Issue link: https://insights.randstadsourceright.com/i/766047
www.randstadsourceright.com Political instability tempers business confidence among Belgian human capital leaders With recent domestic security turmoil disrupting everyday life in Belgium, human capital leaders here were among the least optimistic in their political outlook, according to the 2016 Q4 Talent Intelligence Outlook survey. This may explain why among all respondents they held the second-lowest prediction for significant growth in the next 12 months. This was despite the fact that 100% of Belgians reported growth in the past 12 months as either above expectations or had met company goals. Certainly it indicates a level of cautiousness among Belgian leaders. Only 4% of respondents said the current political climate will open up tremendous opportunities, and just 19% believe it will have a very positive impact. On the other hand, only 8% believe the current climate will have a very negative impact. Half said the political environment either will have no impact on their business or did not applied to their organization. Human capital leaders here were least bullish when it comes to hiring, with only 18% predicting that they will need to hire extensively in the next 12 months to keep up with growth. Only 22% said they did so in the past 12 months, the second lowest among the 10 countries surveyed. When it comes to talent innovation, Belgian leaders were mostly focused on the basics, with 61% saying their top area of investment was in online training and development platforms. A majority (57%) also ranked Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and Vendor Management Systems (VMS) among their investment priorities. Overwhelmingly (83%), they believed their organizations were spending an appropriate amount on innovation. Three takeaways • After a relatively strong second quarter in which Belgium's GDP rose .5%, third-quarter growth slowed to only half that rate, with a modest .2% rise. That may explain our survey respondents' lackluster forecasts for future growth. • Human capital leaders largely agree that talent analytics will play a more crucial role in the workplace in the near future, as will employers' increasing expectations of talent and growing acceptance that the right talent can come from anywhere. • There is also broad recognition that technology is facilitating recruitment even as the talent gap is widening. Shifting expectations, the loss of the human touch and the gig economy are most often cited issues by Belgian leaders TOP ISSUES OR CONSIDERATIONS AT THE RESPONDENT'S ORGANIZATION PERCENTAGE OF WORKFORCE CURRENTLY CONTINGENT 23% 42% 19% The percentage of contingent talent deployed by Belgian companies is comparable to organizations elsewhere 11-20% of the workforce 21-30% of the workforce 31-40% ofthe workforce MANAGEMENT ROBOTICS Ro TALENT FLEXIBILITY INTELLIGENCE WORKFORCE STRATEGIES Ws TALENT INNOVATION RESOURCING STRATEGIES Rs RECRUITMENT R CONTINGENT WORKFORCE Cw WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT Wm WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT Wm MANAGED SERVICES PROGRAM MsP CONTINGENT TALENT Ct CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE Ce AUTOMATION Au GIG WORKERS Gw TECHNOLOGY TOOLKIT Tt TECHNOLOGY TOOLKIT Tt CAREER TRANSITION SERVICES CtS STATEMENT OF WORK SoW SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT Sm VENDOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM VmS HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Hi PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS Pa EMPLOYER VALUE PROPOSITION EvP TALENT CONSULTANCY Tc talent intelligence outlook: Belgium facts 12% 12% 12% Online recruiting takes away the people side of this business Talent's expectations of employers are continually increasing The gig economy drives growth