Project

Of

Performance appraisal

This report tells you how automobile company do recruitment and selection I chosen TOYOTA company this report tells you about selection and recruitment in 2009 that is recession time

A report submitted to as a part fulfillment of the Postgraduate Diploma in Management

Submitted to Prof.: Dr. Shubhash Gupta

Submitted by: Sheeba Agha

Section: P1

Roll #: 60

Name of Institute: Indian Institute of planning & Management

Year/Session: FW 2007-09

Acknowledgment

The M.B.A. programme is well structured and integrated course of business studies. The main objective of practical training at PGDBM level is to develop skill in student by supplement to the theoretical study of business management in general. Industrial training helps to gain real life knowledge about the industrial environment and business practices. The PGDBM programme provides student with a fundamental knowledge of business and organizational functions and activities, as well as an exposure to strategic thinking of management.

In every professional course, projects are very important factor. Professors give us theoretical knowledge of various subjects in the college but we are practically exposed of such subjects when we get the project work. It is only the projects through which I come to know that what an industry is and how it works. I can learn about various departmental operations being performed in the industry, which would, in return, help me in the future when I will enter the practical field. Projects are the important part of PGDBM. In todays globalize world, where cutthroat competition is prevailing in the market, theoretical knowledge is not sufficient. Beside this one need to have practical knowledge, which would help an individual in his/her carrier activities and it is true that.

“Experience is best teacher”.

INDEX

TOPIC Page

Introduction to project

Objective of project

Acknowledgment

Recruitment

Selection

TOYOTA profile

Recruitment and selection process in TOYOTA

2009 recruitment plan of TOYOTA

TOYOTA world class work flow through best selection method

Impact of recession in recruitment and selection process in Toyota

Bibliography

RecruitmentRecruitment refers to the process of screening, and selecting qualified people for a job at an organization or firm, or for a vacancy in a volunteer-based organization or community group. While generalist managers or administrators can undertake some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations and companies often retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies. External recruitment is the process of attracting and selecting employees from outside the organization.

Meaning of recruitment

Recruitment may be defined as the process of publicising information about job vacancies in the organization and including the prospective candidates to offer themselves for appointment in the

organization. It is the process of searching for prospective employees and encouraging them to apply for jobs in the organization .it is an important part of staffing and it is an ongoing process. The objective of recruitment is to procure a sufficiently large number of qualified candidates so that the most eligible employees can be selected. Recruitment brings together the job giver (employer) and the job seekers (applicants).

Recruitment can be done either from inside or from outside the organization.

Thus recruitment involves the following steps:

1) Identifying the sources of supply of adequate number and right type of personnel required .

2) Publicising information about job vacancies in the organization

3) Assessing alternative sources of manpower and choosing the best source.

4) Contacting the chosen source of recruitment to secure applications e.g. advertising for vacancies in a newspaper so as to stimulate the prospective candidates to offer themselves for employment.

Below dig will more to understand the recruitment process

Recruitment Process

Requirement

ContractContract to HireFulltime

Sourcing

Resume Screening

Job Boards

Vendors/Suppliers

Internal Database

References

Google/Yahoo Groups

Technology Forums

No

Internal Database

Yes

Telephonic Screening

Suitable

Suitable

Yes

No

Recruitment Process

Technical Evaluation

Suitable

No

YesRate Negotiation

Formatting

Consultant Details

NCA

Submission Process

Client Submission

Client Feedback

Reject

InterviewTelephonic

Face to Face

Interview Feedback

Reject

Accept

Paper Work

Joining Logistics

Background Check

MSA & PO

Internal Database

Recruitment process

Understanding the requirement contributes the most to our success in sourcing the accurate resume.

Sourcing

Job boards: Job Boards are used for both resume searching and requirement posting. Job boards mainly helps us in sourcing resumes for CTH and Fulltime positions apart from contract jobs. (We have accounts with Dice, Monster and Career Builder). There are few other free job boards like Corp2Corp.com, next job.

Vendors/Suppliers: These are the companies who market their own W2’s most of the time. We usually mass mail these vendors with the requirement and they in turn will reply with resumes of their consultants.

