Experis Blog

From April 2020 there will be major changes to the off-payroll working rules otherwise known as IR35. These changes will bring the private sector into alignment with the introduction of similar rules to the public sector in 2017. The reforms will have far-reaching impacts to both clients and contractors alike. Now is the time to plan and prepare for what these changes mean to you. As one of the UK's leading workforce management companies and having in-depth experience of the introduction of these IR35 rules to the public sector we are well-placed to help you navigate these important changes. Click below to find out more about how IR35 will affect your business from April 6th. Learn more

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the first quarter 2020 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 2,101 employers in the UK. All survey participants were asked, “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of March 2020 as compared to the current quarter?” The survey results for this quarter report that: Q1 2020 Outlook is lower than any time since 2012 but skills shortages continue London dips to first negative Outlook in a decade West Midlands and the manufacturing sector buck the trend with more optimistic hiring sentiment. UK employers are reporting their weakest hiring confidence in seven years, according to new research from ManpowerGroup. Hiring intentions for the first quarter of 2020 are down three percentage points to +2%, the lowest they have been since 2012. Declining confidence in nearly every sector and region paints a sluggish picture for the start of 2020, with only a few bright spots standing out. Chris Gray, director of ManpowerGroup UK says: “Signs of a slowing global economy, a General Election and a lack of clarity about Brexit are all weighing heavily on the minds of employers leading to many hiring plans being put on ice. Employers want certainty before they can make investment decisions and firm up hiring plans.” Gray continues: “Employers are hitting the pause button after many years of strong hiring. The challenge is how employers ramp up their hiring plans in the future – the labour market continues to be very tight with employers continuing to report a shortage of skills such as engineers, IT staff, trades people, customer service representatives and medical professionals – irrespective of sector or location. We see little sign of skills shortages easing in the foreseeable future. Our advice is that employers must keep planning – thinking about their strategies for attraction, retention, training and succession planning to best prepare for the future.” One of the most eye-catching figures this quarter is the abrupt fall of employer hiring confidence in London to -1%, a five-percentage point quarterly decrease and the capital’s first negative Outlook since 2010. This can perhaps be linked to the four-point decrease in the Finance and Business Services sector, which is now at +2%. ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Report ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Infographic

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the first quarter 2020 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 2,101 employers in the UK. This infographic highlights the key takeaways from the Q1 2020 report, including a regional heat map of jobs outlook. Click here to download the pdf. What do the percentages mean? The % of employers anticipating an increase in headcount – the % of employers expecting to decrease in headcount = Outlook Percentage. Seasonally adjusted – Seasonal adjustments are applied to research data to remove employment fluctuations that normally occur at the same time each year, such as the end of a school term or a change in season. For all the data, download the full ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey report.

The FinTech sector is exploding, as new ways of delivering financial services, whether bank accounts, loans or insurance, enter the market. The UK is at the heart of this growth, due to its twin roles as a financial powerhouse and thriving base for tech start-ups. Thanks to increased investment and the sheer extent of the industry, which covers everything from disruptors, such as Monzo and Transferwise, to the back-office technology being deployed by incumbents, the sector has an ever-increasing thirst for talent. Indeed, as one government report points out, this “access to talent has played a critical role in the success of the UK’s FinTech sector to date”. Sitting at the confluence of the established tech and finance sectors, people might be forgiven for thinking that talent would be one area where the FinTech would not struggle. Yet the skills needed to sustain and fuel this continued growth are already in short supply, with this issue compounded further by the demands of those related industries. Despite being built on technology, the sector will thrive or die based on its human resources. Without a clear solution, the future of UK FinTech lies in the balance. In October 2019, Experis undertook an in-depth analysis of the UK’s talent landscape to better understand the availability of the skills needed to fuel FinTech growth. Drawing on data from a number of sources, we have identified the challenges the sector is facing, why they are potentially occurring and mapped the way forward to safeguard its talent pipeline and ultimately, its future. Highlights from the report reveal that: With a record-breaking $2.9 billion invested into UK FinTech in the first half of 2019, its talent requirements are growing The UK FinTech sector currently comprises around 1,600 firms. By 2030, this is expected to more than double to around 3,300 The most in-demand skills are similar to the experiences sought by other sectors. Is this a challenge for Fintech? hbspt.cta.load(4674640, 'f5f60353-2995-4959-9d4d-383fcab9771b', {});

