Personnel management and recruiting staff

Researchers have reached out to hiring managers to see what they think the future will hold at a time where the identity of America’s workforce has shifted so much that the Millennial is the most common employee.

The technological changes that stand to take place in the coming years will have a profound impact on the way that companies hire, say those surveyed, which include employees at CareerBuilder, Inavero and the American Staffing Association. Nearly 70 percent say it is imperative that staffing firms use up-to-date technology, with about a third suggesting they plan to invest in new technology before the end of the year.

It’s these same staffing firms that hiring managers would consider using. The majority of managers say firms would be able to alleviate some of the main issues pertaining to the recruiting process — much of this do to the technology they would possess.

“In today's historically tight labor market, lack of access to quality candidates is a major threat, and recruiters are spending more than half of their time searching for, screening, and reaching out to new candidates, rather than building relationships with current candidates,” says Eric Gregg, CEO of Inavero in the report.

The unique labor market has had an impact on the jan/san industry. With unemployment low, companies are scrambling to find employees of all different ages and experience levels. This especially holds true for the Millennial employee, who recently surpassed Baby Boomer’s as the largest workforce in the United States.

Distributors say they’re continuing to have a tough time attracting Millennials to the industry. Whether it be in the warehouse, sales or delivery, this group simply doesn’t see jan/san distribution as an attractive field.

To become more appealing to Millennials, experts suggest distributors embrace things like technology in the workplace. Culture is also a big selling point as many Millennials have a desire to work for a company that cares about social and environmental issues, and listens to their input.