Internal Database: All the resumes we get from job boards search, vendors, and other sources will form our internal database for future reference.

References: When we speak to a consultant about a particular requirement and if they are not interested in that position; on request they will provide the references of their friend/colleagues for the same position.

Google/Yahoo Groups: Entire world has access to these groups so our chances of getting a resume will be high. We should identify technology specific groups or location specific groups and register with those groups and then we can send our requirement.

Technology Forums: Technology forum is the place where consultants will answer each other queries. We should register and can send requirement, if interested they will reply back.

Networking Websites: Networking websites like Linked In are also possible source of recruiting.

Recruitment process screening

Resume Screening: At this time you should compare the resume with the requirement and check whether all the required skills are present in the resume or not. If the consultant worked on one particular skill which is a must have for the requirement and failed to mention then we should ask him to update.

Telephonic Screening: We should give a brief of the job description; required skills etc… and check with him on the same. While talking to him you should evaluate him on his communication skill, relevant experience, confidence level, willingness to take the position.

Technical Evaluation: Should technically evaluate them by asking technical question. We can get lot of interview question form web.

Selection

Selection is the process of carefully screening the candidates to choose the most suitable persons for the job vacancies to be filled. Under it the qualifications, experience and background of applicants are evaluated in the light of job

requirements. itis the process of dividing the candidates into two categories, namely (a) those who are to be employed ,(b)those who are to be rejected .

Selection always done after recruitment .the basic purpose of selection is to choose the right type of candidate to fill various positions in the organization. Selection is a multi step process. It involves a series of steps by which candidates are screened to identify the most suitable persons for the job. Selection is a difficult process as it involves discretion and judgment .the sector have to find out the best possible fit between the job and the candidate . The candidates who meet the job requirements in the most satisfactory manner are finally selected.

Common Process of selection

Methods of selection process

Application forms

Psychometric tests

Group selection methods

Skills tests

Written and oral presentations

Case studies

Assessment centers

Technical interviews

Personality profile

Interviews

Practical tests

Application form This test takes the form of a multiple-choice biographical questionnaire and is more likely to be used by large organizations. Take care not to breach data protection or discrimination laws.

Psychometric tests There are three main types of psychometric test:

Tests of ability, aptitude or intelligence Questionnaires to measure 'personality' Questionnaires to establish interests and preferences

Group selection methods Group selection methods are most frequently used to assess candidates' leadership qualities and their ability to express themselves clearly and get on with and influence colleagues

Skill Test Skills test are used where candidates need to possess a particular skill in order to perform the job, e.g. word processing, use of software packages, prioritizing workloads, driving a motor vehicle, or operating a piece of machinery or laboratory equipment. Many such skills are taught and tested by outside bodies, in which case candidates are likely to hold certificates in proficiency but it is recommended that competency is checked by use of appropriate short skills tests.

Written and oral presentations are often used to assess the qualities of candidates applying for posts which require a complex set of skills, together with specific professional/academic knowledge. By asking candidates to prepare and deliver a presentation on a given subject, and in some cases to participate in a discussion afterwards, selectors can see an example of the individual's skills of written and oral presentation, analysis and reasoning, as well as gaining some evidence of their professional/academic knowledge and of their attitudes.

Case studies as with presentations, case studies can be a valuable way of assessing candidates' knowledge of a particular subject area, and their likely approach to handling a particular situation. This selection method is sometimes used for candidates for managerial posts, or for posts requiring knowledge of specific procedures, regulations or legislation.

Assessment centers It uses a variety of different tests, interviews and exercises like role plays and group exercises to evaluate a candidate's potential performance in a particular post.

Its duration is of several days during which time the participants are observed, and at the end of which they are given feedback on their performance. This selection method is extremely effective but costly. It is generally used when large numbers of candidates are being assessed.

The focus is on behavior

Practical tests

These test ability and are usually done for: Manual jobs - trade skills Secretarial jobs - word processing skills

Those working in call-centers or in telesales – telephone skills

Interviews Most common method.

