How will you change the way you recruit talent for your business this year? In the U.S., the combined challenges of rising pay and a skills shortage in most occupations severely limit the options of business leaders and recruiters.
Yet we also know that with the right frameworks, tools, and support, remote work can work very well. So there’s no reason business leaders need to limit themselves to what’s available in their home cities and states.
Business leaders in the U.S. who need to hire in 2022 face the combined challenges of rising pay and a shortage of workers.
Fewer working-age Americans held jobs or were looking for one in December 2021. The labor force participation rate (61.9%) in December 2021 remained below its February 2020 level, before the pandemic changed the map of the working world.
The number of jobs is rising, yet it appears that worries over their health or the choice to care for their children full-time have made millions of Americans unavailable for jobs.
“There are roughly 65 unemployed workers for every 100 job openings, even tighter than the roughly 82 unemployed workers per 100 job openings in February 2020 before the pandemic,” Jennifer Liu of CNBC wrote in January 2022.
“Today’s labor shortages,” she added, quoting economist Ron Hetrick, “are only a glimpse into longer-term employment trends that businesses must prepare for.”
These challenges are not lost on human resources (HR) practitioners.
More than half of 551 senior HR leaders in the U.S. told the professional services firm Grant Thornton in an August 2021 survey that their companies were spending more on employee retention (58% of respondents) and adjusting both pay and total rewards (58%) “to drive transformation and revenue growth.”
Six out of every 10 recruitment leaders (65%) agreed that employee retention will be a key concern for their companies in the next 12 months. Source
Change How You Recruit
Yet just under half (49%) said they were changing how they recruited talent.
If the difficulties business leaders face in hiring are indeed a glimpse into how employment will change long-term, isn’t it time that more companies changed the way they hire?
All the opportunities emerging on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic will pass business owners by if any of these conditions holds them back:
- the lack of a full-time recruitment team or experience in hiring (a common challenge for small and medium firms);
- the presence of too many other competing demands on their energy and time;
- a shortage in their home city or country of the skills they need so their business can scale; and
- rising pay rates for most occupations.
“It is the rare case when you can hire exactly to meet your needs,” wrote Joe Hadzima, chair of the MIT Enterprise Forum. Source
“Delay in hiring and you will have trouble meeting your plan. Hire too quickly and you may burn through cash before revenue catches up. Consider using independent contractors to cover peak periods if your business does not have too steep a learning curve. One of my clients staffs at 85% of forecasted needs and contracts out the remaining 15%.”
We think that’s a sound idea.
Thanks to the pandemic and the widespread adoption of work-from-home arrangements, business leaders who have kept their eyes and minds open now know that most work can be done remotely.
And if that’s the case, then why should business leaders limit themselves to what talent is available in their home cities and countries?
Take construction estimators, for example.
They’re in great demand in the United States, Australia, and the U.K.
To hire one estimator in the U.S., companies need to be ready to pay up to USD7,000 a month—by Indeed’s estimate, the average base salary for construction estimators in the U.S. stands at USD5,585 each month.
Wages represent about 67% of what an estimator makes.
Nearly one-third comes from benefits, which include overtime or supplemental pay, paid leaves, retirement and savings, legally required benefits such as unemployment taxes, and insurance.
On top of these costs, employers also have to pay for equipment and software; office space (unless the estimator works remotely); and recruiting expenses.
Remote Work Works
In our experience as an enhanced operations business (like outsourcing, only better), businesses can lean on the support of a highly trained construction estimator from the Philippines for under USD3,000 a month.
Depending on the team member’s experience level, base pay will range from USD1,000 to 2,300.
We charge a monthly operations fee, which ensures that the team member will get:
✅ the right equipment;
✅ access to employee engagement activities like gratitude celebrations and workshops each month;
✅ the support of a dedicated Coach, whose job includes making sure that the team member and client stay aligned on their most important priorities; and
✅ IT support, plus access to our Cebu IT Park office in case of power or internet connection issues in the team member’s home.
One of our estimators, Roland, has been doing so well that he inspired this comment from his client, the national sales director of an
Australian pest management company:
“Roland started with us as an estimator and has worked hard to keep improving his knowledge and become an integral part of our construction team. Through his hard work, Roland has been elevated to Team Leader of the estimating team and helps to provide me with invaluable assistance to keep the department running efficiently. We all appreciate his dedication.”
We’ve helped companies build their offshore construction estimator teams, with amazing results. And it’s not just estimators like Roland that we can find for business leaders who are serious about scaling in 2022.
Remote work has worked these past 2 years both for employees and business leaders who chose to adapt, rather than stagnate.
Of course, it won’t work for all occupations. Some jobs will continue to be done best onsite.
Yet for most roles that require a computer and an internet connection, we can find you a team player in the Philippines who will be engaged, motivated, and eager to learn—even if you’ve never worked with an outsourcing company or led an offshore virtual team before.
Like our clients, you will be amazed by how committed and hardworking the right team members in the Philippines will be.
What’s the role that you’ve been trying for months to fill in your business?
Estimator? Executive Assistant? Project Coordinator?
Let us know at sales@go.team and we’ll help you figure out how to build the go team you and your business deserve.
About GoTeam (formerly Go Virtual Assistants)
GoTeam, formerly GO Virtual Assistants (GO-VA) Inc. is a registered Australian-Filipino owned company growing in the heart of Cebu City, as well as a growing number of key cities in the Philippines.
Our HQ is situated in an IT complex with modern facilities, although since March 2020, more than 70% of our team members have been working from home.
Our enhanced operations and streamlined services provide scalable opportunities that spell sustainability, growth, and success for any business venture. As your global team members, GoTeam’s goal is to create winnable games and strategies across all the work that we do, knowing that your success is our long-term fulfillment.
We help Australian, NZ, US, and UK businesses increase revenue, reduce costs, and scale through outsourced offshoring. This also creates for us the opportunity to be a catalyst for people to exceed.
AU (+61) 2 7227 8809
US (+1) 302 207 2767
PH (+63) 032 238 7448
9th Flr, i1 Bldg, Jose Ma. del Mar St, IT Park,
Cebu City, Philippines 6000
Website: https://go.team
Careers: https://go.team/ph/
Email: sales@go.team
Email: careers@go.team
