Staffing Industry Analysts opened its 10th annual CWS Summit Europe in London today, kicking off the conference with an introductory session and a keynote on “State of the Industry and a Path to the Future” by SIA's Senior Director of Contingent Workforce Strategies & Research, Peter Reagan.

In his research-driven keynote session Reagan covered some of the latest developments in workforce solutions and provided key strategies and insights, speaking to a packed room of more than 600 delegates including HR and professionals on the ‘state of the industry and a path to the future’.

“We are at a tipping point where in the next 5 to 10 years CW programs are going to be the driving force of the entire workforce,” Reagan said. He told the audience that they were part of a growing workforce solutions ecosystem and asked that they embrace the change.  Regan added that the contingent workforce is part of the strategic conversation where the focus has moved from the why to the how.

Among the key points also discussed in the keynote session include the candidate experience. It was critical not to ignore the candidate, the fact there is no real skills shortages, rather, the workers are just in the wrong places. (Reagan referenced Upwork data where there are 15 million people looking for 375,000 jobs). Furthermore, the keynote discussed the reality of the human cloud segment with 163 human cloud companies in the United States, 41 in china, 18 companies in the UK, 16 in France and 13 in Australia.  More programs were now reporting to HR and total talent acquisition was a rising trend.

The conference will continue through Wednesday and will also feature sessions covering future technology and strategy, optimising talent and operations, SIA’s latest research and the best service offerings from industry suppliers.