that employers look to fill their staffing
needs,” said Marc-Étienne Julien, CEO
of Randstad Canada. “New technologies
and new attitudes towards employment
are having a profound effect on how the
workforce will look in 2025. This shift
in thinking and the willingness of young
Canadians to eschew the traditional
nine-to-five for non-traditional roles will
dramatically change the makeup of the
workforce over the next decade.”
FORWARD THINKING REQUIRED
TO FUEL NEW MODEL
Workforce agility represents a change
in staffing models that features non-traditional
workers. Such a model allows
an organization to hire on an as-needed/
on-demand, temporary basis to ful-fill
short- or long-term contracts that
fill skills gaps. These are not the “temps”
of the past; instead, they range from
blue collar and light industrial, to high-ly
skilled IT, engineering, accounting and
HR professionals.
What’s more, nearly 80 per cent of
employees who work as temporary or
freelance workers said they are just as loy-al
as they would be if they were full time
– which illustrates that employers don’t
need to fear the agile workforce, and that
they can embrace these tenets to build
their business without having to worry
about losing top talent.
NAYSAYERS VS. ADOPTERS
OF AGILE WORK
The majority of employees – 62 per cent
– believe that employers should be more
open to flexible work arrangements and
that this type of employment should be
secondary to the skills and results brought
by the employee. Employers who have ad-opted
the agile workforce have a different
outlook on non-traditional workers. Cost
reduction is the most frequently cited rea-son
for using a flexible staffing model,
followed by:
■■ 21 per cent of employers believe a
flexible staffing model helps improve
operational performance
■■ 15 per cent of employers believe
working with a staffing/recruiting
partner gives better access to highly-skilled
knowledge workers than trying
to hire full-time workers
The majority of employees – 67 per cent
– who have adopted the agile work mod-el
choose non-traditional work for reasons
of flexibility and control, followed by:
■■ 55 per cent feel they have more control
over their career
■■ 30 per cent have a choice of projects
and work
THE FUTURE FOR CANADIAN
WORKERS OPTING FOR AGILE WORK
Many of the hesitations Canadians have
about agile employment are disappearing,
with 85 per cent of employers agreeing
that by 2025, their organizations will be
committed to building an agile workforce.
At the same time, 84 per cent of em-ployers
agree that in order to build an
agile workforce, organizations will need to
rely on staffing and recruitment partners
to provide guidance, while 36 per cent of
employees believe current market trends
have made non-traditional work more
interesting. ■
news
Professional Development IT PAYS TO KNOW
Mark your calendar for
payroll education!
With more than 200 federal
and provincial regulations and
changes each year, staying
payroll compliant is one of the
biggest challenges employers
face.
Madura S., PCP, CHRP - Member, The Canadian Payroll Association
Improve compliance and reduce the risk of audits and penalties
with help from Professional Development Seminars from The
Canadian Payroll Association.
Seminars are offered for all levels from beginner to advanced. A variety of topics
are available, including Payroll Essentials for HR Professionals, Taxable Benefits &
Allowances, Employment Standards, Pensions & Benefits, Terminations, and more.
Check our online calendar for a seminar in your area.
Learn more at payroll.ca.
Become a Canadian Payroll Association member and get preferred rates on
seminars.
Stay Current Stay Compliant
payroll.ca
12 ❚ MAY 2017 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL