April-2014 Forward to a Friend   Home   Editor's Note Development in the Staffing Space ISF in the News Resource Center Expert Advice Member's Exclusive Interview ISF Membership Updates Events and Updates Regional Update Exclusive from Mr. Aditya Narayan Staffing – the Key to India’s Economic Growth The Staffing industry in India is one of the fastest growing sectors, with more than 1.3 million workers under its wing, which is roughly about 3% of the organized sector employment. In a country like India, where over 90% of the workforce is engaged in the informal sector, flexi – staffing is the answer to the unemployment woes faced by the country. Not only can this industry facilitate the much – needed transition of an Indian worker from informal to formal sector; but it also provides the worker with the opportunity to build a career and move up the value chain in his/her work life. Compared to the last two decades, we have made tremendous strides in many areas. If you recall, when Flexi – staffing was first introduced, there was wide – spread cynicism over the potential benefits of this hiring model for both companies and candidates. Today however, there is growing traction among companies to adopt temporary staffing solutions to manage their dynamic workforce. While the large Indian conglomerates and MNCs were the first to embrace this, we now see many SMEs adopting this practice to recruit roles in their firms either for the short-term needs or for augmentation or extension of their workforce. Though we have made significant progress, our industry is faced with critical issues that are yet to be solved. In addition to absence of proper regulatory and compliance framework that is specific to flexi staffing, it is found that our industry lacks recall and social recognition in many parts of the country. Also, people in general are found to have a higher preference for permanent employment. This makes them reluctant to take up staffing jobs, even though the opportunities and benefits are plenty. The current challenge therefore is to elevate the status of flexi – staffing industry in India. The key to revving up the flexi – staffing industry is to secure more active participation and greater involvement from the following main stakeholders: Candidates: Staffing not only offers candidates a great career opportunity to gain massive exposure with multiple organizations through a single job but also gives them the flexibility to pursue other interests outside of work. It is also a great source of learning and offers almost similar benefits to that of permanent jobs. In western countries, staffing jobs are more of a lifestyle choice as they prefer staffing jobs due to the flexibility and varied career options it offers. We should build awareness among candidates about the potential benefits of working as a temp staff and encourage them to take up staffing jobs. Government & Society: Staffing is a huge opportunity for the Government to move the workforce from informal to formal sector. Our industry creates formal employment and as a result, our economy recognizes the identity of an employee and our society stands up to take notice of this individual who enters into a formal sector. The employee gets social security benefits, gets salary into the bank account and improves his/her credit-worthiness, enjoys several other benefits and pays tax, which is an end benefit to the Government. It is therefore highly beneficial for the government to promote Staffing as an industry sector. We need to work closer with the policy-makers at different levels so that the staffing companies are able to create visibility for us for the impact delivered by us. We, as a consortium, should also work towards raising the profile of our industry in the minds of general public. Such collaboration will help push for more reforms which will further the growth of the industry. Employers: The business benefit of staffing solutions is real. It helps companies be cost effective and address business growth based on dynamic conditions. While MNCs have higher acceptance of temporary staffing, employer organizations in India are yet to leverage on the benefits of the staffing model. We must therefore undertake to promote flexi – staffing as a concept and encourage more companies to embrace this form of recruitment. Focus should be given to not just the bottom of the pyramid but to the top level positions as well. This will act as a catalyst and encourage more professionals to take up temporary jobs. With so much potential to create new jobs and positively impact livelihoods, flexi – staffing is the way forward for India. The market is brimming with opportunities, waiting to be explored by us. With more and more companies across existing and emerging sectors opting for flexi – staffing, the Indian Staffing industry is all set to enter the next exciting phase. go to home Office Address: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn 771, 7th Floor, Aggarwal Millennium Tower II, E-4, Netaji Subhash Palace, District Centre Wazirpur, Pitampura, New Delhi 110 034. Phone: +91-11-3099 3037 Email: info@indianstaffing federation.org Read more.   © 2014 "Indiastaffingfederation" All Rights Reserved.