Indian Staffing Federation is advocating policy reform to strengthen Labor formalization in a landscape where emerging skills and simple smart technologies are amalgamating together to bring large impact on staffing industry. The movement of informal to formal and unorganized to organized has taken a fast track.

GIG workforce is becoming an acceptable norm both by employees and employers. “Cloud staffing” is emerging with roles being sought after in a Work from home set up. Roles like Tele callers, assessors, counsellors, IT engineers, teachers have found acceptance as part of the new “cloud staffing “model. While in the technology space Network, data & Cloud has emerged as the most sought after skills in IT. Cloud computing is a rage at the moment and it has gone beyond goodwill & reputation. Creating, testing and managing apps on the cloud will be a prime skill IT firms will seek in 2021. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking a new form. Just like our neural pathways, AI will become an essential mechanism for business operations. AI/ML is one of the most sought out skill at the moment. AI will be used aggressively to predict market trends, detecting frauds, forecasting sales & financial outcomes and analysing risks. Cyber Security has taken the centrestage with most organizations preferring work from home. Intrusions, breaches and attempted data theft is calling for more analysis of malware and drive their reversal.

There are six major trends emerging for the staffing industry post the pandemic

1. Cost Efficiency: Many functions permanently adapted Work From Home as a part of long term Strategy through integration of smart technologies.
2. Evolution of Advance HR Tech.: HR E-Connects, Monitoring & Governance Tools are new normal in the staffing world.
3. Mobile Apps:  Enhanced adaptability of Digital-Onboarding, Attendance & Employee Self-Service through mobile phone applications.
4. Healthcare: Advanced hygiene, Pre-employment fitness assessment and Rapid Response Mechanism are in regular practice.
5. Microlearning Solutions: for Captive Development, Skill Training and Assessment have been well adapted across many sectors.
6. Process Advancement:  Many organizations have re-engineered the processes to cope up with the “new normal”. No touch, Remote, social distancing had to be integrated with core of the staffing industry.

We are in a “New Normal” now and technology will drive how we work and grow. This will also lead to a demand for newer skills as the world around us change aggressively from a human led to machine led model. It’s a beginning of exciting times for the staffing industry.