Happy Anniversary, CWS Summit!

This year marks the 10th annual gathering of contingent workforce professionals. What a difference the years have made.

In 2005, Staffing Industry Analysts launched its first CWS Summit in 2005 in Chicago, boasting around 200 attendees. Also in that year:

  1. MSP was a relatively new model for administering contingent workforce programs.
  2. VMS was just beginning to partner with MSP and was not ubiquitous among large buyers of staffing services.
  3. Procurement was not a thing. They were not involved in CW management; it was HR that handled vendor lists (read: preferred suppliers.)
  4. If you were a supplier of staffing services, you likely had a direct relationship with a hiring manager. It could involve rounds of golf and fun.

Since then, much has changed.

  1. This epoch saw the beginning of the involvement of procurement professionals, who began to recognize just how large contingent workforce spend really was. 
  2. The C-suite became informed and involved. Eventually, the Great Recession only served to confirm the advantages of the flexibility that the CW bought to an organization.
  3. The role of the contingent workforce manager became a reality. First established as part-time, the role expanded in scope, responsibility—and visibility.
  4. VMS and MSP became established players in the staffing ecosystem. Despite controversy, they continued to grow.
  5. The programs had it. CW programs multiplied until today contingent labor makes up 18% of the typical large company’s labor force—and that share is rising.

And now

That brings us back to this year’s 10th annual CWS Summit, when around 900 attendees will descend upon Las Vegas. The trend that started in 2005 with CW neophytes mingling with old-timers sharing ideas and best practices continues. But in the midst of this hullabaloo, I’d like to call out five sponsors of this event who have been with Staffing Industry Analysts from the very beginning supporting our endeavors: Allegis Global Solutions, Bartech, Staff Management, ManpowerGroup/Tapfin and Kelly OCG. Kudos to them for their commitment to us, the space and for their strategic insight in promoting the role of the CW manager. These folks are being recognized at the Summit in Las Vegas. They as well as other sponsors make for great raconteurs. Learn about the latest trends, technology, share your ideas and more. We look forward to seeing you there.