There’s no getting around it: Hiring managers and companies with positions to fill have it tough right now. Just as the pandemic shook up so many of our global systems, it also created a labor shortage – which has yet to find its equilibrium.

Employers who hold out, waiting for a sudden shift in the winds, should expect to be sitting on their hands for quite a while. The current bear market for employers isn’t expected to turn for the foreseeable future. In fact, according to U.S. News & World Report, “economists are now starting to believe the pandemic has changed the behavior of the job market in ways that could have a lasting impact, indeed even resetting the relationship between workers and their employers.”

With companies having trouble not only filling open positions but also holding on to their best employees, uncertainty for hiring professionals – even in the near term – may be at an all-time high. During a labor shortage, there are only so many ways a business can respond in order to avoid significant risk while still remaining competitive. Here’s an excellent starting point: hire high-quality contractors who are proven performers.

Targeting the best freelancers will require some urgency and a cost premium in the current market, but the payoff for employers can’t be overstated.

Contractors come with the usual advantages for companies: maximum workforce flexibility, a larger pool of candidates from which to choose and a quicker turnaround in the hiring process. But in this environment, those benefits have become even more critical for most organizations.

And the workforce landscape being what it is today is why high-quality contractors are especially important across all industries. The best freelancers are experienced and versatile, able to negotiate the learning curve at a new company quickly. Hand-holding by staff isn’t necessary for these contract employees, who have a demonstrated ability to work autonomously even in unfamiliar roles. Moreover, many of these top-shelf contractors are capable of more than one job, or multiple sets of duties, meaning they are more likely to be equipped to be brought back as a resource – particularly after they are familiar with a company’s personnel and systems and the company is pleased with their quality of work.

With a talent cloud like PeopleCaddie, identifying and hiring these high-quality freelancers has never been easier. Filter, search and scroll to find our member contractors with the ideal skill sets and experience levels for your company’s needs.

Don’t sit idly by waiting for the best candidates to come to you. The highest-quality contractors are in demand and won’t come cheap. But an investment in the right talent cloud service and gold-standard freelancers will reward businesses with the combination of flexibility and productivity that can help them expertly navigate through the uncertainties of The Great Resignation.

Interested in learning more about PeopleCaddie’s talent cloud? Learn how it works here.