According to a new report from recruitment company Futurestep, HR managers are already asking the insource versus outsource question more than they have historically, both to make more sense of what outsourcing can mean for them, but also to build an internal business case to present to the key decision makers and executive boards.
The study predicts that a trend that will become more acute in 2013 is the need to balance shorter term financial challenges with longer term strategic needs – such as the imperative to build a brand that can attract talent over the longer term. It noted that, due to the economic climate, many companies are finding it hard to dedicate the time, resources and budget to develop and execute a talent strategy that will continue to attract colleagues in the short and long term. But in the next 12 months we will see organisations starting to put in place strategies to overcome this as their focus shifts to recovery and growth.
Globalisation will continue to impact global HR strategies, the report added: “The globalisation of workforce planning is a trend we will see more of in 2013 as organizations start – both through desire and necessity – to think about their talent more globally. As companies expand internationally, and different markets present more attractive business opportunities, they have to think about their workforce and talent in this way too.”
The war for talent, which was once ferocious and dominant, will become more subtle and focused in 2013, according to Futurestep: “Businesses will not hire the volume of talent they once did, but against the current economic backdrop and the drive for growth they will be focused on hiring critical talent.
“Therefore, in the ongoing war for talent, we will see the emergence of some new, fiercely fought, battlefields in 2013 such as the fight for talent in tier 2 and 3 cities within emerging markets.”
The study added that HR technology solutions are becoming more engaging – a shift away from the monolithic systems that do little to engage the employee.
