Everyone in Staffing is having a bit of a hard time right now.

Sales are down, clients are demanding more, and workers seem harder than ever to rely on.

The best estimates for growth rates of the Staffing Industry are around 3-5% over the next decade. Yet the Gig Economy estimates are more than 16% CAGR in the same time period!

Why is that?

I would argue that the Gig Economy IS Staffing. It's just a version of Staffing that many people haven't wrapped their heads around yet.

Its a new model for addressing the same problems that businesses and workers have always had. A model that works for the new world we live in, and the generation of workers empowered by information, flexibility, and technology.

Smart Staffing Leaders are starting to catch on, though.

Especially in the Healthcare & Hospitality industries, where these trends have had more pressure than others.

These are the companies that are going to out-compete their peers who refuse to see the writing on the wall, and are waiting for a return to the good old days - whatever that means.

So what are these new Staffing Leaders doing that others haven't caught on to yet?

Thinking more like Software Companies

Its not enough to invest in internal tools for your recruiters and back office teams. You need tools that empower your workforce and your clients specifically. Think mobile apps for your workforce, client portals for your clients, and the ability to "self-serve" as much as possible for both sides. You need to always be iterating on those tools and tweaking them to get the maximum efficiency for everyone.

The best way to do this is to literally build your own platform. Of course, that requires a big investment in developers, time, and money. Building software isn't for everyone, but for those who have the money, patience, and leadership skills, this is a trip worth taking.

Another excellent choice is to partner with a company like StaffingOS , to Private-Label their technology so everything you do looks like you built it, but you don't have to start from scratch or spend years perfecting it as they have.

Embracing Flexibility

Workers today have options. They want to be in control of their own lives. Most have experienced working for platforms such as Uber, Instacart, Task Rabbit, and others. They have a taste of what it's like to have freedom of choice, and they aren't going back.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though! This doesn't mean that you can't achieve incredible fill rates for your clients. It just means you need to focus on a more elastic workforce that can be scaled up and scaled down as needed, and that doesn't require hours and hours of manual work from recruiters to do so.

It also means embracing things like Same Day Pay so workers get that instant reward for a hard day's work. Other companies and platforms are already doing this, so it isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must-have.

Hiring outside of their comfort zones

The Staffing Agency of the future isn't posting job ads on Indeed, and they aren't running bi-weekly pay cycles. They aren't using paper (or PDF/Excel) timesheets, and they aren't asking candidates to log in to websites for ANYTHING.

If your existing Staff is unable to wrap their heads around modernizing every aspect of your operation, it's probably time to hire those who are. I'm not saying fire your existing team! But I AM saying that you should be hiring for roles such as:

Social Media Marketing Manager, Growth Hacker, Data Analyst, API Developer, SEO & ASO Manager, etc...

You'd be amazed at what a technically proficient person can do with TikTok, Instagram, TypeForm, and Zapier.

The good news is that these people are out there. Technology and social media are part of their DNA. This comes naturally to them. Staffing Leaders just need to purposely pursue them and partner with them to weave in these new concepts into their business.

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So what are your thoughts on the Gig Economy? Is it different than staffing, or the natural evolution of the industry? What are you doing to evolve your own agency in this direction?