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Enduring truths about successful staffing firms — Executive Forum

February 23, 2016

The impact of technology is growing and staffing clients are becoming more sophisticated, but there continues to be enduring truths about successful staffing firms, said Barry Asin, president of Staffing Industry Analysts, during a keynote speech entitled “Where we came from, where we are going,” today at the Executive Forum in Phoenix.

Asin began his talk by harkening back to the days when the industry got its start. But he moved onto the present and the future.

Mobile, big data and video are technology change impacting the staffing industry in the near term, but more automation is coming, including the possibilities of bots and artificial intelligence and cognitive computing applications, Asin said.

Meanwhile, clients are becoming more sophisticated regarding the types of talent they are using. Over the next 10 years, clients plan to use more high-skill contingent workers, statement-of-work project-based workers and offshore workers.

However, Asin cited the enduring keys to success in the industry: the alignment between strategy, people, systems/processes and culture. What will you sell to whom and why should they buy from you versus anyone else? The people and systems and processes need to fit all that. The ineffable culture is key to bind it all together. Firms able to get this right have been very successful historically.

In the near future, Staffing Industry Analysts forecasted total staffing industry would grow 7% in 2015 and 6% this year, according to the last forecast in September,Asin said, but noted that was a more optimistic time. The forecast will be revised in April.

The Executive Forum continues through Thursday.