As Gen Z enters the workforce, the latest technologies they have grown up with will inevitably start to influence the technology we see in the workforce. Employers need to be open to embracing new ways of having conversations with this younger, tech-native talent pool. Gen Z is defined as those born after 1996 and are the first generation to come into the workforce haven’t known a life before technology or the internet. While older generations prefer to apply for a job online using a desktop, and millennials want to use their time efficiently to search for jobs on their phones, with Gen Z, everything is an app (or should be). And if there isn’t an app for it yet, this entrepreneurial generation will post on social to launch the start-up and build one. In our Millennial Careers: 2020 Vision Report, our research predicts that Gen Z will comprise 24% of the global workforce by 2020. With this in mind, companies looking to attract top Gen Z talent over the next three to five years will need to appeal to their digital preferences. One tool to consider adding to your recruitment process is video. Video is the most prominent content medium used by the younger generations; over 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and almost 5 billion videos are watched (just on YouTube) every single day. Experts estimate that today, video accounts for 80% of all global internet traffic. With numbers like these, there is no doubt that video content is king. Whether we like it or not, company’s intent on a successful digital transformation should consider adding video interviewing into their hiring process to stay competitive. The benefits that video offers can help to keep companies ahead of the competition when it comes to finding the right candidates. Using video in recruitment can improve your hiring process. Here are some of the potential benefits for your company: Increased candidate reach; opening your company up to global talent Presents your employer brand in a compelling and engaging way Increased job post views Increased application rates Provides an opportunity to test and interview candidates Enhanced candidate experience Boosts search results Increased candidate to culture match Reduced costs Gives your company a mobile edge HubSpot recently revealed that video now accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic, and a whopping 50-75% of business executives view and share work-related videos at least weekly. A mobile-first strategy is rapidly moving from being a ‘nice to have’, to being the core of the hiring process for many companies who wish to recruit top talent. Video can give your company an edge in mobile searches and is the perfect tool to experiment with innovative technologies such as social video and gamification in the hiring process. Savvy companies will continue to evolve their recruitment process alongside this technology, adopting further sophistication as it becomes available while taking mindful steps to counteract its pitfalls. We are still understanding the full implications of its use on the recruitment journey, but that does not mean organisations should just wait and see. On CNBC’s Squawk Box series ‘The Learning Curve’, ManpowerGroup’s Managing Director, Mark Cahill, was interviewed about the recruitment process and how it is changing. Mark explains how companies need to not only upskill existing talent as technology becomes more sophisticated and companies deal with skills shortages, but they also need to bring new technology into their hiring process. By using video as an interview tool, companies can easily connect and engage with busy candidates in different cities who might not find it as easy to meet with you face-to-face in the early stages of the recruitment process. For example, companies in the Northern Powerhouse cities are hiring contractor talent from hotspots like Birmingham and London, with a potential view to attracting candidates permanently in the future. Using more advanced hiring tools will help to address several regional growth issues. Demand for graduates and high-skilled workers will be affected by the development of these emerging strategies. Increasing connectivity, science, and cultural investment in hubs outside the south-east will help to deepen the UK’s labour market. Videos offer a unique and engaging way for companies to present their employer brand and employee value proposition, explain the hiring process, and to test and interview job applicants. There are also sophisticated tools to automate even the assessment of candidates through their video interviews using AI and machine learning. Here are eight potential uses for video that we recommend considering: Live video for interviews and/or initial screenings Candidates recording video resumes and/or introductions Candidates recording presentations Candidates recording answers to pre-selected interview questions Video AI assessment of candidates Video job