Not always most valid method- depends on form of interview

Types of interviews:

Structured (much higher validity than unstructured) (questions oriented to past experience, and hypothetical questions)

Unstructured

Panel ((involving 2 or more interviewers, probably investigating some issues in some depth)

Company profile

Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and currently the world's largest automaker. Toyota employs approximately 316,000 people around the world.

Toyota employs approximately 316,000 people around the world.

In 1934, while still a department of Toyota Industries, it created its first product Type A engine and in 1936 its first passenger car the Toyota AA. The company was eventually founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father's company Toyota Industries to create automobiles. Toyota currently owns and operates Lexus and Scion brands and has a majority shareholding stake in Daihatsu Motors, and minority shareholdings in Fuji Heavy Industries, Isuzu Motors, and Yamaha Motors. The company includes 522 subsidiaries.

Toyota is headquartered in Toyota City and Nagoya (both in Aichi), and in Tokyo. In addition to manufacturing automobiles, Toyota provides financial services through its division Toyota

Financial Services and also creates robots. Toyota Industries and Finance divisions form the bulk of the Toyota Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the world.

Vehicles were originally sold under the name "Toyoda" (トヨダ), from the family name of the company's founder, Kiichiro Toyoda. In September 1936, the company ran a public competition to design a new logo. Out of 27,000 entries the winning entry was the three Japanese katakana letters for "Toyoda" in a circle. But Risaburo Toyoda, who had married into the family and was not born with that name, preferred "Toyota" (トヨタ) because it took eight brush strokes (a fortuitous number) to write in Japanese, was visually simpler (leaving off two ticks at the end) and with a voiceless consonant instead of a voiced one (voiced consonant is considered "murky" or "muddy" sound compared to the voiceless consonant, which is "clear"). Since "Toyoda" literally means "fertile rice paddies", changing the name also helped to distance the company from associations with old fashioned farming. The newly formed word was trademarked and the company was registered in August 1937 as the "Toyota Motor Company

In predominantly Chinese speaking countries using traditional Chinese characters (eg Hong Kong, Taiwan), Toyota is known as .In predominantly Chinese speaking countries using simplified Chinese characters (eg China), Toyota is known as '(pronounced as 'Fēngtián' in the Mandarin Chinese dialect). These are the same characters as the founding family's name "Toyoda" in Japanese, which translate to "fertile rice paddies" in the Chinese language as well.

From September 1947, Toyota's small-sized vehicles were sold under the name "Toyopet" The first vehicle sold under this name was the Toyopet SA but it also included vehicles such as the Toyopet SB light truck, Toyopet Stout light truck, Toyopet Crown and the Toyopet Corona. However, when Toyota eventually entered the American market in 1957 with the Crown, the name was not well received due to connotations of Toys and pets The name was soon dropped for the American market but continued in other markets until the mid 1960's.

History of Toyota His Toyota started in 1933 as a division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works devoted to the production of automobiles under the direction of the founder's son, Kiichiro Toyoda. It's first vehicles were the A1 passenger car and the G1 in 1935. Toyota Motor Co. was established as an independent and separate company in 1937.

Recruitment and Selection planning of Toyota 2009 (sources Times of India)TOKYO: Toyota Motor Corp. plans to halve recruitment of full-time workers in the next fiscal year starting in April to around 1,800 employees

The hiring cut is aimed at reducing personnel costs to deal with falling earnings at the nation's top automaker, which is suffering from a slump in global sales, the report said, quoting unnamed sources.

It will be the first time in seven years that the major Japanese automaker hires fewer than 2,000 full-time employees, and compares to about 3,600 full-time workers Toyota is taking on this financial year, the Nikkei said.

Toyota has also slashed thousand

Toyota to halve recruitment in 2009

Toyota plans to hire 1,400 new graduates in the year starting on 1 April, down from an estimated 2,733 in the current year

Tokyo: Toyota Motor Corp said on Thursday it will nearly halve its hiring of new graduates next business year to the lowest level in more than a decade as it copes with weak global demand for cars by cutting costs.

