All the world ’ s a stage : a global view of talent trends
Talent may be talent , wherever we find it . But any global approach to talent also needs to take into account the nuances of local markets . Who better to guide us through this potential minefield than AMS ’ s four regional managing directors ? We asked them to share insight into some of the trends they ’ re seeing on the ground in each of their territories .
Maxine Pillinger , EMEA , Russia and CIS
AMS operates in 26 countries in Europe as well as some in South Africa and the Middle East , mostly placing candidates for clients based elsewhere . That makes it a very fragmented market , with the diversity of language and culture , and complex legal regulatory frameworks , creating challenges .
However , it also gives us the chance to provide solutions for clients for whom fragmented hiring volumes across a number of countries makes a fixed talent acquisition headcount hard to justify . Additionally , we ’ re seeing outsourcing of operations such as HR , finance and IT to lower-cost markets , especially in Central and Eastern Europe . In some countries ( for example , Poland and Hungary ), this is driving towards skills shortages .
Of course , we ’ re still living with the effects of COVID-19 , with a continuing need for organisations to have the flexibility to scale up or down as business needs change . Internal mobility , especially around upskilling and reskilling , has become a real strategic-agenda item , especially in high-demand areas such as digital skills . This may challenge organisations that don ’ t have the skills mapping in place to make this happen .
Internal mobility , especially around upskilling and reskilling , has become a real strategic-agenda item
The pandemic has also accelerated other market trends already underway . Fast-moving consumer goods remains a buoyant sector . The scale of Amazon ’ s recruitment in 2020 tells us that our high streets are unlikely ever to look the same again . Green energy and conscious climate agendas are gaining real traction . We all know that how and where we work has changed beyond all recognition . Candidates are now using the pandemic as a frame of reference for questions about sustainability and flexible working .
While D & I is very much on the agenda , there ’ s no one-size-fits-all solution across Europe . More mature markets are seeing the kinds of calls for action familiar , for example , in the UK and the US . In Russia , a diversity challenge may be employing someone in Moscow who is not from Moscow . We need local solutions , sensitive to local cultures , which can mean managing multinational client expectations about what ’ s possible .
Finally , it ’ s perhaps surprising that the UK ’ s exit from the European Union – Brexit – is not looming larger from the European client perspective . There may be more to come on this as the new regime becomes clearer as 2021 progresses .
Neil Jones , Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific ( APAC ) is a region in name only ; as in Europe , we have to navigate massive language , cultural and legislative differences , with the huge distances between countries also an issue . Being based in Singapore , I ’ m aware that the distance between Singapore and Australia or Tokyo is as great as the distance between London and New York .
To deal with this complexity , AMS has developed the expertise and infrastructure to deal with such a fragmented market and access to local talent . We are able to scale our service centres up and down depending on fluctuating volumes , something that ’ s been especially important during the COVID pandemic . We can operate efficiently across jurisdictions , often bridging the gap between the expectations of multinationals and what ’ s possible on the ground locally .
More than anything , we need to be experts in a whole range of local markets with a variety of needs . India remains a powerhouse for digital skills ; Japan has a big skills gap , but is still very internally focused ; in China , we ’ re working on a range of hybrid models , with AMS often topping up clients ’ own talent acquisition functions as the need arises .
One big trend in the region is the localisation of leadership . Traditional models of ( mostly white ) ex-pat leaders being jetted in by multinationals are being challenged by the growing demand for local leaders . The raw talent is there , but it needs to be fast-tracked and mentored , with markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore and sectors such as financial services and pharma in the vanguard . But there ’ s a strong sense that this is a trend that ’ s here to stay .
Businesses are looking for emerging talent , hiring for competence and potential rather than for a specific skill set or role
Asia was , of course , the first region to have to deal with COVID-19 . That ’ s also meant that it was the first region to come out of the first wave . The effects of the pandemic across APAC have been patchy . China rebounded very quickly , while Australia has followed a more Western pattern . The markets for talent in Hong Kong and Singapore are stable , but subdued . Sectors such as financial services remain sticky and slow ; pharma is ( unsurprisingly ) booming and digital and tech have been very resilient .
