How quickly the human resources environment has changed since we first posted our article “The Advantages of Boomerang Hiring in a Tight Labor Market” in December of 2019. At that time we were looking at the best unemployment numbers of a lifetime at just 3.5%, which was a 50-year low, and we focused on the recruiting challenges and advantages of boomerang hiring in a tight labor market. That was the official U3 number reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the time.
Then along came Covid 19 and the ensuing shutdowns and supply chain disruptions that torpedoed the burgeoning 2020 economic boom forecasted by so many respected business gurus, including investment expert Jim Cramer. According to an informative report at The Balance, real unemployment in November of 2020, known as the U6 number, came in at 12% after peaking in April at 22.8%. As of this writing even the more limited official U3 number stood at 6.7%, nearly double the 2019 record low by December of 2020.
The U6 number accounts for a greater range in the US workforce including the underemployed, marginally attached workers, and discouraged workers who have simply given up on the job search process. So in well under 1 year we went from “the best unemployment numbers of a lifetime” to approaching Great Depression levels in April of 2020. The good news of the last quarter of turbulent 2020 is that ½ million people returned to work in November.
And just as boomerang hiring had distinct advantages in the tight labor market of the pre-Covid 19 era, it is also a highly effective recruiting strategy when it’s time to reassemble your 2021 workforce to achieve recovery and be prepared for unprecedented growth as we put the disruptions of the corona crisis behind us.
Recovering the Professional Workforce in 2021
In mining, manufacturing, and the Engineering and Construction (E&C) sectors recovery from the disruptions of 2020 is the common mission for those organizations who have managed to weather the 2020 covid storm.
In the MMM (minerals, metals, mining) sector, soaring precious metals demand and a commodities supercycle is being fueled by the global movement toward electric vehicles and advanced digitization. Manufacturing executives aren’t preparing for mere recovery but for unprecedented growth in 2021 as the world seeks more reliable alternatives to the shaky CCP supply chain exposed by the corona crisis in 2020. The E&C sector’s focus will be to catch up on the immense backlogs of civil construction and infrastructure projects in their order books. With these goals in mind, it’s time to recover the workforce that gets it all done.
Shutdowns may have scattered the professional workforce with furloughs (unpaid leaves of absence) or economic pressures that induced career moves simply to maintain personal income levels to meet financial responsibilities. In other words those professionals who went from one organization to another may not have made those job moves except by necessity. Boomerang hiring is simply the term for an employee who has left and is now returning. When it’s time to relaunch your company’s 2021 dream team, boomerang hiring once again provides many human resource benefits including:
- The boomerang, or “rehire” personnel are already familiar with your company culture. The boomerang employee knows what to expect and what will be expected in terms of performance, and for your organization their job performance is a known quantity.
- The original background screening and qualification evaluations have already been done for the original hire, the rehiring process is much more streamlined and the boomerang hire can resume contributing to productivity much more quickly. And they’ll be bringing more experience back with them to benefit your company.
- Onboarding, training, orientation time, and expenses are significantly reduced by returning employees with operational experience specific to your processes under their belts, as compared to hiring a brand new candidate who must be oriented to company processes and best practices from scratch. They may even be in a position to train new hires for you upon returning.
- Increased Retention- A highly motivational sense of self-value is experienced by the boomerang employee, who will most likely perceive the “rehire” offer as a career move equal to advancement. Quite frequently the pandemic-induced job move has proven that the grass isn’t always greener than what your organization has to offer. The result is a highly motivated team player, already primed and ready with the crucial experience needed to contribute to your company’s success. Knowing that “my old boss wants me back” can inspire enduring loyalty to the organization.
Enhanced Boomerang Hiring With Resource Erectors
When it’s time to expand your recruiting strategy and begin the boomerang hiring process to revive your company’s dream team Resource Erectors brings decades of specialized industrial human resource experience to the table.
We maintain ongoing relationships with the best-qualified professionals that keep your company connected to the top candidates in the workforce, specializing in industrial sectors across the board including mining, minerals processing, manufacturing, tunneling, aggregates, concrete, construction materials, engineering, civil construction and more. Staying connected to the best professionals you want back is the first step in successful boomerang hiring.
The next step is the actual rehiring process and Resource Erectors is standing by to assist with rehire offers for available jobs. Over 80% of Resource Erectors candidates placed are still contributing to the success of their companies 5 years later. With boomerang hiring, we can help your company reduce onboarding and training time and expenses while significantly increasing your organization’s retention rate and eliminating the risks and disruptions of a bad hire.
If you’re an experienced professional who is open to a rehire career move as the 2021 recovery commences, Resource Erectors is always on top of the latest career opportunities. Candidate services are available to connect you with the industry-leading companies in the US, North America, and Australia so don’t hesitate to contact us today so we can all get back to work in 2021.