The world’s largest carmaker, heading for a record loss in the year ending on 31 March, said last month it aims to slash fixed costs including labor but without forcing job cuts.

Toyota plans to hire 1,400 new graduates in the year starting on 1 April, down from an estimated 2,733 in the current year.

It will be the lowest number since 1996, a Toyota spokesman said.

Toyota’s US operation has introduced a work-sharing programme and offered early retirement for those who leave instead of joining the programme.

Global auto sales have fallen by almost a quarter since January 2008 and by an even steeper margin in the United States, the biggest single market for Toyota and the struggling industry.

Toyota, which forecasts an operating loss of ¥450 billion ($4.69 billion) this financial year, is set to incur a loss of around ¥482 billion next year, according to a poll of 19 analysts by the Reuters Estimates.

Toyota shares closed down 2.2% at ¥2,965, against the Nikkei average’s fall of 0.3%.

Toyota Created a World-Class Workforce through selection

What was the pre- screen comprised of was it a standardizes off-the-shelf test?

Toyota uses select international’s App, which is an automated, interactive application process that allows applicants to apply for open positions using a touchtone phone or the Internet. The entire application process usually lasts just 10 minutes and automatically determines qualified candidates for the next step in your hiring process. The EZ App process is customized through your

tailored questions and scripts, allowing candidates to get an accurate description of the job and your company.

How did H.R respond to multiple languages of various applicants with your virtual of the jobs?

English is the official language of Toyota, so it is a job requirement that all applicants speak English.

Do you still utilize the IVR phone application?

Yes it is utilized in facilities across Toyota

Regarding the group exercise how long is the exercise? What are the objective of the group exercise? What kinds of activities are performed?

The group exercise is a hands-on simulation where candidates must work together as a team to build toy cars. They are given ambiguous data to encourage discussion amongst the team members during the decision making process. The following competencies are measured during the assessment

-Working with Others

-Positive Attitude

-Leadership

-Oral Communication

The simulation takes approximately two hours

Are these assessment tools customizable across different

Yes. Select International has a variety of tools designed for use in most industries. The assessment tools can be further customized to account for organizational, regional, and environmental differences within industries.

Who does the scoring on the email in-basket? Trained assessors or is this somehow automated

All scoring is performed by a trained assessor

What was the scoring procedure for the 6-hour segment of the assessment? Was there a report produced on each candidate’s performance?

Toyota’s simulation was computer automated so that they were automatically able to retrieve candidate scores on such competencies such as Work Pace, Attention to Detail, and Fine Motor Skills. Assessors’ primary duty was to monitor candidates’ Safety Orientation. Scoring was based on norms developed from a large data sample that was collected from the first few hundred candidates, in conjunction with a scoring profile that was based on an in depth job analysis of the position being assessed.

When developing the virtual auditions, screening, simulations, etc., what did you do in order to make sure you didn’t have disparate impact issues?

A validation study was performed to make sure there weren’t any disparate impact issues.

1) Typically, how long does a candidate take to complete the web-based assessment?

2) How do you set candidates’ expectations on the time it takes to complete the assessment (and other simulations/exercises?

3) Finally, do candidates resist the amount of time it takes to go through entire application process?

1) Generally, it takes a candidate between 90 and 120 minutes to complete the web-based assessment.

(2) Select International recommends using proctored sessions, where the proctor goes through a script with all participants prior to them beginning the assessment. In addition, candidates are informed of what to expect when scheduling their assessment session.

(3) No – candidates do not resist the amount of time it takes to go through the entire application process. Select has performed several studies where we survey candidates at various stages in the hiring process. These studies have found that candidates have very favorable impressions of this type of application process. In fact, most studies indicate that people prefer job-relevant hiring processes where they are given ample opportunity to demonstrate their ability. Further, applicants have and have them a favorable impression of Toyota even if they were selected as an employee.

Specifically, what are the components of the Virtual Web Based Assessment?

The Select Assessment for Manufacturing is modular and is tailored to individual companies and positions within those companies

What happens if the candidates injure themselves during the VJA process?