descriptions Employer brand videos for the career site explaining the hiring process Employer brand videos to be shared on social media profiles Attracting and retaining the right talent should not be a battle between human and robot. With the right skills mix, personal interaction will augment rather than compete with technology. It’s important to blend high-tech with high-touch when recruiting for open job vacancies. ManpowerGroup provides a wide spectrum of workforce solutions. One of these is coaching clients through the implementation of new tools and teaching best practices for organisations looking to attract the tech-savvy talent of a new generation with video. If you’d like to learn more about the importance of blending high-tech with high-touch during the hiring process, get in touch today. Get in touch

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the fourth quarter 2019 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 2,102 employers in the UK. All survey participants were asked, “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of December 2019 as compared to the current quarter?” The survey results for this quarter report that: Brexit recruitment drives employment Outlook to +5%, a 9-month high Business Services, Construction and Manufacturing scramble to secure talent South East buoyed by demand for Border Force officers ahead of Oct 31st deadline With the latest Brexit deadline a month away, UK employers are again looking to stockpile talent and shore up their workforces. In a virtual re-run of behavior seen at the start of the year – which saw UK employers looking to hire people in response to the original Brexit deadline of March 29th – hiring intentions for the fourth quarter are up two percentage points to +5%, the highest level since the start of the year. James Hick, Managing Director ManpowerGroup Enterprise: “It’s Groundhog Day in the UK jobs market. The stockpiling of raw materials and goods surged in the first three months of 2019, driven by the need to protect supply chains against the potential impact of a hard Brexit. But they also did the same with their workforces, taking on staff to help navigate choppy waters. The extra economic activity even helped boost the UK’s growth figures in Q1 2019, before the surprise contraction in Q2. “With a no deal scenario on October 31st looking ever more likely, employers across the board are once again experiencing ‘stockhiring syndrome’ in the attempt to Brexit-proof their businesses in the final three months of the year. 2019 turns out to be a U-shaped year, with weaker Q2 and Q3 data bookended by spikes in the first and last quarters.” The strengthening employment Outlook has broad foundations, with six out of nine industrial sectors and nine out of twelve regions and nations reporting a rise in hiring intentions. The Finance and Business Services sector is up three points to +6%, its highest level in over a year. Retail & hospitality, Construction, and Manufacturing are also up. ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Report ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Infographic

Digitisation is transforming the manufacturing industry – disrupting skill requirements, creating new jobs, and making others obsolete. Manufacturers are already battling against growing talent shortages, as they struggle to find people with the right blend of technical and soft skills to fill open job vacancies. As we enter the third generation of manufacturing, these challenges are only set to worsen – unless action is taken now. It’s clear that manufacturers need new ways of upskilling their people at speed and scale, in order to develop the talent they need to remain competitive. What’s more, as machines become more intelligent and connected, manufacturers will be challenged to find the right blend of people and technology within their operations. Understanding future talent needs will be critical. Mapping The Skills That Will Power Manufacturing To find practical solutions to this skills shortage and ensure up to two million new manufacturing jobs do not go unfilled, ManpowerGroup and MxD assembled more than 30 academic, government and industry partners – including Siemens, Microsoft, Caterpillar and General Electric – to create an industry-recognized taxonomy that defines digital manufacturing roles of the future. The ground-breaking workforce analysis, developed in partnership with MxD, outlines the manufacturing skills and roles of the future. It’s the first taxonomy of it’s kind and acts as a practical guide for manufacturers looking to futureproof their workforce in the face of ongoing change. Please complete the form below to download your copy. hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "4674640", formId: "a1325d6e-ab98-43f2-8801-0f525dc14231" });

