Over the past several months, I have been focused on (amongst many other research findings) a key statistic in Future of Work Exchange research: 47% of the average organization’s total workforce is considered “extended” or “non-employee.” This means that nearly half of the staff surrounding you (or, of course, working remotely) is comprised of temporary staff, SOW-based labor or professional services, gig workers, independent contractors, freelancers, etc.
Back in 2014, based on the trajectory of the growth of the contingent workforce, Ardent Partners had boldly predicted that it was a matter of when, not if, this workforce comprised half of the average company’s total staff. “Accelerants” along the way, particularly the growth of digital staffing, advanced Vendor Management Systems, Managed Service Providers expanding their breadth of offerings, and direct sourcing, all played vital roles in pushing the extended workforce to where it is today.
Of course, the pandemic played a role, too, in that more and more businesses found that the best way to be agile, and the best way to scale their workforce up and down as the market dictated, was to heavily-involve extended talent into their organizations. Future of Work Exchange research found that 82% of enterprises derived true workforce scalability and flexibility from extended talent throughout 2020 and 2021, with another 70% of businesses stating that the extended workforce assisted them with “business continuity” initiatives in the face of uncertain economic times.
That’s right: the extended workforce wasn’t just a way for businesses to leverage on-demand talent when and where they needed it…it was a way for enterprises to survive and thrive when the world was in utter chaos.
There are other critical aspects related to work optimization that were accelerated due to pandemic times, including remote and hybrid work becoming table stakes, DE&I becoming more integrated into core talent acquisition initiatives, and the rise of the empathy-led, inclusive workplace. These are all crucial attributes of the Future of Work that have been, since this site launched, significant conversation pieces around how enterprises effectively get work done.
Think about it: the Future of Work movement has always followed, amongst other key focal areas, a considerably powerful mantra. Optimize how work is done. In both the good times and the bad, non-employee talent has been there to help businesses maintain continuity, support resiliency efforts, and, most importantly, serve as a talent-fueled boost to true workforce scalability. Getting work done today means tapping into the very strategies that support Best-in-Class extended workforce management, including:
- Boosting candidate experience and hiring manager experience efforts with “Direct Sourcing 2.0” technology and approaches.
- Applying the next-generation functionality and purpose-driven technology of today’s extended workforce platforms to both tactical and strategic elements of extended workforce management.
- Deriving value from integrated workforce management systems that can play “platform” roles in managing all facets of the extended workforce, from direct sourcing and SOW management to DE&I.
- Providing upskilling and reskilling opportunities to talent pool candidates as a way to enhance talent redeployment efforts.
- Developing true talent sustainability that can blend total talent intelligence with talent nurture processes to ensure that all networked workers are amiable and open to reengagement for new and/or continued projects and initiatives.
The extended workforce will soon comprise half of the total global workforce. As enterprises continue to optimize how work is done, this workforce will continue to be a crucial cornerstone for the Future of Work movement.
