Why offer a flexpool as a staffing agency or temp agency?

Job market is changing. Gig economy is emerging. Flexible deployment of employees is becoming increasingly important for clients. But apart from the changing demand, competition is also increasing. With all the modern tools, it's becoming easier and easier to start a staffing agency or a temp agency.

To remain relevant, you must, as a labour mediator, adapt to these changes. Not convinced? We give you four reasons to start that flexpool anyway.

1. The market is structurally changing.

Flexibility is the order of the day today. Short-term positions, on-demand work, and freelancing, those are the new magic words. This applies to the entire spectrum of the labour market. According to CBS, in the Netherlands alone, the number of temporary workers and freelancers has grown from one million to over 1.9 million in fifteen years. A movement that seems unstoppable and that you, as a temp agency or labour mediator, better take seriously.

2. Recruitment, matching, and detachment are shifting online

The number of online staffing and detachment agencies is steadily growing. The journey to a set office will become less familiar to job seekers. Like banks, they too will gradually disappear from the streetscape. Supply and demand are automatically matched, reducing search costs. Just like in a fast-food restaurant where we clear the table ourselves or a to-go shop where we scan the groceries ourselves, in the staffing industry, candidates are increasingly doing more themselves. Personal advice is becoming less important. Moreover, the transaction is handled digitally, further reducing the cost. It's logical that clients are less willing to pay for the match, putting pressure on margins.

3. Generating additional revenue

On the one hand, the shift from traditional to online is putting pressure on margins, but on the other hand, this shift offers agencies that do not yet have a flexpool the opportunity to generate additional revenue. However, many agencies do not start a flexpool because they find it too time-consuming. In our opinion, a missed opportunity. Yes, such a flexpool brings a lot of operational hassle. If you don't organise it well, you'll indeed spend the whole day texting, calling, and adjusting schedules in Excel. But a flexpool also offers you the opportunity to attract new clients and thereby tap into new sources of income. Even if you still want to work with ad-hoc planning, these points of attention will get you a long way.

4. The threat of the gig economy is real

So more and more tasks are shifting to online platforms. You can no longer ignore this shift. This doesn't necessarily mean that it's all to the advantage of online players; the 'traditional' staffing industry can also grab a piece of the pie. But it's clear: to remain relevant, you need to digitise and get started with that flexpool.