What skills are employers looking for?
Today’s talk is with Nastassia Lamont and Tintswalo Maluleke, from the franchise, Express Employment Professionals SA to discuss what has changed in recruitment and what skills are employers looking for going forward.
What we have noticed, is that the employment landscape has changed. People are working into the early hours of the morning just to meet deadlines. Tintswalo can you please share with us what has changed and what is happening going
Since 2016 the recruitment of professionals has risen by 63%. We have seen a demand for higher skilled workers and this means that job seekers need to challenge themselves to get those higher skills in order for them to be marketable. The current unemployment rate is 30% in South Africa and a shortage of higher skilled workers.
Another trend is that job seekers now are looking for more flexibility as well as contract work and with the advancement of technology, this has enabled them to do that. So it is very important for job seekers to get advice from recruitment agencies when starting with their careers. Fortunately, the government has seen the shortage and they are starting to fund initiatives to up skill workers.
What type of skills are employers looking for?
Companies are looking for higher skilled workers such as qualified artisans and the shortage comes in because organisations are not giving workers the opportunity to learn and develop skills they’ve just learnt. There are a number of individuals who have completed their internships and apprenticeships who now need the opportunity to develop those skills. This is where the lack comes in. We are encouraging organisations to hire interns and help them to gain the experience whether it be professionals, white collar or artisans on the job. The main problem is that employers want experienced people but they don’t necessarily want to give those people the chance to develop those skills and often, I’ve found that when people come out of training their ideas are fresh and they can learn and adapt much better to your system, rather than someone who has been around for years and they might not be as adaptable.
Here, at Express Employment, we have a strong responsibility to fill that gap and that’s why we have programmes running, within our organisation, to help these people learn critical skills and through our temporary employment services, we are able to pick up the best talent who we can recommend to employers to grow with their companies. They also, through these programmes, get to learn what they are passionate about and learn those skills.
One of the predictions going forward in employment is that more employees will be moving into contract work. Is this so and how do candidates need to prepare for that?
We are seeing this more with our clients, where employers want to employ temporary workers, in order to manage their risk and also to give people the flexibility they need. If we look at our European counterparts, this is already quite common. It’s also going to be economically more viable and people get to explore what they are passionate about.
People nowadays need to shift that mindset of job security and 2020 certainly spearheaded that. We saw this at the beginning of lockdown where people were scrambling to make things happened and as time went on they began to ease down. A lot of people also think that things will get back to normal but they need to change that mindset because many lost their jobs overnight and this has made it clear that you need to have more than one income stream or some kind of back up plan for eventualities such as these.
This has also given the opportunity for entrepreneurs to grow and they are learning that they can create employment rather than waiting for companies to employ them.
When it comes to franchise opportunities with Express Employment, what do you offer potential franchisees?
Owning an Express Employment franchise means that you are able to be in business for yourself but not by yourself. Each office is on its own, which means that you have the autonomy to manage your office.
However, it’s not as simple as saying, here is the money to buy this franchise business and you get your own office. We have developed a strong brand because our franchisees have gone through our intense screening process. Every potential franchisee goes through a screening process to assess whether or not you have what it takes to fit in with Express Employment. Do you meet the requirements we need in order for your office to be a successful office?
Before a franchise can be awarded, we have an application process. The first step is for you to do your research. We will send the applicant an information kit. You look at what our franchise offers and what it entails to become a successful franchisee and after that you need to do your homework. Go look at your territory, who your competitors are and where will you set up shop. Is this a territory that is going to earn you money?
The next step is we look at your experience and your CV. We then ask you to complete a confidential questionnaire and sign a non-disclosure agreement. After your application is submitted we do our due diligence and we screen your application and then you will have an appointment with our MD and our Financial Director.
Besides the initial layout for the franchise, you will need to have sufficient finances for the running of your office for about 3 to 6 months, while you are setting up your client base.
We have a very strong culture of family at Express Employment Professionals and our way of operating is a proven system that has been perfected over decades.
What training does Express Employment Professionals offer?
Our training is very intensive and of global standard. All franchisees will come to our Head Office to undergo a week’s training. Here they will learn everything about the business from sales, marketing, accounting to IT systems. Everything to equip them to be successful.
We also offer ongoing training as well as on the job training. Training is done through our Express university because we believe that learning is no longer an option. We teach our franchisees how to keep up to our standards. Up skilling has to become a way of life.
With this ever changing world a lot of things we thought was going to happen didn’t happen the way we thought it would. Our whole way of working is changing especially with AI coming on board and robotics advancement we are moving more and more into an interconnected world. Robots will become part of the future and with this will come new jobs and new skills we need to learn in order to make ourselves employable.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in becoming a part of, you can contact Express Employment Professionals South Africa.
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