All candidates are given a safety orientation and sign a waiver prior to participating in the VJA. In addition assessors monitor each candidate’s behavior and advise them when they are unsafe. The VJA was conducted near the Toyota plant, so there was also an EMT nearby for quick response as a precaution.

How long did it actually take to put together the actual simulations?

For Toyota, it took about 18 months to develop the simulation process. A typical production simulation takes 4-8 months, depending on the complexity of it.

Are there any jobs that you wouldn’t suggest be candidates for web-based assessments?

If you are not an employer of choice in the area where you have a facility or if the work is such that you have trouble finding applicants at all, then web-based assessments generally aren’t a good fit for your problem.

How often do the simulations get updated? Do they get outdated quickly or often?

Select constantly monitors the utility of the systems and modifies as necessary Typically modifications are made to the scoring profile and not to the simulation itself as they are designed with the future in mind.

Do you have an assessment tool that you use to actually create the simulation? And how do core competencies come into effect with the design of the simulation and are responses weighted?

The simulations are all developed by Select International using our in-house technology.

The Virtual Job Audition is tailored to each client weighing competencies that are important to each job family. It is a modular system, so it is easily customizable for each client or specific job.

What is the most effective way to sniff out a cutter?

The most effective way to sniff out a cutter is through a very thorough assessment process, like the Virtual Job Audition

Can you give an example of a question that can identify a cutter? How do you screen out someone faking their answers, per regular behavioral interviews?

There is no magic question that can identify a cutter. Select Interviewing™ is an in-depth interview training program that equips interviewers with questions, techniques and resources to aid them in identifying cutters

How were the Job Fit questions developed? Is this customized or off-the-shelf?

The job fit questions are developed from the thorough Job Analysis performed by Select International, where they walk the floor, meet with focus groups, etc. The job fit questions are customized for each client based on this job analysis

At what point in the process is a candidate considered an “Applicant” for Affirmative Action reporting purposes?

Select International uses the definition outlined in 2005 by the OFCCP concerning who is an "applicant" in the context of the Internet and related technologies.

How do you verify who you are assessing is the real candidate you are considering hiring (that they don’t have another person complete online requirements for them)?

For Toyota, the initial application process is the only phase where the applicant isn’t in a proctored environment. All applicants are required to bring a photo ID to the assessment center for testing and the assessment itself as well as the production exercise is proctored

Please describe the process you went through to validate that your selection process was not discriminatory or result in adverse impact.

Select implies rigorous content and criterion-related validation studies to ensure that all pieces of the selection process are job-related and predict performance. Additionally, Select takes special care to ensure that the hiring systems do not have adverse impact

Do you use a job fit survey of some kind to determine the patterns of your star performers and then survey candidates and try to find people that match the pattern of the star performers? How do you, if you do at all, focus on a person’s talent rather than just skills?

(1) Select analyzed the jobs for which the process is being created using an in-depth job analysis process. This included: a work environment analysis, interviews with high performing incumbents, supervisors, and other people with expert job knowledge; surveying incumbents, supervisors and managers, and a job visioning meeting. This data was analyzed and used to set the hiring profiles and cutoffs. (2) Select International’s selection systems are competency-based, focusing on an individual’s aptitude (talent).

What are your thoughts on using recruiters for certain positions?

If you have trouble getting people in the hiring funnel or if you are hiring someone in a very competitive labor market for a specialized position, then recruiters are effective.

How can I find “structured behavioral interviewing training” for managers?

Select International offers both 1-day and 3-day certification trainings for behavioral interviewing. Select’s behavioral interviewing program is called Select Interviewing and can be delivered either on-site at your location or in a public workshop setting several times throughout the year

Is there an automated way that applicants are informed that they have not “passed” into the next stage or how is this communicated to them?

Letters are mailed out automatically to applicants in most case letting them know that they haven’t passed into the next stage of the application process

Do you think that this employee selection process should be used by state government agencies?

This process can be used to hire people for any organization and in any industry. State and government agencies could drastically reduce their administrative costs associated with hiring and also decrease several undesired employee behaviors (turnover, absenteeism, etc.)

How does the virtual assessment process address Affirmative Action reporting requirements?

