Originally published in HRO Today
Talent is clearly the true differentiator in the 21st century. Having the right talent at the right time and in the right place is even more paramount in the current economic situation. However, organizations will need to understand the megatrends impacting the talent market, including the demographic shift, generational differences, globalization, and changing workplace requirements and expectations. Organizations need to align their talent acquisition strategies to remain successful in the long run.
The success of recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) in creating value for buyers is evinced by the rapid growth of this market over the last few years. The RPO market has reached $1.4 billion in annual contract value (ACV) in 2011, and the market is expected to continue on a high-growth trajectory.
RPO has the potential to create value and impact at three levels: cost, business, and strategic. In the early stages of RPO (RPO 1.0), it addressed the cost and the business impact considerations focusing on elements that are low hanging fruits and easy to measure and quantify. The next generation of RPO (RPO 2.0) addresses the cost and business impact on a holistic basis and also starts to create strategic benefits for organizations. It calls for taking a comprehensive approach to talent acquisition—inclusion of internal and external hire management both as well as wide process inclusion—in particular and talent management in general. It requires identifying, impacting, tracking, and measuring more strategic metrics that are business-outcome oriented.
