Just as new technologies force companies to seek trained personnel for key areas, workers find more opportunities outside of companies in temporary jobs, known as the term “gig economy.”
Jennifer Amozorrutia, Corporate Affairs Director of Great Place to Work, spoke about how the growing “gig economy” takes away talent from companies to the point that 62% of surveyed employers with more than 250 employees suffer from talent shortages, according to a study by ManPower group.
The new generations of talents find the gig economy quite attractive. Millennials and centennials have the opportunity to diversify their offer with it. Freelancers and consultants have noticed an increasing demand for consumers, so “being your own boss” becomes more affordable.
To translate it into numbers: in the United States, it is estimated that 34% of its workforce is currently located in this modality and by 2020 it will grow to reach 43%.
In Mexico, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Information Technology (INEGI), there are more than 13M independent workers. Some studies place it as the second nation in Latin America within the collaborative economy.
Amozorrutia grants the Employee Value Proposal a vital role in the retention of talent in the gig economy.
The value proposition to the employee
Amozorrutia presents five aspects that can help to retain an employee.
- Job security. Job security is one of the main points that can keep someone out of the temptation of the gig economy.
- Culture. For Amozorrutioa, the work culture is the competitive edge par excellence. “Investing in it gives a decisive differentiator to integrate a potential collaborator.”
- Ambient. It is a pillar of the labor culture. “The power to belong to a group counteracts the effects of the” isolation “that a person working in a gig economy scheme can experience.”
- Benefits and compensation. A benefits package covers essential aspects of the personal lives of individuals. Employees can value it against the instability of the gig economy.
- Flexibility and quality of life. An advantage offered by the gig economy is the balance of professional and personal life. If this can also be done in a company, it will not be so attractive to leave job security.
Amozorrutia concludes that “you can not avoid the mobility of people, but offer proposals that are attractive enough to make professionals want and want to belong to the organization.”