Accordant 2022 Future Of Work Report

Recruitment firm, Accordant Group, has released research for government organisations and their hiring stakeholders managing non-permanent workers, with a specific focus on temporary work.

Accordant’s 2022 Future of Work Insights Report, which has been delivered with support from the Westpac NZ Government Innovation Fund, reveals potential barriers in current day-to-day operations when engaging temporary workers, as well as opportunities for improvement in the future of work.

With changing customer and public needs, as well as the rapid adoption of workforce technologies, Accordant’s research found that organisations would benefit from new, innovative, and flexible ways to recruit and retain both non-permanent and permanent workers.

“Across the broad range of respondents, almost a quarter (22%) had undertaken temporary, casual, or xed term work continuously over the past two years. The growing need for flexibility in the workplace is becoming increasingly important to not only temporary workers but permanent employees as well.

“Since Covid, we have seen an acceleration in the evolution of the workplace. From the rise of new technologies, working from home, flexible working models and people’s reprioritisation of work/life balance, employers are now coming to terms on how to best design work to a changing environment. The organisations which can utilise these changes for the better and contribute to a more sustainable work environment, will be better placed.

“With low unemployment levels coupled with limited immigration settings over the past two years and a tight labour market, future-focused job design will be important for employers as they look to stay competitive in the fight for talent,” says Jason Cherrington, Chief Executive, Accordant.

It appears workers are becoming more supportive of non-permanent work with the report revealing over half of workers surveyed (53%) viewed non-permanent work more positively today than five years ago and that 72 per cent have recommended temporary work to their friends and family.

Of those surveyed, the greatest benefits for employees undertaking temporary work was the ability to start working quickly, and to learn and develop new skills.

Almost half of the respondents (49%) believe that income security is more important than job security (29%). What’s more, 37 per cent of respondents felt that there was not enough temping, casual or fixed-term work options either some or all of the time. In a talent short market, considering a temporary staffing solution offers organisations the potential to open up their opportunities to a broader talent pool with valuable skills and experience. Equally, more non-permanent work opportunities could provide greater options for income security.

Concentrating on the ways that organisations can ‘re-shape’ the hiring process and better support temporary employees’ needs, the research reveals some interesting insights into the what the future of work is shaping up to be in New Zealand.

The thinking around the future of work in New Zealand needs to go beyond a permanent, full-time job with traditional working hours. For some Kiwis, this path isn’t viable or practical. Failure to look outside traditional structures may limit innovative solutions and hold back an organisations’ progress on their future of work journey. And while the research revealed that half of all temporary workers (51%) surveyed said there was a harder pathway for career advancement, having a breadth and depth of experience built up over a range of temporary assignments could better propel today’s worker for tomorrow’s modern world of work.

“If organisations wish to retain and foster a great relationship with their employees, we suggest they adapt to the ever-changing working environment and evaluate their traditional approach to recruitment. Organisations can adjust their approaches and see great results in productivity and performance as well as increased employee satisfaction by exploring concepts such as unbundling tasks, advocating for greater flexibility, and supporting hybrid working,” adds Mr Cherrington.

The report’s recommendations give organisations the chance to rethink their approach to recruiting and support stronger, more efficient, and inclusive onboarding experiences for non-permanent workers.

To read the full report, visit: https://accordant.nz/future-of-work

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