Bridging skills gaps is one of the most common and difficult challenges HR managers face in the modern world of work.
Research has shown that talent shortages exist all over the world and in various industries. In the UK, for example, it has been reported that four out of five manufacturers are facing a critical undersupply of skilled staff.
The European Commission has estimated there could be up to 756,000 unfilled jobs in the European ICT sector. A long-term outlook from Korn Ferry suggests there will be global labor shortages of 85.2 million skilled workers by 2030, which could lead to lost revenue opportunities of more than $8.4 trillion.
If bridging skills gaps is a goal for you at the moment, emphasizing diversity and inclusion in the workforce is one strategy that could help you achieve it.
If finding people with the right skills is becoming a constant struggle, it's worth asking whether you need to broaden your horizons and develop a deeper pool of talent to draw from. Always looking in the same place means you're likely to get the same results every time.
Prioritizing workforce diversity and positioning your organization as one that provides equal opportunities for all will help you access a wider array of talent, qualifications and experience.
As well as giving you a better chance of acquiring the hard skills you need, hiring from a more eclectic pool can bring new attitudes, outlooks and problem-solving techniques into the workplace.
There are many ways to approach the task of becoming more diverse and inclusive. In traditionally male-dominated industries like IT, engineering and construction, most employers will have opportunities to expand their skills base and bring fresh perspectives into the workforce by focusing on gender equality.
Conducting a workforce diversity audit could help you identify specific opportunities for improvement within your organization.
One company that has taken a targeted approach to building a more varied, multifaceted workforce is computing giant Dell. The firm designed a hiring program specifically for people with autism, which dropped traditional interviews - something autistic candidates can find difficult - in favor of a two-week assessment followed by a 12-week internship.
Dell's efforts to tap into new talent pools have also focused on groups including veterans and people re-entering the workforce after raising children.