Hong Kong should look into the temporary workforce

A flexible and agile workforce that can be grown or shrunk rapidly according to business demand is fundamental to business sustainability, growth and success.

As the economy in Hong Kong, and the wider region grows at a rapid rate, talent shortages emerge. Businesses struggle to attract workers with the ideal mix of skills, the lengthy duration of recruitment and selection processes, and local workers being more selective in terms of preferred employers presents challenges for many businesses.

Retention challenges and gaps in staffing stifle business expansion and competitive edge is reduced.

A bank of temporary talent is a great way for businesses to grow, backfill vacant roles and ensure workforce agility. Employers need to recognise that they can both stimulate and create a temporary worker market in Hong Kong.

The West has paved the way in creating a market of contingent workers who range from manual labour, to technical experts.

In contrast to Hong Kong, today businesses in the West are stifled by the economic downturn, and temporary workers have become essential to recovery. They help companies to shrink headcount, yet maintain activity and production without having to commit to permanent hiring.

Both public and private sector organisations have managed to exploit temporary workers responsibly and effectively by influencing the implementation of temporary labour legislation and governance. This has been crucial to increasing the status and appeal of temporary work in the West.

In some cases more lucrative pay, and career growth opportunities have stimulated the contingent worker market, specifically across management, technical and specialist industry professionals.

This has led to the emergence of the Super Talented Temp. Business leaders report in the majority of cases contingent workers demonstrate exceptionally high work ethics, and exemplary attendance.

After all the temporary nature of the work is the best motivator to drive performance as people work at their personal best and beyond in order to be retained.

In terms of utilising temporary workers, Hong Kong remains a laggard, with many companies failing to include contingent talent within their HR and business growth strategies. Employers may argue Hong Kong workers are not drawn to temporary roles, as most seek job security, and opportunities for promotion.

Workers in the West have the same preferences, yet there remains a well established talent pool of temporary workers there.

Challenges could potentially be addressed by creating temporary to permanent roles, this offers a silver lining to the risk adverse Hong Kong worker.

Temp to perm is also a good strategy for employers to asses capability in real terms, something most selection processes fail to simulate. It also offers the worker the opportunity to try out the company, and suitability of the role, whilst keeping their options open.

Temporary work may also be made more appealing if employers in Hong Kong designed fair and easy to understand temporary contract terms, including fair notice periods, marginally greater renumeration and opportunities for professional development and recognition.

Asia continues to be the most rapidly growing economic zone yet workers in Hong Kong do not view contract work as appealing. Many businesses fail to have a contingent talent strategy, and surprisingly, very little is being done to stimulate the temporary worker market.

Temporary workers are a highly effective bank of contingent talent and support both struggling and buoyant economies superbly. Business leaders today may do well to define, then assess their ratio of temporary versus permanent employees in order to monitor and ultimately drive business agility.