The insurance industry is undergoing a number of exciting and innovative developments that make it a great place to work. However, if you’re not currently working in the industry, you may not know it. Many people view it as an antiquated industry that has serious working environments, and has struggled to keep up with the times. In particular, young people don’t always see the value in buying insurance – so the prospect of being involved in selling it doesn’t appeal. Insurers spend huge sums managing their consumer brand; yet often fail to pay enough attention to their employer brand, despite the two being so closely linked. Our research found that 58% of employees say company brand is more important to them than it was five years ago. They don’t just want a more detailed job description – company mission, culture and a commitment to corporate social responsibility are increasingly becoming key deciding factors when making a move. Fail to properly invest in your employer brand, and you’ll struggle to attract the attentions of the best workers. How Can Insurers Stand Out From The Crowd? For insurers, your employer brand is how you will make sure you stand out from the crowd. When faced with sparse talent pools, employers need to think more creatively about how they attract the best workers. Since pay and benefits have become very standardised across many insurance companies, your employer brand is one of the ways potential new recruits can distinguish one company from another. Insurers need to be upfront and open with people about the things they can offer as an employer. Disclosing critical information about a job during the interview process won’t cut it anymore. Today’s jobseekers want practical, emotive and interactive communications that create a positive and engaging experience, before, during and after an interview. Here are five changes you can make to improve how your employer brand resonates with potential employees: Own The Content On Review Sites Employer review sites often directly ask users about company weaknesses, as well as strengths, so there is a tendency towards negative content. Many insurers ignore these comments and put their heads in the sand. But most potential employees recognise that workplaces are never completely perfect. Instead, they want to see that employer-employee trust is cultivated rather than squelched. Using employer review websites to acknowledge imperfections and talk about the company’s core values can reduce long-term damage to employer brand. Practice What You Preach Brand is a factor at every point in the hiring process. But if it does not align at every step—from job postings and interviews, to onboarding and training programmes – potential new recruits will detect inconsistencies and become disengaged in the process. If you make a promise about your organisation during the hiring process, it’s critical that this comes to fruition when that person starts in their role. Delivering on employee expectations will go a long way in building trust, and making your existing employees brand ambassadors. Encourage Free Speech Some insurers prohibit their employees from talking about the workplace on social media. Given the sensitivity of their work, it’s often deemed too much of a risk. But prospective candidates place greater trust in the things your existing employees say about your company, rather than the things you say about yourself. Allow your employees to speak freely, but educate them on what’s expected in terms of tone, content and appropriateness. Arm Employees With The Brand Message In many places, ‘what do you do?’ is a popular conversation starter. Transform your existing employees into a mini-army of brand ambassadors that ‘sell’ your organisation to their friends and family, by making sure they understand the essence of the employer value proposition. Some people are natural ambassadors, but others will need a little help in briefly and effectively articulating key messages. Offering talking points can be very effective. Building a robust talent pipeline is an increasingly complex task. But by underpinning your candidate attraction efforts with an effective employer brand at every touch point, you can ensure your organisation stands out from the crowd in a competitive market. Learn more about how we can help you to enhance your employer brand – visit Recruitment Process Outsourcing. This article is an extract from our guide The Future of Insurance Recruitment. To download the full guide, please click on the link below. hbspt.cta.load(4674640, '9e80ed18-b2c0-442a-b533-a1358959a5e9', {});

Millennials are replacing Baby Boomers as the insurance industry’s largest customer base. They’re investing in new businesses, buying new cars and homes, and starting families; while Baby Boomers are starting to think about retirement. Insurers that want to secure long-term growth need to build a solid Millennial customer base, yet this often proves to be challenging. Nonetheless, organisations that get this right and appeal to younger customers could inadvertently find they also become a more attractive employer as a result. Analytics and advisory firm Gallup reported that Millennials are the generation that’s least likely to engage with insurers. When they do buy insurance, they’re twice as likely to do so online compared to previous generations – yet many insurers don’t currently have the IT infrastructure required to keep up with their digitally-led demands. Insurance firms recognise that they need to make changes to attract younger customers, but they often struggle to make progress quickly enough. At the same time, insurers also need to attract more young people to work for them. The insurance industry is often not an immediate choice of industry for younger age groups, or seen at the forefront of innovation. But in the US, 25% of insurance professionals are expected to retire in the next three years, and there’s a significant talent shortage here in the UK too. According to insurance firm Ecclesiastical, 80% of insurers want