22% of Americans said unemployment/jobs is the most important issue facing this country today, according to a July study by Gallup, second only to the economy in general. With the national unemployment rate at almost 10%, of course, as individuals we’re very concerned. Richard Florida notes, however, that “the economy is on track to create some 15.3 million new jobs looking out to 2018, according to projections done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). And more than 50 million total jobs will come open, as older workers retire and many switch jobs and careers.” (Catch Florida in September at the HCI 2010 Government Talent Management Summit.) All these statistics inevitably beg the question: how high of a priority is hiring at your organization? How are you preparing to staff the 60 million jobs Florida predicts?
Without a doubt, hiring on that scale, and with that level of importance, will require commensurate planning. David Eberhardt, Senior Manager of Talent Management at Devon Energy, an industry that knows a thing or two about workforce planning, discusses how tightly interconnected talent acquisition and strategic planning must be.
Start today on strengthening talent pools by partnering with your local workforce development. Karla Porter, Director of Workforce Planning and Human Resources, Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, advises that corporations can overcome hiring hurdles like a lack of skilled workers and training.
Next, your organization will need to be up on the latest methods of increasing sourcing effectiveness. Mark Sullivan, Director of Talent Acquisition, Texas, at Time Warner Cable, shares his thoughts on how evolve sourcing for the time- and resource-intensive recruiting activity it is today.
Don’t underestimate the role culture can play in the talent acquisition process. Zappos doesn’t, and look at their amazing performance. Andrew Kovacs and Cheryl Anne Fernandez, from Zappos, reveal their organization’s secret to success on social media.
Image: Marielle
