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What is to come in 2018?

We see a 2018 that will bring with it new opportunities and certainly new challenges.  We know that the pool of great candidates for virtually any and all positions is what it was in the past: too small for us to delay on decisions when we find good people.  In fact, we expect that pool will be smaller than in the past.   Take into account the success our region of the state has experienced in terms of growth.

We see challenges from the already tight labor market for some areas.

Those areas span the full gamut from industrial labor to well-trained and highly experienced talent.  Each of those has both benefit and challenge tied to it.

There will be an inbound migration of talent across all realms and that is likely to be seen starting in 2018.  This will likely continue over the next five to ten years as all the Foxconn supporting industry develops in this new and exciting marketplace.  We will all need to make changes in the way we do business.  Without that we’ll likely not be as effective as we’ll need to be in the new world that is descending upon us.  If we had a functioning crystal ball, we expect it would tell us this:

• Respond to opportunity with a vigorous approach recognizing the probable shortage of qualified people, and the probable impact on wages and salaries driven by this shortage.

• Be aggressive once you reach the conclusion you believe to be the best available; and, try to reduce the time decisions are taking to be made.
• Recognize that you might see more turn-over than in the past.  There will be opportunities that didn’t exist or  weren’t as abundant as before this year.
• Being a better environment for employees may make a big difference.  This could involve things such as a different dress code, or making some positions hours more flexible.

Your company’s reputation as an employer is very important.

That begins on the loading dock or the assembly line and extends through all other positions in the company.  We’ve all had the experience of such an environment in our own dealings whether in a grocery store, a dentist’s office, a bank drive-thru or the local dry cleaners.  We recognize those places instantly because of the vibes we get from their employees.  That is something to emulate if we don’t already have that culture.  Experts anticipate times of lower unemployment and more openings for new employment than maybe was the case in the past few years.

We are moving into that “brave new world” of Aldous Huxley given the conditions we’ll be seeing in coming years.

WFA Staffing stands ready to help you find the right people.  We will try to assist if you have questions on “going rates” for various functions, or on changes we’re seeing in other benefits that may be enticing even though not terribly costly.  Give us a call.  Share your ideas with us.  We abide by the old credo to listen twice as much as we talk.

  Tom Krist, CEO