I just returned from the American Staffing Association’s (ASA) Staffing World annual conference. As one of the largest conferences for our industry, Staffing World provides a great opportunity to check the pulse of the industry. One thing that came across incredibly clear and set this event apart from recent years was the sense of excitement and energy.
We can all agree that the staffing industry has encountered stormy weather over the past two years. Hiring has been soft, and job seekers find it difficult to land new opportunities.
Interest rate cuts.
A presidential election.
Dock workers on strike.
Armed conflicts and wars.
These are just a few things that have strongly influenced the U.S. economy, and not in a good way. But we’ve turned a corner, and you could feel it in the atmosphere.
The optimism for the future was evident with everyone I talked to!
The human spirit always…
Hopes.
Believes.
Anticipates.
A common thread among attending staffing professionals and suppliers was the acknowledgment of recent struggles overlayed with the expectation of a turnaround in 2025 and all the resulting opportunities.
What if they’re wrong?
Of course, it’s natural to have a few remaining doubts even as we continue to carry high hopes for change. We know that the one thing we can count on is that things change.
But…what if they’re right?!
If all this hope and optimism is correct, then we need to go out to meet it! We have work to do to prepare for the next wave of demand. Improvement to make on our business processes. People to hire to fill the gaps we’ve allowed during the slow times. Recruiting engines to start!
Now is the time to think about marketing, but not just for client acquisition. No, we should be preparing an all-out assault on candidate marketing.
Helping them find us and engage with us. Making it easy for them to join our team. Giving them hope for a new or better — or first — career.
It has been said that “Hope is not a strategy.” Maybe it’s not, but it motivates us and paves the way for strategic planning and thinking.
Some people ‘believe it when they see it.’ The staffing people I know and love say that they will ‘see it when they believe it.’ That’s the message from ASA Staffing World in 2024.