Talent Acquisition News South Africa

Skilled workforce on tap – the rise of the on-demand economy

The on-demand economy is growing and bringing with it a fair share of social change that is about to shape the future of work in 2017.
Skilled workforce on tap – the rise of the on-demand economy
© Marina Pissarova – 123RF.com

Let’s be honest, the way that we look for services and other items of need is changing; from online shopping to home delivery, we have revolutionized modern commerce.

The internet is a click away and with every app possible available on our phones we can get transport, food, cleaning services and, in fact, anything we want at any time of day, on-demand.

This trend is fast moving into the realm of skilled work; using professional people who only want to work flexibly or part-time in an “on-tap” fashion.

Much of this on-demand economy is disrupting the status quo and shaking up a rather antiquated way of thinking about economic competition and especially the way we work.

Conventional thinking, embedded by decades of strict work practices, dictates that the only way to work is to employ workers permanently and have them sit at a desk in an office from 8 to 5.

But just as Uber has completely disrupted the professional transport service industry – even here in our own country – so too is the way we work quickly changing.

A recent report from Gallup on the State of the American Workforce (2017) found that “the benefits and perks that employees truly care about are those that offer them greater flexibility and the ability to lead a better life”.

This speaks particularly to the modern working mom, who values the time spent with family and children but still seeks or needs to find flexible work for personal or financial reasons.

The on-demand economy is now filling this work void and many professional organisations will need to adapt swiftly to the future of work if they want to attract talent and accommodate the rising demand.

In fact, the Gallup report (2017) states: “Organisations have nowhere to hide. They have to adapt to the needs of the modern workforce, or they will find themselves struggling to attract and keep great employees and therefore customers.”

RecruitMyMom has discovered a group of highly talented and skilled moms who have something unique to offer companies that are looking for time-wise and flexible solutions to their needs.

While on-demand work requires a certain level of self-management, the importance of balancing work and family for the millennial generation has actually led to higher levels of productivity and output when work is done on-demand.

If time is in fact money, then the on-demand economy is the way to maximize both. Skilled workers on-demand are here to stay, and we look forward to watching them charter a new work way forward in South Africa and across the world this year.

About Phillipa Geard

I am passionate about retaining talented skilled women in an organisation. It makes good financial sense to assist women through their careers and into key decision making roles. Women in general are never going to not want to be mothers and carers of their children. RecruitMyMom assists companies to find skilled Moms to do part-time and flexible meaningful work. Phillipa does presentations to Executives on how to practically implement cultural changes to keep skilled women within organisations.
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