to attract younger talent, but 52% find it a challenge to recruit those aged 30 and younger. A lack of experience, skills or qualifications are the main causes behind this issue, alongside a shortage of young applicants. Misconceptions of Insurance Careers Millennials can deliver many benefits to the insurance sector. Alongside helping with succession planning, they provide fresh perspectives, diversity of thought, and new ideas. Since this is a generation that has grown up with technology, they fully appreciate changing customer expectations (and often possess the same views) and have the digital-first mindset that will help their employer to adapt. The industry struggles with several misconceptions which hinders its ability to attract workers from this generation. Many people associate insurance with underwriting – and if this job doesn’t appeal, they discount the industry entirely. There’s a lack of understanding of the full range of opportunities and career paths that the industry can offer. What’s more, rightly or wrongly, insurance is often viewed as having a slightly stuffy, formal working environment. This doesn’t positively compare to other more modern, technology-led workplaces. Insurers need to be more proactive in managing their employer brand. They also need to embrace new employment models and more flexible ways of working, since nearly half of workers worldwide would prefer something other than a full-time job. Educating young people at school and college would help to address the misconceptions that exist too, but this will take longer to reap rewards. Impact of Negative Hiring Experiences on Buying Behaviour Insurers want to attract Millennials to both buy their services and work for them. And there’s an important link between these two priorities. Individuals who have a poor experience during the hiring process are unlikely to want to engage with that company as a customer. In fact, more than half of workers say a negative hiring experience makes them less likely to buy a company’s products or services in the future. And there’s a ripple effect too. 50% of workers say the negative hiring experience of a friend would make them less likely to buy that company’s products or services. Insurers may initially dismiss this as simply being disgruntled, rejected candidates spreading sour grapes, but this isn’t the case. Rejection after interview ranks seventh on a list of negative experiences that impact purchase intent. Number one is a lack of transparency on salary or job description; second is a lack of response after submitting a job application; and third is a slow response to an application. Insurance firms that have a poor hiring experience will not only hinder their efforts to attract young talent, but they’ll also hamper attempts to attract new young customers, too. Moreover, what works for young people works for all. The impact of negative hiring experiences is felt as strongly by Baby Boomers as is by Millennials. Strengthening The Employer (And Consumer) Brand It’s important that insurance firms take steps to strengthen their employer brand, since this will also positively impact on their ability to attract new customers. Businesses should look for ways to quantify and track employer brand’s impact on sales, and vice versa, and use this to demonstrate that HR solutions can solve broader business problems, not just talent problems. This can help to form a case for greater investment in activities that will enhance your employer brand. Finally, be transparent. Process efficiencies can improve the hiring experience and reduce negative impact on sales, but it’s still no substitute for cultivating strong relationships with prospective employees. Transparency is critical for candidates in terms of salary, job description, opportunities for advancement and regular interactions with the organisation. Learn more about how we can help you to enhance your employer brand – visit Recruitment Process Outsourcing. This article is an extract from our guide The Future of Insurance Recruitment. To download the full guide, please click on the link below. hbspt.cta.load(4674640, '9e80ed18-b2c0-442a-b533-a1358959a5e9', {});

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the third quarter 2019 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 2,101 employers in the UK. All survey participants were asked, “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of September 2019 as compared to the current quarter?” The survey results for this quarter report that: Biggest public sector lead over the private sector in hiring intentions for 8 years Private sector shows weakest hiring Outlook since 2012 The South East is the only English region not looking to hire this coming quarter With a Net Employment Outlook of +6%, public sector hiring intentions are three points above private sector employers who report a Net Employment Outlook of +3% and two points above the national Outlook of +4%. This represents the weakest private sector Outlook in seven years and the biggest public sector lead over the private sector in terms of hiring intentions since ManpowerGroup began tracking the data eight years ago. Much of this public sector demand has been led by the NHS which continues to struggle to fill the gap left by departing EU workers, while private sector intentions have cooled with prolonged Brexit uncertainty. The NHS is Europe’s largest employer with a workforce of 1.1 million workers, yet 100,000 posts still remain unfilled. Private companies are exercising more caution as they wait and see what happens with Brexit after the summer. For many of these companies, this was part of a deliberate strategy to frontload activity in the first half of the year in anticipation of choppier market conditions later on. This is illustrated by the Outlook for the Manufacturing sector, which has fallen five points from the last quarter to just +3%, and the Transport, Storage and Communications sector, which has fallen to -6%, its lowest since 2010. ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Report ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Infographic​

