Septemper 18, 2020
Know more about how the staffing industry is coping up with the current pandemic. Staffing sector is changing with the need, welcoming virtualisation as the medium of hiring.
The staffing industry is having a bitter time as the pandemic is spreading all across the globe. The trajectory of impact is still unknown and all we know is that the economy is getting affected. As the lockdown has been relaxed in many countries, staffing agencies are trying hard to connect employees with business. Many have been laid off from work and salaries have been slashed, the economy getting affected, it's important for staffing companies to stay proactive in situations like these.
Due to the uncertainty of the situation, staffing agencies are trying too hard to cope with the situation. The impact of the lockdown is severe and staffing companies are finding different ways to handle the crisis. There is a varying need of human resources according to different sectors. There is a hike in hiring in the e-commerce and logistic industry such as last-mile delivery roles and critical roles in healthcare post-pandemic. Apart from these sectors, a number of temporary employees are employed in retail, co-operative and agricultural operations, including the distribution of food, milk, groceries, vegetables, under different job roles ranging from delivery boy to supervisors.
Employees working in the healthcare industry, like in manufacturing and distribution of PPEs, and employees associated with banking and fuel outlets. Many countries are providing temporary work passes for many to fill in the requirements during the lockdown period. Even though many companies have switched to remote working options, many industries need men on the field to work. On the jobs categorized as non-essential, the negative impact is already visible in a number of sectors. And this includes aviation, travel & tourism, hospitality, manufacturing, automotive, media, and entertainment, to name a few.
Temporary workforce needs more reassurance during the on-going crisis. The government ministries have asked companies not to lay off employees or slash salaries on the bases of non-operation. Some states have also issued notifications stating that violations will be looked at seriously.
Safety is the utmost priority now. Therefore, there is an urgent need to ensure social protection for the most vulnerable workers. The job offering companies need to ensure safety to new hires and make sure that the environment is disinfected. Among the overall trends, hiring is at an all-time low, while many companies have frozen hiring. A number of businesses are delaying decisions on restructuring and layoff to avoid legal implications.
As the staffing industry faces uncertainty and adverse labour market outcomes, business owners feel that the staffing industry will get back better once the normalcy returns post-pandemic. Post-pandemic, the staffing companies might face an unseen surge for their work. Meanwhile, the staffing industry is trying its best to digitalise its services so that the industry floats along safe.
Staffing companies have started digitalisation of the workforce and providing software-as-a-service solutions to meet requirements in staffing. Companies are getting familiar with virtual staff managing, conducting interviews online, remote training and remote surveillance. As a considerable amount of employees are working from home, software-as-a-service is used for workforce management. Virtualisation has already been active in FMCG sectors. Call centres are now turning into virtual workspaces where employees' physical presence in a fixed space is never needed. Okool, the leading staffing agency in UAE is positive about the changing trend and hopes to thrive harder to keep the supply and demand of the workforce in the economy.