Some common themes have definitely emerged , though . Demand for talent is volatile , internal mobility is the order of the day and we ’ ve seen a move to more project-based environments . There ’ s a sense that future winners will be all about dexterity ; businesses are looking for emerging talent , hiring for competence and potential rather than for a specific skill set or role .
Steve Leach , UK and Ireland
COVID-19 has cast a long shadow on the market for talent in the UK and Ireland . Clients and stakeholders are still very focused on how best to react to the varying recruitment needs of the pandemic : one of our clients recently issued 700 new vacancies within hours of confirming an external hiring freeze – and they ’ re by no means alone . It remains a challenge to anticipate the need for volumes or particular skills when the market is so volatile .
Businesses are beginning to get to grips with the longer-term impact of working practices that have been turned on their head in the past year . We ’ ve all applauded the positive benefits of flexible and remote working , but it ’ s not going to be easy for HR and talent teams to manage the hybrid working models that are likely to emerge , and which their employees and future candidates seem to want . The high levels of humanity and engagement that have been at the fore at a time of mass remote working will continue to be needed during this transition .
The pandemic has also accelerated digital transformation , with organisations having to review , develop and change their business models in short order . The demand for digital skills remains a key challenge , whether in terms of external recruitment or internal skills development .
We ’ re seeing a greater expectation from candidates and employees that conversations around inclusion and belonging will take place
D & I is also a focus for most organisations . In recent years , many D & I agendas have been mostly focused on gender , but there ’ s now a much greater awareness that we also need to focus on a much wider range of under-represented groups ; notably ethnic minorities , but also those from the LGBTQ community , people with disabilities and those with neurodiversity . We ’ re seeing a greater expectation from candidates and employees that conversations around inclusion and belonging will take place , and we ’ ve been coaching and counselling hiring managers to support this .
It would be hard to ignore the potential impact of Brexit on the UK and Ireland as 2021 gets underway . Some clients have already made adjustments to their operations and supply chains in anticipation of any disruption . However , there ’ s still a great deal of uncertainty around the transition . There ’ s a sense that HR teams will need to react as best they can as the situation becomes clearer ; unfortunately , given the circumstances , it will be a reaction rather than the result of proactive planning .
Nicky Hancock , The Americas
It may be tempting to see the Americas as a homogenous , mature market . However , with the geography so huge , it ’ s important to recognise that , while the challenges our clients face may be similar , their contexts are often very different . We ’ re also now operating in Mexico , and are getting a taste of the complexities felt by our colleagues in Europe and APAC – as well as the opportunities of a market so rich in talent .
The past year has been a period of so much change for our clients . The switch to remote working and virtual hiring has opened up bigger and longer-term questions about how and where people work . There ’ s a sense that the geographical concentration of skills we see in the US ( finance in New York ; tech on the West Coast ) may be breaking down .
As elsewhere , candidates are much more likely to feel confident to raise issues about flexibility , and people are building their personal lives around it too ; witness the tide of people leaving New York City . There ’ s going to be a huge management challenge to deal with the new hybrid world of offices , hubs and virtual workers .
We ’ ve seen a closer alignment between permanent and contract workers . It ’ s increasingly understood that contract workers are brand ambassadors too
The pandemic has also thrown into relief issues of skills mobility , with organisations looking to mobilise the skills they have as their business needs change . It ’ s not just a matter of hiring internally ; it ’ s also about upskilling and reskilling when buying in talent is neither competitive nor sustainable . There ’ s much work still to be done to help organisations understand the talent they have available . We ’ ve been looking at creative ways to help with this , encouraging clients to focus , for example , on key areas for skills mapping ( such as tech ) rather than rolling out large-scale projects across the whole company .
We ’ ve also seen a closer alignment between permanent and contract workers . It ’ s increasingly understood that contract workers are brand ambassadors too . That needs us to take a more holistic , total talent approach , breaking down traditional barriers between HR and procurement .
D & I remains a huge focus in the Americas in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests . It ’ s a highly sensitive , emotive and polarising issue . What ’ s clear , though , is that silence is no longer an option . Under-represented groups will not , and should not , continue to accept the status quo . Many organisations have doubled down on commitments and initiatives , but these must now lead to action . It ’ ll take a wide range of approaches to change often-entrenched cultures , but we have to make sure that the momentum is not lost .