Your green industry company is only as good as the people who work there, which is why hiring top talent is so important. With a new year comes new hiring trends. Here’s what experts predict will be big in 2018, and how it may impact the way you hire talent this year.
Apprenticeships Are Making a Comeback
In 2017, President Trump praised Germany’s apprenticeship programs, stating that “the German apprenticeship model is one of the proven programs to developing a highly-skilled workforce.” Trump believes American organizations should start adopting apprenticeships for jobs which require a trade or skill. Apprenticeships turn out workers trained in the newest industry standards, meaning they are skilled and productive.
Employees Want to Continue Learning
High-performing employees tell us that in order for them to stay in their jobs, it’s important that there are opportunities to learn. Competitive companies will prioritize creating a learning culture, allowing employees the opportunity to learn tied to career growth. This will attract top talent, and also ensure employees are able to adapt to changes within their role, organization, and industry.
Less Full- and Part-Time Employees
Most business owners think of staffing as hiring employees to work in full-time or part-time roles, but this idea is changing due to shortages of skilled workers, wider pools of labor, and an increase in contract employment. Companies need to think outside the box when hiring labor, which means they need to match the right skills to the business needs—which may not necessarily mean hiring full- or part-time workers.
In a more complex labor market, workforce planning, recruiting, and staffing will likely need to be redefined. It’s not an easy task, but Spring-Green makes it easier by pairing up dedicated business consultants with its franchise owners. Spring-Green’s business consultants craft business and workforce plans, helping owners arrive at the very best solutions for their companies.
More Labor in General
The economy is continuing to improve and unemployment is at a 16-year low, so companies will likely increase their hiring volume to support business growth. As the economy continues to grow, business will hire more labor. In order to compete, businesses may also increase the wages they offer, since prospective candidates may now have several offers to choose from.
Spring-Green franchise owners have access to data from other franchise owners throughout the country, which helps business owners stay on top of the wages in their area to ensure they are remaining competitive. In addition, Spring-Green’s business consultants analyze industry trends, sift through data, and provide labor guidance for franchise owners.
Artificial Intelligence Recruiting
Gone are the days where companies recruit at the local college, sift through hundreds of resumes, and make calls. The newest trend in hiring is using AI, or artificial intelligence, software to do the first step of the hiring process for you. AI recruiting software, such as the kind offered by Ideal, eliminates tedious recruiting tasks, increases diversity, eliminates bias, keeps candidates engaged, and provides recruiters data on who the best candidates would be.
The way it works is as follows: Once the AI software receives a resume, it will scan the companies that person has worked for, analyze their skills, and review other parts of the resume, then compare all that data against the job requirements a recruiter has provided. The software gives each resume a grade based on how close of a match it appears to be, and that information will be provided to the recruiter to help narrow down the best candidates.
How Spring-Green Can Help
It’s unlikely that all of these trends will apply to your business, but it is important to know what’s going on in the industry. Spring-Green arranges peer groups between franchise owners, which allows owners to bounce ideas off other business owners and also share industry news and trends—such as the ones described here. “You can call each other any time to see how things are going, what kind of issues they’re seeing, and what customers are talking about,” said Marty Amundson, Green Edge Lawn Services and Spring-Green Franchise Owner in Winona, Minnesota.
Interested in a company that can help keep you up to date and competitive in the green industry? Spring-Green can help you grow and diversify with our 40 years of experience and our proven expertise in marketing and technology. Learn more about how Spring-Green can expand your lawn care services. Call 1-800-777-8608 or visit us at www.growmygreenindustrybusiness.com.