As the insurance industry undergoes significant transformation, driven by digitisation and changing customer expectations, we can expect the workforce to experience substantial disruption. We know that new roles are already being created across the industry, such as Cyber Liability Analysts, while other roles have become obsolete. We can expect the pace of change to accelerate in the months and years ahead, as technology continues to get more sophisticated. As insurers vie to remain competitive in the digital age, we’re seeing significant churn in the workforce. In many ways, the business landscape is less stable than it has been in the past, and this is creating a measure of uncertainty across the sector. Skill requirements are changing rapidly but, in a tight labour market with record-low levels of unemployment, demand for talent can quickly outpace supply. This means employers must be more creative about how they attract and retain those people with the skills they need to succeed, such as offering more flexible ways of working and alternative employment models. Managing Insurance Workforce Change Workforce planning tends to focus on known circumstances. But no one can be completely certain about what the insurance industry will look like in five or ten years’ time. If one variable changes, workforce plans can be fundamentally altered overnight. But while the road ahead might be unclear, employers need not be. By anticipating potential changes and planning for uncertainty, organisations can develop a flexible – yet resilient – workforce strategy to futureproof their business. To achieve this, insurers need to understand the landscape of talent availability; plan for variation in demand; and develop a framework that accounts for the impact of unexpected changes. This will allow them to remain resilient and competitive in the years ahead. In a world of uncertainty, insurers need to be: 1. Nimble and Quick The skills that insurers need are changing rapidly. In response, organisations will need to quickly adapt their workforce structure to embrace new ways of getting work done – such as portfolio careers and gig working. A workforce plan that accounts for fluctuations in demand, productivity and talent availability is important, but it will only translate into success if it’s underpinned by speed and agility to change. 2. Responsive and Responsible In an increasingly choppy environment, responsive and responsible leadership will be required to drive future competitiveness and growth. It can be easy for the workforce to become disengaged when there is a significant amount of change happening in the business. Effective communication can help to unite an organisation behind a new purpose. 3. Data-Driven Effective data can help organisations make better and faster decisions about how to evolve the workforce to meet changing business demands. Forward-looking companies are seeking more sophisticated talent analytics that allow them to predict future success, rather than relying on past performance to guide decision-making. A platform that can provide a single source of truth has become much sought after. Changing The Role Of Contractors Can Help One way that the workforce strategy can be evolved to help deal with the impact of change and uncertainty is by reconsidering the role of contractors. Typically, insurers use contractors to fill a short to medium term requirement for specialist skills. Yet, as the divide between employer demand and available talent continues to widen, traditional resourcing models are proving unsustainable. As a result, more and more UK organisations are using contractors to upskill, reskill and empower permanent workers. They’re becoming an integral part of the training and development process, delivering long-term value to an organisation, rather than a simply plugging a short-term gap. Several important things must be considered before insurers increase their use of contractors. Firstly, they must be aware of the upcoming changes to IR35 in the private sector and be proactive to minimise risk. If you haven’t already, set up a working group to identify who is in scope of these changes, and put steps in place to mitigate risk. It’s also important to consider how you’ll manage your employer brand across the non-permanent workforce. The insurance industry faces an uphill battle when competing for talent against society’s most attractive employers. Many organisations find it a real challenge to attract great candidates. This is made even more complicated where contractors are concerned, since your supply chain will need to embed your value proposition across all of their communications, too. Nonetheless, when you have developed a compelling