The Gig-E Collective: Tapping the ecosystem’s wisdom

News flash: The gig economy is not Uber alone

I admit, the flamboyant ride-share company does seem to grab the headlines — and it’s not always inspirational or seemingly relevant to what staffing is doing. But here’s the thing: Labor is at the essence of the term gig. And staffing firms as well as MSPs and RPOs need to understand the motivations of today’s talent regardless of what worker classification they prefer. After all, as SIA said a couple of years ago, Gig=Contingent.

A Gig Primer

Despite record-low unemployment rates, the 2018 MBO Partners’ 8th Annual State of Independence report finds that the total number independent workers in the US has risen 2.2 percent to 41.8 million, up from 40.9 million in 2017. New ways of working continue to shape the labor market and with low unemployment, companies are finding it hard to fill positions and get projects done timely. At the same time, technology is evolving at a breakneck speed.

The continuous change is affecting the ecosystem profoundly, and that includes MSP and VMS providers. So what is their responsibility given the evolution? MSPs, for instance, already bearing much responsibility for contingent workforce programs, are increasingly asked to provide even more strategic sourcing strategies. To provide that value, they need to know how to work with staffing firms to leverage different talent pools.

And vendor management systems have already been supporting the sourcing of workers through vendors and those sourced through services contracts — statement of work and outsourced services. Direct sourcing is now a trend and VMSs are helping clients do that directly or via freelancer marketplaces.  AS such, they also have to continue to stay up to date.

The SIA Benefit

And that’s where SIA comes in. We’ve been studying this rapidly growing area since 1989, charting the evolution of the world of work. SIA President Barry Asin is poised to discuss the company’s latest research on what’s driving the change, what it means for your business and how to cooperate with other players, so you can surf the gig wave in his keynote presentation for our Collaboration in the Gig Economy Conference in Dallas on Oct 4-5.

It’s not just about growing your business. It’s not even about the human cloud or gig lingo. It’s about educating your clients and getting educated yourself. It’s about optimizing your talent supply chain in a world where there’s a war for candidates.

The conference will bring together more than 600 professionals in the talent supply chain to discuss the critical issues and opportunities in today’s environment.  Learn about the next-generation trends: How AI is putting people to work,  bringing our laws into the 21st century,  the future of sourcing models, how integrated talent strategies will alter the ecosystem, and much more.

We wish you much success in this new world of work. I would love to get your take on it and introduce you to the SIA experts. Come find me at the conference.

Subadhra Sriram

Subadhra Sriram
Subadhra Sriram is Staffing Industry Analysts' editor and publisher, media products. She can be reached at SSriram (at) staffingindustry (dot) com.

Subadhra Sriram

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