This Week in Talent (5th April)

Well Hello TWITS!

It’s Lauren Sharp & Craig Watson from TaPod here, and we are set to make your next 2 weeks a gourmet laden smorgasbord of delectable TA treats – like a Rec Meet-Up Pizza Fest or a Chocolate covered Easter Soiree!

Whoever made the ‘very risky’ decision in ATC Head Office to give us the reigns must have recently upped their PI/PL coverage in anticipation. But we are very thankful for the opportunity to share our musings with you all!

Fun facts about us when we’re not sitting behind a microphone interviewing the ‘smart people’ in our industry. Lauren can lick her own elbow and that’s almost impossible… you just tried, didn’t you? (she can’t really). And Craig holds a Guinness world record… and it’s not for putting up with Lauren longer than any male in history.

Hasn’t 2024 flown? We are already in Q2… or Q4, depending on your particular penchant to financial year definitions (Q1 in the UK – weirdos…). But trials and tribulations of our beautiful industry wait for no-one. This week we have spoken with leaders in DE&I, AI in Recruitment, Contingent Workforce, and more. What we’re seeing is that the rate of change in our industry is at an all-time high.

The competing pressures of a buoyant labour market, coupled with high inflation and interest rates, a distinct lack of VC money for start-ups and scale-ups, and the rampant growth of AI & new tech means that no-one… and we mean ab-so-lute-ly no-one has any idea what the actual f*&k is going to happen over the next 12 months.

So here’s your chance to have your opinions heard on our industry. Take some time out of your ultra-busy day to complete the ATC annual State of TA Survey It takes all of us to define our industry and help us prepare for the future – get involved!

We are living in an age where ‘change’ is the new normal and if you aren’t embracing it, you will be left behind.

At TaPod we are seeing a strong focus on DE&I particularly in the gender space. Sure the mandatory WGEA reporting has ‘moved the needle’ and we are seeing the naming and shaming of gender pay gaps within corporate Australia causing both concern and commentary from all corners. But what’s next? What happens when we begin to include CEOs, The Contingent Workforce etc. There is so much more scope. There are reports this week that suggest the Federal Government may include Gender Pay Gap reporting when awarding future contracts – now this is BIG!

The UK has seen the spotlight turn very brightly on the issue of menopause in the workplace a year after rejecting laws protecting women in this area. On TaPod we will be interviewing the leading menopause specialist in the world – Dr Louise Newson over the next fortnight to shed some light locally.

And what about AI? We know it’s been done to death, but every single week we are faced with new and exciting developments. The ramifications and opportunities for TA to embrace and champion the use of generative AI internally are everywhere. If you’re not using it… if you’re not experimenting with it and if you are not keeping yourself up-to-date with it… you will most likely find yourself at a career stalemate within the next 2 years – fact.

And to sign off why don’t you check out some interesting articles that we found interesting this week…

3 in 4 organisations worldwide struggling to find skilled talent

Don’t just take our word for it about pressure in the labour market, Manpower’s 2024 Global Shortage Report revealed that 75% of employers across the world are finding it hard to recruit for their openings, down slightly from the 77% in 2023

Government Contracts on the line if gender targets are not met

Yep – you read right! The WGEA numbers are possibly going to come back and haunt businesses right in their back pocket – and won’t that be nice?

America’s retirement age of 65 is ‘crazy’

While most of us are counting down that clock to retirement, BlackRock CEO – Larry Fink reckons we should stay working for longer. He cites shifting demographics, but who’s going to watch the ‘Murder She Wrote’ & ‘Matlock’ re-runs?

Boomerang Employees have risen by more than 30% since COVID

Our Great friends and Canadian podcasters Serge & Shelley have really great content that translates on The Recruitment Flex. Get around them for a different view.

One Third of HR & TA leaders scared of AI repercussions

Yikes! roughly one-third of HR/TA leaders and job seekers say they’re concerned AI will require them to reskill, upskill or find an entirely new occupation.

And finally… Funny Recruitment Tik Toks 

For the times in the week when you have just had enough, need a laugh and no-one else understands. Pop in here and get some ‘low-brow’ food for your soul. At Tapod we’re thinking of starting our own Tik Tok channel. What do you think?