For many organisations, the contingent workforce is a box-ticking exercise. The focus? Compliance and cost savings. While these are essential, they are just the starting point. Few HR leaders take a step back and ask: What if our contingent workforce was a strategic enabler?
This reminds me of the early days of insourced permanent recruitment in the early 2000s when justification to build an internal TA function was based on replacing external spend and managing requisitions/headcount.
Moving beyond compliance in the contingent space to a dynamic, integrated workforce model isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a competitive advantage. Let’s consider some assumptions, most contingent placements are short term, many volume hires are knowledge workers. Importantly, many are project based needed for defined outcomes. If these assumptions are somewhat valid, then time to productivity, that is the time taken to master their role is critical. This means the ability to deliver quickly, or quality of hire is critical.
Let’s explore points past this and the business drivers underpinning them.
Every business managing a contingent workforce typically falls into one of these stages:
If your contingent workforce strategy isn’t evolving, you’re missing out on:
The future of work isn’t about permanent vs contingent—it’s about workforce fluidity. Be part of the conversation with HR leaders who are rethinking talent models.
Attend the Contingent Workforce Forum and engage in real discussions on how to drive workforce agility and strategic advantage.
Let’s shift from managing contingent workers to unlocking their full potential. Will you be part of the movement?
