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The Battle for Brainpower
This month The Economist released their annual survey on talent, and this year they called it The Battle for Brainpower, commenting that "talent has become the world's most sought after commodity"
 

However, this isn't just another doom and gloom prediction of the future of the workforce, rather there are a mix of views, and a global perspective.  The articles included in the survey are:
  • Everybody's doing it – companies of all stripes have become aware of the need to gather talent
  • The world is our oyster - the talent war has gone global - and so have talent shortages
  • Opening the doors - governments are joining in the hunt for talent
  • Nightmare scenarios - western worries about losing jobs and talent are only partly justified
  • Masters of the universe - the war for talent is shifting the balance of power from companies to workers
  • The revenge of the bell curve - as talent becomes more valuable, inequalities are widening
  • Meritocracy and its discontents - not everybody is happy with the talent elite
While there are a mix of views, the overall message is a strong recognition that talent is not as easy to find as it used to be, and that it's getting harder.  But as you read this, remember that with good workforce planning you will be anticipating and analysing these global labor market changes, and continually positioning your organisation to be prepared for them.  Your organisation does not have to be a passive sufferer of these changes, rather you can use workforce planning to ensure that you actively negotiate them to achieve your business goals.
 
Of course, part of good workforce planning is being aware of the trends and issues in the global workforce, and this survey is a good source of information.  If you aren't a subscriber to The Economist, you can still read the leader, or you can buy a PDF of the entire survey from their site.
 
 
 Futures Conference
 
As workforce planners, we need to consider the impact of the outside world on our future workforce, and it can be informative, stimulating and inspiring to attend specialist futures events to help us.   

We attended the AusForesight event in Melbourne Australia this month, and as many of you would know our approach to Workforce Plannign is influenced by many futurist techniques, insights and methodologies, so we want to share some insights:

  • There are 3 approaches to the future:  1) avoiding it so as not to get it wrong; 2) thinking we’ll fix it when it happens; and 3) exploring it so we can prepare and being comfortable .  Of course Workforce Planning is the 3rd approach but Workforce Planners definitely have to deal with the other 2 approaches as they are quite often the attitudes of the people we need to engage!
  • There is a difference between making predictions and making forecasts.  When we make a "prediction" we are making a closed, final statement, and so limiting further exploration and discussion.  When we make a "forecast", though, we infer that judgement is involved, and so that we are representing an interpretation - which can then be influenced by discussion and become dynamic.  In workforce planning, dynamism is key, so we stay away from predicting, and use forecasting and anticipating to keep minds and exploration open.
Are there physical or virtual futures events or organisations around you?  Have you thought about leveraging them as a way to stimulate thought in your organisation about what the future might bring?  Here are a few sites you might want to start on!  http://www.futuresfoundation.org.au/, http://www.wfsf.org  and http://www.wfs.org/index.htm
  
Contact us if you have any other good futuring sites to share!
 
 
 
Thought for the Month
"The empires of the future will be empires of the mind"
Winston Churchill
 
Upcoming Events
Australia:  Strategic Workforce Planning Workshops, Canberra, November 8-9
 
 
In The Press

Ageing workforce - is the single biggest challenge facing the UK economy over the course of the next decade
 
Rising pollution hits Hong Kong's popularity - employers forced to offer expatriates increased compensation
 
Skills shortage could stall resources boom - the industry is being held back by its failure to attract, recruit and retain staff - HR Mag
 
The importance of place - As urbanisation accelerates worldwide, a handful of cities in each continent will attract the most talented - HR Mag
 
“Teleworking” has been over exaggerated, and may be overshadowing far more effective means of improving work/life balance - HR Mag
 
"Middlescents" feel lost, stuck and burnt-out. But behind their frustration lies a real hunger for renewal - Mgt Issues 
 
Planning for the future - Workforce planning is key to ensuring the long-term success of many organisations. - HR Magazine

Fewer U.S workers employed by foreign companies - raising fears that America could be losing its edge to generate jobs

Downloads
Wishful Thinking - our workforce planning white paper
 
Talking with Aruspex - an interview with us in IHRIM.link magazine August/September edition

After this month's special feature from the Economist, next month we'll bring the scheduled "But where do I start???" - an outline of the process three of our clients took to embed Strategic Workforce Planning.

 
http://www.aruspex.com