us and the worst of the pandemic’s employment fallout, and as more businesses have come to learn the benefit of a remote workforce, the time is ripe for contractors everywhere to find better, flexible job opportunities. In particular, Canadian contractors are in a position to capitalize on a booming freelance market that offers them specific benefits.

Many American public accounting firms, for example, are in search of accountants familiar with U.S. GAAP. At a moment when labor scarcity and competition among firms have driven up pay rates (20-30 percent over the past two years), Canadian contractors have arguably never been more valuable. And given the favorable exchange rate, compensation from U.S.-based employers becomes even more attractive for contractors located over the northern border.

With that in mind, here are some roles in high demand that Canadian contractors are in position to take advantage of:

External auditors. Assurance busy season, which is right around the corner, is an annual right of passage that drives demand for contractors who can supplement internal teams at public accounting firms. The opportunities it creates tend to be contracts lasting roughly four to six months and typically requiring long work weeks. But unlike permanent (salaried) employees, contractors are paid for every hour they work, including overtime. A freelancer who puts in 60 or more hours per week during the busy season has a tremendous opportunity to make a lot of money in a relatively short period of time.

Financial due diligence consultants. The boom in SPACs and M&A transactions has led to strong demand for consultants to assist with preparing for or consummating those deals.

Internal and compliance auditors. Some U.S. accounting firms supplement their teams during the busy season with offshore talent. In the past, auditors from countries like South Africa traveled to the United States for the duration of the audit busy season – a work model that has been disrupted by travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic. This and strong demand for services have pushed accounting firms to look for additional ways to tap into the global talent pool. Now U.S. employers are increasingly looking to Canada as a nearby source of strong English-speaking, GAAP-knowledgeable, time zone-compatible talent. Employers generally  feel more secure about their networks being accessed from Canada, and any necessary trips to headquarters or a client site in the U.S. will be shorter and less expensive than most other countries.

Cybersecurity and IT risk consultants. With the increase in high-profile data breaches and ransomware attacks, senior technology leaders have been aggressively seeking to shore up their security solutions. This has driven steep growth in demand for cybersecurity and IT risk professionals. U.S. companies have often looked to offshore resources and/or skilled non-U.S. residents with green cards or work visas, and the pandemic has forced more reluctant employers to embrace remote work models. Once employees demonstrate the ability to work effectively in a fully remote or hybrid environment, the minds of leadership are often opened to the viability of leveraging the global talent pool.

Recruiters. With so many firms struggling to land good talent, skilled recruiters are in very high demand – particularly those with relevant industry experience. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the hardest job to recruit for is recruiters, and monthly U.S. job postings for recruiters have more than doubled since February 2020 to nearly 148,000 in September.

Are you a Canadian contractor interested in working in the U.S. market? Join our talent cloud.

The business world has become a much smaller place in a relatively short period of time. With the proliferation of broadband internet and high-speed cellular networks, business has become virtually borderless, and even small-scale companies are able to participate in global talent markets while also searching far and wide for new customers.

Given that so many U.S.-based companies are actively pursuing international clients, it stands to reason that there is an opportunity – and possibly even a moral obligation to local citizens – to seek labor beyond U.S. borders. Rather than think of globalization as a dirty word, or a political cudgel, managers hiring knowledge workers should consider all the ways that staffing a diverse group of domestic and foreign workers can benefit a business.

First, and most simply, companies that open their doors to international labor exponentially expand the talent pool available to them. No longer limited only to employees who happen to reside in the U.S., businesses who consider talent abroad can gain an advantage over competitors who may not have similarly expanded their search.

Additionally, many of these workers offer language skills, knowledge of regional bylaws and customs, as well as the soft skills that may allow them to create cultural connections that would elude Americans . Even if your company doesn’t do business outside the U.S., chances are that many of your clients do – or hail from other countries themselves. Building a geographically-diverse workforce equips any operation with superior capabilities to address a wider variety of business scenarios.

And because the best and fastest way to expand any company is through a conscious global strategy, hiring contractors operating remotely outside the U.S. should be considered essential for businesses with a growth mandate. By onboarding contractors from the regions that are being targeted to help drive new business, a company builds the necessary staffing infrastructure to connect with and meet the needs of these new regional opportunities. Moreover, this hiring strategy allows a company to tap into those workers’ contacts and networks, which is critical for immediately cultivating new customers and, in some cases, helping legitimize a U.S.-based business on foreign soil.

Why place artificial limits on the scope of any hiring search? Why hire and train American contractors to do business with international clients when a company can remotely access the local knowledge of foreign nationals? And why wouldn’t any company with designs on growth explore global markets – both clients and labor – as a means to drive new business?

It can only benefit companies to at least be open to the idea of hiring international contractors. Even for those starting small, there are benefits to taking a bigger swing and trying to reach global talent markets. Thinking locally? Hire globally. And for businesses with something grander in mind, the labor search must match that vision in scale. Go global.

PeopleCaddie’s offers a global talent pool that could help scale your business. See how it works here.

No matter our chosen profession or political affiliation, most of us look for one thing above all from any employment relationship: ways to increase your pay. Some combination of benefits, a pension and additional perks may also be important to the average worker, but even those elements fall somewhere under the umbrella of compensation.

Put simply: We just want to be paid what we’re worth.

Seems fair enough. But democratizing that process is another story. Factors such as a lack of pay transparency, insular networks, discrimination and even just bad luck can keep talented, productive and experienced workers from climbing to rungs on the pay-scale ladder that are commensurate with the value they deliver.

In the meantime, PeopleCaddie is helping to level the playing field. Our digital talent platform allows professional contractors to set their rates, previous employers to post ratings of those contractors, and prospective employers to decide whether those figures jive. The idea: Good work leads to good ratings, which ultimately leads to higher compensation from future employers.

The traditional hiring process is clunky. Contacting references that are cherry-picked by the candidate takes time and bears questionable fruit. Verifying the professional relationship between the candidate and the reference can be tricky, and the objectivity of the assessment depends heavily upon the specific relationship between the reference and candidate. LinkedIn, for instance, offers the ability to request reviews from fellow members, but that function operates independent of the professional work history or nature of the relationship between two members.

At PeopleCaddie, employers searching through our database of candidates can be assured they are always seeing ratings from that candidate’s direct supervisor at a given position. This brings a level of standardization to reviews, allowing employers to compare apples to apples during the hiring process and ensuring contractors that they are being assessed based on criteria that is consistent from candidate to candidate.

For decades, scale-tippers such as the old boys’ network, the Ivy League pipeline and run-of-the-mill nepotism would often unfairly reward or penalize candidates. Even if a deserving prospect were hired on, they might be compensated at a lower rate or receive fewer career-advancement opportunities based on any number of subjective factors. With PeopleCaddie, contractors are better able to understand their worth in the market and can set their rates accordingly. At the same time, employers can pinpoint candidates based on ratings (as well as experience, skill set, etc.) and move forward with the confidence that a contractor will deliver on expected value.

Annual in-house reviews typically have been a thing for workers to dread. Supervisors could make arbitrary assessments to justify denying a pay raise or promotion, and salary bumps are often highly controlled and barely keep up with the cost of living. But a ratings system like PeopleCaddie’s offers full transparency, solicits reviews after a contractor has moved on from an employer, and establishes a rewards system in which a freelancer is more likely to be noticed while creating demand for their services.

Increase your ratings, increase your pay. That’s all any of us workers could ask for.

Looking for ways to increase your pay? Join PeopleCaddie’s talent cloud, set up a profile and allow employers to consider you. Here’s how it works.