Report Finds Nearly Half of Companies Struggle to Secure Contingent Workers and Freelancers to Fill Assignments

HANOVER, Md., December 14, 2021 - Allegis Global Solutions (AGS), the leading provider of global workforce solutions, has released its latest report, “Getting Strategic About the Extended Workforce:

A Real-World View from Today’s Procurement Leaders.”

Among the findings of the report, 46% of procurement and business leaders rank “access to quality talent or resources” as their “most challenging” pain point in their contingent workforce strategy. They have trouble filling assignments or engaging the right resources quickly and effectively.

At the same time, only 19% of procurement and business leaders feel their extended workforce approach is aligned with a broad corporate strategy and process. The lack of a firm connection between business strategy and the use of extended workforce resources stands in the way of improving their access to critical talent.

Based on a 2021 survey commissioned by AGS and conducted by WBR Insights, the report explores the challenges associated with agile staffing and extended workforce procurement. The survey included phone interviews with 100 business leaders across the US and Canada, all in executive, director or senior management roles with procurement as part of their focus.

Findings in the report point to a challenging business environment as organizations draw from an increasingly complex mix of permanent employees, contingent workers and services providers. Notable areas of priority and concern include:

• Managing Resources: 55% of companies struggle to manage their contingent staffing agencies, and nearly half (47%) struggle to manage statement of work (SOW)-based services.

• Consistency of Processes: The largest portion of respondents rate their processes for engaging and managing contingent talent as only somewhat consistent (50%).

• Worker Classification: 56% of respondents consider accurately classifying contingent resources as a top priority for improving their extended workforce engagement capability.

• Growing Importance of Flexibility: Over one-third of respondents claim their priorities for increasing the flexibility of their contingent workforce management strategy have “moderately” (27%) or “greatly” (11%) increased.

• An Emphasis on Holistic Workforce Strategy: Most respondents have prioritized (40%) or already use (21%) a holistic approach to attracting and hiring all forms of talent — as part of their corporate plan.

“The global extended workforce is growing more complex, creating challenges and opportunities for companies around the world,” notes AGS Senior Program Executive, Service Excellence, Procurement Solutions, Joe David. “From accessing talent, to boosting workforce visibility, managing costs and improving worker classification, this report sheds light on many of the issues AGS is helping procurement and business leaders face every day. We’re pleased to share insights that can help organizations create more informed procurement strategies for a lasting business advantage.”

“Getting Strategic About the Extended Workforce” is part of a series of workforce strategy publications AGS is producing to highlight how smart solutions and technology are transforming the way companies get work done. The report is available to download here: https://learn.allegisglobalsolutions.com/en-us/getting-strategic-about-the-extended-workforce.