SelecTrak, Select International’s Applicant Tracking System can show comparative pass ratios for EEOC and standard deviation for the OFCCP.

CURRENT TRENDS OF HIRINGIN 2009

As organizations prepare for a challenging year ahead, there are several manpower tends that are set to impact them and will play a part in affecting their competitiveness and perhaps even their viability.

The global recession in 2009 will be a testing time for most organizations. The year 2008 also proved to be a difficult year for the job market. Though employers were cautious in the beginning of the year, they still anticipated a slow, yet steady hiring environment with continued job creation throughout 2008. But as the global economy weakened and entered into a recession, organizations are expected to maintain hiring prudence While job creation and recruitment in 2009 are expected to be lower, organizations cannot all be freezing headcounts. According to CareerBuilder.com's 2009 Job Forecast survey which tracks projected hiring trends for 2009, organizations are taking a "wait and see" approach to hiring. The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, surveyed 3,259 private sector hiring managers and human resource professionals

It revealed that 14 per cent of employers plan to increase full-time, permanent employees in 2009, compared to 32 per cent who expected to expand their staff in 2008. Sixteen per cent plan to have staff reductions, 56 per cent foresee no change and 13 per cent of employers are unsure of their hiring plans.

As employers approach the job market with a cautious attitude, they also plan to utilize the resources already at their disposal. Here are seven major hiring trends to expect from employers in 2009.

Paying More to Keep Talent

Despite the fact that many employers are looking for ways to cut costs, they don't anticipate trimming salaries as a way to do so. As more firms try to compete in the global market, they learn that the quality of their people is critical to winning business.

Those firms often start by asking "How do we select talented employees?". But a smarter question would be "How can we keep our talented employees?"--because the financial implications of losing a single talented worker can be enormous.

If you think global giant Microsoft and a local small or medium enterprise (SME) in a flatted factory have nothing in common, you might be surprised to learn that they share the same dilemma day in and day out. The problem is a shortage of skilled workers, and it exists throughout the world in a wide variety of industries, information technology, engineering, and even the fast-food industry. This challenge is especially pressing for small to medium sized businesses that need to compete for talent with the big guys but may not have extensive internal resources. So the solution appears to be rewarding talent well.

Paying employees higher-than-average salaries and show them that their exceptional performance is being recognised helps keep talent within organisations. If your employees are getting rewarded for the hard work they are putting into, they will be less likely to leave the company.

A talented employee who is only getting an average salary may leave because they know they are capable of getting a higher offer from another company. By paying higher-than-market salaries, you eliminate that risk.

Flexible Work Arrangements

Flexibility has become a watchword for both employers and employees in today's demanding and fast-changing business environment. Many companies are looking at contingent work arrangements, outsourcing, and offshoring to give them more flexibility in terms of labour costs and fluctuating staffing needs.

Meanwhile, many employees want greater flexibility in terms of where and when they work. Companies are increasingly catching on that flexible work arrangements allow employees more freedom in the office. Part-time work, leaves of absence, flexi-time, job sharing, and telecommuting are the new work buzzwords. What do these terms mean, and can these types of arrangements work?

Some organisations are open evenings and weekends and hire staff to work on a part-time basis to cover operating hours. Part-time staff are generally paid less on a prorated basis than their full-time counterparts and often are not eligible for benefits, such as health insurance and paid leave. Despite these drawbacks, part-time work is highly desirable for many people who do not wish to work full time for their own reasons.

Flexible scheduling or flexi-time usually involves some kind of alternative work schedule that falls outside of core work hours. It may involve longer workdays but fewer days worked per week, or scheduled hours outside of a normal day

workweek. For example, a flexi-time schedule might include more evening or weekend hours with time off during the week.

In recent years, telecommuting has become a viable option for workers. Given technological advances, work normally done in offices can easily be done from home with a PC and Internet access. Tasks that require specialised software can be done if the organisation or individual is willing to purchase the software or licence for a home computer.

