RFL: Strategy for 2009- Adaptive Staffing

Recruiting may seem like a low priority for businesses today facing hiring freezes, or worse. But a recession requires a different way of thinking. Employers who take advantage of this market will come out stronger and more diverse when the economy finally turns around. In an environment where companies are forced to do more with less, it is critical that employers leverage the skills and talents of their existing workforce, and make sound hiring decisions based on this new climate.

Economic Turns
When JobsInNH.com entered the market six years ago as a small start-up selling employment advertising, the unemployment rate was at its highest since 1994, coming in at 4.7%. Total employment was just over 680,000 statewide. In the years that followed, a strong economy prevailed with job growth expanding both nationally and state-wide.

What drove job growth across New Hampshire? Strong business development initiatives, coupled with a growing national economy. As a result, unemployment declined, bottoming out at 3.3% during the 4th quarter of 2007, the lowest quarterly rate since early 2001. This blossomed into an attractive environment for professionals willing to relocate, and April 2008 saw total employment reach its highest level ever, with 717,625 persons on NH payrolls.

In the second half of 2008, everything changed. While final numbers had not been released at the time of this printing, forecasts suggested that total employment in November would end at approximately 713,000 persons. It’s no surprise that the instability of the economy will continue to have dramatic affects on the labor market for the next several months as businesses tighten their belts.

Adaptive Staffing
In the months to come, employee productivity and personnel decisions will weigh heavily on bottom lines. Through better recruiting and staffing techniques, businesses can significantly reduce turnover costs, resulting in increased quality of work, productivity, and, ultimately, profitability.

Staffing Expertise
JobsInNH assists local businesses in leveraging their workforce and identifying internal solutions to seize these opportunities, by offering educational webinars and seminars through JobsInNH University. For the past four years, JobsInNH has presented internet recruiting and employment advertising workshops across the state. Accredited by the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), these programs help businesses to better understand the recruiting market, providing timely content and pragmatic approaches to identify, attract, and retain the best employees.

In 2009, employers will have access to several new accredited programs developed and presented exclusively by JobsInNH University. From understanding social media's impact on the workforce, to developing strategies to optimize staffing during a recession, employers can choose from an array of educational content.

One session, Employment Branding 20/20, was recently presented to the Seacoast Human Resource Association. This program provided HR professionals with techniques to decrease recruiting costs while increasing employee retention by creating best in class employment branding. All of the programs presented by JobsInNH University will give employers the specific tools and guidance they need to achieve results using their own in-house resources.

Employers can find more detailed information about these programs, and register for upcoming sessions at www.jobsinnh.com.


THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN FOR AND ORIGINALLY PRINTED IN THE DECEMBER 19, 2008 ISSUE OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW. THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY JASON BLAIS, THOUGH THE NHBR ARTICLE PUBLISHED A TYPO IN THE BYLINE.