employer brand, it’s important that you ensure it is comprehensively adopted across your entire workforce strategy – even when candidate relationships and communications are managed by multiple, independent parties. This is something your Managed Service Provider should support with. Your Biggest Asset – And Risk The insurance industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation, as it harnesses technology to develop more personalised, enhanced services. In the long-term, this offers organisations fantastic opportunities to secure their future. But in the short-term, workforce churn creates uncertainty – and this can quickly disengage existing employees and hamper recruitment efforts. For any organisation, your workforce is your biggest asset. But it’s also your biggest variable risk. By reconsidering the role that contractors play in your workforce, employers can keep the business running smoothly in one hand, while preparing for a different future with the other. Learn more about how we can help you to enhance your employer brand – visit Managed Service Programmes. This article is an extract from our guide The Future of Insurance Recruitment. To download the full guide, please click on the link below. hbspt.cta.load(4674640, '9e80ed18-b2c0-442a-b533-a1358959a5e9', {});

For businesses, IoT offers a huge opportunity to harness data, optimise their operations and deliver ever more relevant experiences to their customers. It also represents a significant challenge. By connecting more and more devices to one another, businesses are leaving themselves exposed to security threats in ways never previously thought possible. What does this mean for businesses’ IoT ambitions? It means they need to have the right security strategy in place, to protect both their customers and themselves. And this all starts with people and skills. With the right talent and expertise, organisations can capitalise on IoT-related opportunities, without exposing their operations to significant cyber threats. Getting the right balance of skills is not an easy task, but there are five steps that organisations should take to ensure their workforce is prepared: 1. Move quickly Faced with such a tight labour market, organisations cannot afford to wait around when hiring new talent. IT specialists are in high demand and short supply, so businesses must act quickly and decisively to secure the best. What’s more, any gap in your IT infrastructure can be exploited by hackers in no time at all. Waste time deciding on your new recruit, and you risk leaving yourself open to security breaches. You can be sure that your customers won’t waste time in leaving you behind, either. 2. Take a blended approach The most effective workforces are those that blend permanent staff with contractors and project-based staff. Permanent staff ensure you have long-term business continuity, while contractors give you a quick injection of fresh skills and experience. Contractors can also be used to ‘build’ talent, by mentoring, upskilling and cross-skilling less knowledgeable permanent members of staff. 3. Offer continual training Most employers are aware of the benefits of offering development opportunities to existing staff. It’s particularly important in IoT, since the rate of change means it’s essential that teams do not become stagnant. But offering your people ad-hoc training sessions doesn’t go far enough. Employers need to nurture a culture of learning, where employees are encouraged to be curious, seek out learning opportunities, and continually upskill and reskill. 4. Consider Offsite Working Certain tech skills in certain locations come with a premium price tag attached. To expand your pool of potential talent, consider remote workers for both contract and permanent salaries. Unsurprisingly, salaries and day rates for IoT professionals are generally lower outside of London. Offsite and remote workers could represent a more economical way of acquiring talent without sacrificing quality. 5. Trust The Professionals Despite the obvious security risks that come with IoT, some organisations still don’t understand the severity of what they could potentially face. Specific security budgets must be set and processes followed. But more importantly, senior management teams need to delegate the delivery of specialist security functions to those with the knowledge and expertise to do so. Having invested significantly in these leadership roles, CISOs and their peers must be given the support and space to deliver businesses’ security strategy. By hiring the right talent, businesses will be better placed to fully embrace IoT, while protecting their operations from malicious attacks. To achieve this, organisations must have a clear workforce strategy that encompasses how, who and what they hire, and how to develop their existing staff. Partnering with a recruitment specialist can help. Only through a blended approach that covers the broadest relevant talent will they acquire the ability to protect themselves against cyber threats without hampering their IoT potential. To learn more about the growth of the Internet of Things and the impact this is having on the IT workforce, download our latest report Industry Insiders: Securing The Internet of Things. Please complete the below form to download the report hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "4674640", formId: "a52c320e-9ac0-4d88-be4b-62059589991c" });