Although the expectations of employers were to easily access the local workforce, the reality of the spring of 2022 comes to contradict the projections of the HR community, determined to fulfill their recruitment plans, harmonized with production volumes.

Therefore, as every year, employers are facing an upward trend in the migration of the active population to European countries with a tradition of seasonal work, deepening the gap between supply and demand in the labor market.

If in the good months (September-March) the success rate of the recruitment departments was maintained in the range of 60-70%, starting with April of each year, the percentages decrease drastically up to 35-40%, despite the intensified efforts of the recruiters.

The creativity of the HR manager is put to the test again, alternating the available tools for attracting staff, combined with retention techniques – all with a financial impact on companies’ budgets.

The strategies that have worked over the years benefit annually from fine-tuning accompanied, of course, by new methods of covering the need for human resources, such as:

• Relocation of local labor
• Relocation of Asian workforce through recruitment agencies
• Outsourcing recruitment processes to leasing companies
• Outsourcing of certain production processes
• Integration of Ukrainian refugee citizens – as a short-term alternative

Although companies can implement most of the above solutions internally, volume fluctuations in production processes require greater flexibility of the organization, outsourcing these solutions becoming a necessary practice.

“Volume increases and decreases within organizations require the allocation of many resources, with a financial impact of hundreds of thousands of euros. In most cases, this effort does not turn into a real benefit when we draw the line at the end of the reference period, so accessing outsourced services is a real option for large employers. Over the years, our clients have seen in us that solution that has allowed them to focus on performance at the organizational level, with the full certainty that we are harnessing the maximum potential of human resources for them. ” – Alexandru Chirilă, Operational Manager Human Resources Division , Moveos.

“This year we are going to increase by about 20% the directly productive team with staff of Indian origin. It is the solution we have chosen to cover the shortage of skilled labor we face. ” – says Angela Staicu, Human Resources Manager ICCO Facility Management.

The challenges can vary depending on the particularities of each organization, but:

• openness to viable alternatives,
• quick adaptation to change,
• agility in engaging the resources needed to achieve performance indicators across the organization,
  represents the directions on which the management structures turn their attention more and more intensely.