Last year, COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the U.S labor market—pushing the unemployment rate to near record highs and causing millions to leave the workforce.
But with a new year, comes new challenges. Today, there are two distinct, yet completely opposite ways of looking at the job market. If we look at the data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one could assume we have an abundant supply of workers. The unemployment rate is 6 percent, representing 9.7 million Americans who say they are actively looking for work.
However, we’re seeing thousands of help wanted signs and news headlines that tell a different story.
A recent article in the New York Times shows that numerous businesses—especially in the restaurant, retail and service industries—face a potentially catastrophic inability to hire. The anecdotes come from the biggest metropolitan areas to small towns across the US.
But why, after a year, as vaccinations continue to be pushed out across the country, are we seeing such reluctance among job seekers? We tuned in to a recent webinar along with hundreds of other organizations across North America searching for the same answers. Chris Forman, Appcast CEO and recruitment industry veteran, provides a few solid reasons in the video below.
From health concerns and expanded jobless benefits to still being needed at home are among the top reasons would-be workers might be staying away. And according to Pew Research, a full recovery for the labor market appears distant. So, what can businesses do to weather the worker shortage when all else fails?
With the emergence of the gig economy, the American workforce is evolving. The Retail Industry Leaders Association says that, “Technology is empowering individuals to choose when, where and how they work. As a result, the expectations of workers are changing and the opportunities available to retailers amongst others to provide more services to consumers and flexibility to workers are evolving.” But it doesn’t stop at retail.
In fact, research shows that flexible scheduling is the hallmark of why millions of Americans choose to work in retail among similar industries. From students to seniors to everyone in between, those seeking part-time employment enjoy the flexibility it provides.
Ensuring your payrate is on par with your talent competitors is crucial right now. Run searches on any of the major sites and see where you chalk up. If you’re too low, some experts recommend raising wages, saying it could provide a solution to the worker shortage.
“We’re going to go back to that really competitive marketplace for labor,” said Marc Wulfraat, the president of logistics consulting firm MWPVL. “It’s going to be a shock to companies that are paying low wages. They’re going to be the ones that are hit the worst, because all that low-wage labor is going to find a home elsewhere—where there’s more money to be made.”
According to a recent study by McKinsey & Company and the Retail Industry Leader Association, “Retailers can significantly expand their talent pools for hourly and frontline associates by tapping into on-demand labor models such as the gig economy. This independent workforce is large—68 million people, or 27 percent of the US working-age population—and is expected to account for the majority of the workforce by 2027.”
Not surprisingly, 70 percent of survey respondents said they plan to rely more heavily on flexible labor and are already forging partnerships with companies like Hyer. And for good reasons. Unique times such as this one, call for unique, but proven solutions. When traditional methods including in-house hiring and staffing agencies strike out—businesses that leverage the gig economy can address imminent labor challenges while better positioning themselves for success.
Sajal Kohli, Global Head of Retail & Consumer Goods at McKinsey & Company might have said it best. “The future is going to be decided by the big bets that you make—and the muscle you put behind it to create a winning strategy.” We couldn’t agree more.
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Breathing life into an idea and making it a reality, Jen has spent countless hours building the Hyer platform with three goals in mind: giving people a sense of purpose by providing them with meaningful work opportunities; helping businesses solve workforce problems; and giving back to the communities we serve.
Her passion for helping solve business challenges has fueled Jen for more than two decades. Prior to co-founding Hyer, she worked at PepsiCo—where she was responsible for overseeing the Sales and Go-to-Market IT systems for Pepsi North America Beverage—which spanned 35,000 users across US and Canada. In her role, Jen worked with Dave and Pankaj to spearhead the Sales Transformation initiative, which drove significant top and bottom line benefits for the company.
Jen holds a B.S. in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in MIS from the State University of New York at Albany.
Going on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? If 80’s & 90’s music and hairbands come up—use your phone a friend on Jen—she’ll have your back.
A people person by nature, Mike’s reputation for building meaningful relationships is second to none. Working to support business partners, his unwavering passion for helping customers find success at every stage is evident in the work he does.
Backed with nearly four decades of experience, Mike led the execution of retail sales priorities at Pepsi Co where he was responsible for growing 1.2B in annual revenue across the Central South Region. His dedication to customers along with his team earned him the recognition of Best of Pepsi in 2010.
Mike holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University.
While Mike might tell you he loves to play poker—what he won’t tell you is he has a terrible poker face.
Katie leads the marketing organization at Hyer with the honest belief that success comes through the success of others. In her role she oversees communications, marketing strategy and management across all channels. Katie brings with her a wealth of expertise from both in-house and agency experiences.
Prior to joining Hyer, Katie spent 20 years developing and executing marketing strategies for some of the nation’s largest brands. From major players like Microsoft—to leading tech start-ups—her work has earned her multiple American Advertising Awards, recognizing her for her creative and strategic spirit.
