Leveraging Untapped Talent Pools
Hiring workers continues to get harder and harder . The latest jobs report shows that rather than interest rate hikes slowing the economy as anticipated , jobs continue to be added at a furious pace . Unemployment remains historically low at 5.7 million people unemployed and there are more than 10.5 million jobs in the United States that remain unfilled . As a result , competition for workers is fierce , driving millions of people to quit their jobs each month in search of greener pastures and more money .
Many organizations are simply giving up by cutting back sales to accommodate a shrinking workforce . The problem with this strategy is that when the next economic recession affects their market ( which may be very soon ) they may not be able to survive . The larger a quality customer base , the better the ability to withstand economic hardship .
So how can a team recruit new people to join to capitalize on the current market when the war for talent is so fierce ? The same way that we win customers by specializing in a niche market . Rather than compete for every customer available to be serviced , companies increase profit by only working with those who meet specific criteria , so competition is lessened . by Neal Glatt , CSP , ASM
Yet we have this incredible gift in the green industry where these accommodations can be made . Our customers rarely if ever interact with our front-line employees , so appearance and professionalism are not issues . Working outside means that there is usually no sensitive or secure facility requirements for which a clean background check would be required . And we can leverage this fact to help individuals who desperately need a second chance in life to thrive while allowing our companies to grow .
Whether the untapped talent pool that makes sense is those who are uneducated , unexperienced , long-term unemployed , retirees , formerly incarcerated , former addicts , immigrants , disabled , or veterans , there is certainly a niche market of employees who could be tapped to solve the labor crisis for any company . In fact , it may be the only sustainable recruitment strategy that is left .
Neal Glatt is Managing Partner of GrowTheBench . com , an online training platform for the green industry . Connect with Neal at NealGlatt @ gmail . com .
“... when it comes to hiring , there is little thought given to the various talent pools from which we can recruit .”
But when it comes to hiring , there is little thought given to the various talent pools from which we can recruit . One example of an untapped talent pool is recruiting employees who were formerly incarcerated . The Prison Policy Institute recently reported that more than 60 % of people released from prison are currently jobless . If a company could specifically target this group to recruit and retain , they would have a tremendous and reliable source of labor .
Of course , managers must make some considerable adjustments to properly engage and retain these workers . Job training programs may have to be revamped and expanded to include both more hard-skills and softskills . Company hiring policies could have to be adjusted to screen applicants less harshly based on experience or background checks . Perhaps transportation must be provided to and from job sites .
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FALL 2022 MAA NEWS 11