Top Talent Trends to Watch for in 2022
February 14, 2022 – Pundits are making all sorts of predictions for the year based on our collective experience over the past two years. But as we all look ahead, what can we really expect? In a new report, Clark Beecher, managing partner and co-founder of Beecher Reagan, and Matt Greenberg, partner and principal in the firm’s digital and analytics practice, give us their insights on how 2022 just might unfold.
Among the top trends they see: Digital disruption will solve supply chain issues at scale; digital finance will fundamentally transform how organizations are run; verticalization will continue to change the consulting ecosystem; digitalization will continue to challenge and change firm economics; inflationary hiring is here to stay; performance acceleration will emerge as a pivotal weapon in the war for talent; nontraditional hiring will fill the talent gap; D&I efforts will shift focus from hiring to acceleration; technology, travel and tourism will emerge as industry hot spots; and social purpose will become a requirement for attracting new talent. Let’s take a closer look.
1. Digital disruption will solve supply chain issues at scale.
“Puns about toilet paper and rice aside, the supply chain saga has highlighted the fragility of our increasingly dispersed and globalized supply chain,” said the search firm in its trends report. “Meanwhile, digitization is now table stakes, and businesses are taking it seriously. Those that can leverage digital and AI to solve the supply chain challenge at scale are primed to disrupt the competition,” it noted.
2. Digital finance will fundamentally transform how organizations are run.
AI, cloud, and digitization are now being leveraged to improve functional efficiencies. They will change how back-office fundamentals, like finance and human capital, are run. The newest frontier is digital finance, said the search firm authors. Capability here will pave the way for new connectivity, adaptability, and visibility into emergent challenges.
3. Verticalization will continue to change the consulting ecosystem.
Company identity has long been rooted in strategy or implementation, but rarely in both. “But as clients now demand ‘one-stop-shop’ solutions, organizations are looking to new operating models that address both needs under one brand,” said the authors. “As a result, verticalization will increasingly define the firm ecosystem, placing new pressures on both talent and firm economics.”
4. Digitalization will continue to challenge and change firm economics.
In the race to provide end-to-end enterprise strategy through value realization, human capital-intensive work that once formed the financial bedrock of most traditional professional services organizations is being replaced by AI, digital and automation. At the same time, clients are increasingly focused on outcomes. “Together, these factors will continue to drive a move away from time and materials to outcomes-based fees,” said Messrs. Beecher and Greenberg. “Gain share will likely reach 50 percent/50 percent by mid-decade; a nearly tenfold increase from 2017.”
5. Inflationary hiring is here to stay . . . at least for the foreseeable future . . . temporarily.
Trading in talent has always been expensive. But today, inflationary compensation hovers north of 25 percent (40 percent for diversity hires) compared to an average of 17 percent just two years ago, said Beecher Reagan. With the war for talent at a zenith, the trend towards inflationary hiring is likely to continue apace for the next few years. Evaluating and accelerating your talent to maximize ROI will be imperative, as will choosing the right retained talent partner to help you do so.
6. Performance acceleration will emerge as a pivotal weapon in the war for talent.
With talent at a premium, and in short supply, a singular focus on recruiting new talent is no longer a viable strategy for growth. Now organizations are asking how they can get more out of the team they already have. Performance acceleration will emerge as the solution, helping organizations align and equip their talent to perform at their best.
7. Organizations will look to nontraditional hiring to fill the talent gap.
“Along with partner acceleration, organizations will increasingly look to nontraditional channels, like academia and industry, as a source of new talent,” said the authors. “But increasing their aperture for talent means that firms must sequence a new professional DNA profile for leadership success. What are the unrefined characteristics, skills and abilities that outside talent needs to outperform in the consulting world?” Those that do it well, and first, will avail themselves of a treasury of new talent and market potential, they added.
8. D&I efforts will shift focus from hiring to acceleration.
“Most, if not all, of our clients know that having a truly diverse workforce is an inarguable business imperative,” said the authors. Yet meeting diversity and inclusion hiring objectives has proven an extraordinary lift for most organizations. And with centuries of accumulative systemic forces to overcome, there is unfortunately no quick or easy solution in sight, they noted. Organizations will not only have to expand the aperture of the lens in which they view talent, but also work harder to identify and cultivate high potential talent from within. Identifying key high potential talent to retain and accelerate their performance, will play an increasingly pivotal role in helping them do this.
Related: How to Prepare Candidates for a Successful Resignation
9. Technology, travel and tourism will emerge as industry hot spots.
“As anyone who’s tried to book a flight or rent a car in recent months already knows, travel and tourism have come back with a roar, fueled by post-pandemic pent-up consumer demand,” said the report authors. “Now businesses once shuttered by lockdowns are finding themselves short on talent, leaving the industry ripe for disruptive innovations in price, speed, and efficiency.” Meanwhile, tech remains a driving force with no indications of a slowdown, the study authors said. “With 85 percent of most businesses across industries facing similar technological challenges, opportunities abound for those who can innovate common solutions at scale,” they noted.
Fighting the Great Resignation with Cash
As the Great Resignation has extended worldwide, compensation experts have reminded organizations that there are numerous ways to attract and retain employees besides paying them higher wages. But there’s overwhelming evidence that the go-to move for most companies continues to be paying more, according to the latest findings from Korn Ferry, which found a record a number of pay raises over the past quarter.
10. Social purpose will become a requirement for attracting new talent.
Demonstrating a true commitment to social purpose prerogatives like D&I, human rights, sustainability, and climate justice may be the single most important move that firms can take today to attract the talent of tomorrow, said Beecher Reagan. “In the words of social purpose author and entrepreneur, Jonah Sachs, ‘In order to tell better stories, brands must actually be better stories,’” said the authors. “Our brave new media world hasn’t just put audiences in charge; it has also given them the tools to instantly peel back the curtain on marketing campaigns and to look at the substance behind them.” What story does your brand say to the talent you are trying to attract, they asked.
Trusted Recruiters
Founded in 2009 by Mr. Beecher and Tim Reagan, Beecher Reagan is an executive search and leadership firm focused exclusively on senior professional services and the consulting talent market. The firm brings more than 100 years of combined experience to help professional services, Fortune 500 and alternative investment companies map search strategies to organizational goals. The partners at Beecher Reagan have longstanding relationships within the consulting, professional services, and private equity space.
Mr. Beecher has dedicated his career advising management consulting, technology services and business advisory service firms on building and growing their industry, functional and new geographical practice areas. He brings 20 years of leadership service expertise to his clients all over the world.
Before joining Beecher Reagan, Mr. Greenberg helped lead the build-out of a recruiting center of excellence for the digital arm of a tier-one consulting firm. He was also responsible for partner-level recruiting, designing diversity programs and implementing an analytically rigorous approach to hiring.
Related: Hiring Top Talent in Unprecedented Times
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