A storyteller by nature, make sure to carve out some time if you ask her about her love for fishing and hunting—just don’t tease her about her Minnesota accent.
Katie holds a B.A. in Marketing and Mass Communication from North Dakota State University. Go BISON!
Dan’s passion for helping partners succeed sparks from his upbringing in a three-generation small town grocer his family operated in New Jersey. While so much has changed by way of technical advancements, his belief is that people that still matter most, every time. With this overhead vision, Dan leads Hyer’s partnership strategy with the mission to build relationships in pursuit of a better way to work.
Prior to joining Hyer, Dan spent more than 15 years in the retail/eCommerce/gig space in partner-facing roles at Anheuser-Busch, Amazon and most recently Shipt where he served as VP of Business Development. In that role, Dan led all new partnership acquisition and revenue across Retail and CPG Industries and was responsible for expanding Shipt’s footprint through national and local partnerships.
If you can kick-start a conversation before Dan beats you to it—hit him up for his experience as a childhood textbook model. It’s worth a laugh.
A proud St. Joseph’s University Hawk, Dan holds a Master’s Degree in Food Marketing.
An experienced, accomplished and passionate leader, Mario is a quintessential “people person” that loves relationship building and dynamic problem-solving—which allows him to learn something new every day.
Bringing more than 35 years of executive experience to the Hyer team, Mario retired in 2018 as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Franchise Business Unit of PepsiCo North America. With an impressive track record of leading large and complex businesses to exceed profit targets, revenue growth, market share and organizational goals—he instilled a spirit of partnership among both company-owned and independent bottlers. That spirit of partnership still exists in the work he does today.
He holds a BS Degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Oswego.
Mario and his wife, Susan, reside in Brewster, New York—but flock to Palm Beach, Florida during the winter months so he can work on his golf game.
Standing at the forefront of expertise and innovation, Hyer Founder and CEO, Dave Dempsey knows a thing or two about fulfilling work. Backed by nearly four decades of executive experience—Dave launched Hyer in 2019 in an effort to change the way work gets done—while empowering people along the way.
Prior to starting Hyer, Dave spent 37 years at PepsiCo, building a strong reputation throughout many strategic and executive roles—most recently serving as the Vice President of Sales Transformation. Over his tenure at PepsiCo, Dave was the proud recipient of multiple awards—recognizing him for his proven results, outstanding ethics and overall drive for success.
While Dave is thrilled to have received Pepsi’s most prestigious honor, the Chairman’s Award, the most notable honors that top his personal list include his family, friends and faith. Dave is also a highly respected and competitive cornhole player, currently retaining the title for reigning champion at family events.
Dave holds a BA in Marketing from the University of Hartford in Connecticut.
Pankaj is not your average CTO. He has the ability to think creatively and analytically at the same time—making him our go to guy for nearly any problem. With deep knowledge of technology and infrastructure—coupled with strategy—Pankaj is able to think outside the box and give form and shape to ideas that continually drive results. From legal and financial to market research and branding—his expertise and dedication has helped position Hyer for growth time and time again.
Bringing more than two decades of experience to the Hyer team, Pankaj led Pepsi Beverages Mobility Strategy—which was part of a $100 million dollar sales transformation program designed to support their 30,000+ strong sales force. Driving the development, deployment and oversight of 19 sales and GTM mobile apps—his work enabled the sales team to achieve stellar results.
Pankaj holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the prominent Indian Institute of Technology.
If bass guitar strikes a chord with you, his band Raagatonic might be up your alley!
Dan knows a thing or two about solving operational headaches—and works tirelessly to ensure things run not just smoothly—but efficiently. Continuously helping customers improve the way they go about their business; Dan also leads efforts to attract and retain Taskers in meaningful ways.
Passionate about providing a new way for people to make a living outside of the normal corporate structure, Dan was Hyer’s first (and #1 Tasker)—which gave him a deep appreciation for the 50,000+ Taskers who have since followed.
Before joining Hyer, Dan worked for PepsiCo where he managed sales efforts that drove 12 million in gross revenue. Dan received B.A. in Business with a focus in marketing from John Carroll University—go Blue Streaks!
If you’re looking to start a garden—Dan’s the man you want to ask for advice. Just don’t hit him up on beach volleyball night.
When it comes to digging in and making sense of numbers, Joey is our go-to guy. Managing the day-to-day accounting and finance functions at Hyer—he lends a hand to ensure overall operations are running smoothly (and on budget).
Working alongside family—Joey jumped at the chance to join the Hyer team early on as he firmly believes the Hyer App has tremendous potential to positively impact the way work gets done.
Prior to joining Hyer in 2019, Joey spent several years working in due diligence and has extensive knowledge in financial analysis and revenue trends. He holds a BBA in Accounting from Loyola University in Chicago.
While Joey loves to talk numbers—if you really want to kickstart a conversation—just ask him about his can koozie collection.