Job sharing normally involves two colleagues dividing their responsibilities, workload, workweek, pay and benefits evenly to perform as a single employee. This is probably the most difficult arrangement to negotiate, as there must be two employees at an equal level in rank and pay, who are able to do the same job and have compatible schedules.

Leave of absence is an arrangement where, for a negotiated period of time, usually weeks or months, the employee will not be working at all. Such leave is unpaid. It is quite common in larger organizations and in the public sector and personnel departments generally outline policies and procedures for them.

Retaining Retirees

The first survey on baby boomers in Singapore has shown that just three in 10 expect to retire at 65 years or older. The current retirement age is 62, but new legislation is pushing for Singaporeans to keep working, at least until 65.

Those surveyed were already working or looking for a job and were asked to specify their desired retirement age. The survey was commissioned by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).

Though baby boomers are approaching retirement age, many are continuing to work--both out of desire and necessity. Employers are looking at ways to retain these workers and besides rehiring retirees from other companies in 2009 and several plans to offer incentives for baby boomers to stay on with the company longer.

In difficult economic times, older workers are often among the first to be retrenched. The Singapore government plans to compel firms to re-employ workers aged 62 for another three years. Even before the new legislation comes into place, some companies and unions are already pushing for it to be implemented.

Stephen Lee, president of Singapore National Employers Federation, says: "When you extend employment opportunities to those 62 and above, the workers themselves would like to work in some alternative fashion rather than eight hours a

day, five days a week and companies which can make their employment and work patterns more flexible usually find it easy to engage older workers."

This seems to have been borne out in the MCYS survey of baby boomers that shows that just 36 per cent of them wished to work part-time. Even then, they listed flexible work and similar income as top conditions for post-retirement work.

Interestingly, under new legislation which takes effect in 2012, employers need not employ older workers at the same job or the same pay. Wages would reflect their productivity, as authorities want to encourage companies not to undercut the older workers but pay them what is reasonable in accordance to their productivity as well as their performance. But as with any new law, the devil is in the details. Companies will have to redesign job specifications and operations to fit older workers.

One way to retain potential retirees is to offer incentives. Successful strategies include making workers feel appreciated, offering them a full or gratuity while working part-time, and making seasonal or contract work available. But potential retirees need to know the options available to them well in advance of retirement--up to two years. Diversity Recruitment

Over the next coming years, demographic changes will mean that the workforce is set to become far more diverse, reflecting trends towards an ageing population, greater ethnic diversity, and more women taking up positions in the work force.

Human resource managers will also focus recruitment efforts on employing diverse workers. More companies would be planning to hire women and mature workers in 2009. Much of the argument for diversity-positive recruitment is common sense. After all, it offers an organisation the opportunity to tap all available human resources and maximise their potential.

More Freelance or Contract hiring

To continue their cost-cutting efforts, employers will increase the use of freelance or contract workers to help support their businesses. Twenty-eight percent of hiring managers expect to utilise these workers in 2009.

Freelance workers may be in-between jobs, permanent full-time freelancers, stay-at -home parents looking for flexible work options, or any combination of the three. They usually will work from their own home or office space, but in certain cases can also be onsite.

As many business opportunities grow, firms may want to consider hiring freelancers or other contract alternative workers for projects that don't

require the a full-time employee. This includes long-term projects or a more labour-intensive projects that might last only a few weeks.

Creative fields such as writing, graphic design and Web design are often full of freelance workers, and freelance labour is likewise common in computer programming, consulting, and project administration.

Whether dealing with headcount limitations, budget reductions, fluctuating workloads, or marketplace uncertainty, wellrun companies can turn to freelance help to bridge the gap while analysing the needs for future fulltime employees. Using qualified freelance talent also provides continuity during staff transitions, such as maternity leaves, retirements, and layoffs.

Factoring freelancers into their hiring strategy helps organisations get the benefits of top talent while taking a load off their bottom line. Freelancers cut benefit costs, eliminate administrative costs, and can reduce costly hiring mistakes. Given the rising cost of employee benefits for full-time employees which is currently estimated conservatively at 36 per cent, the hourly cost of freelance help is below that of a full-time worker with comparable skills.

New Recruitment Tools

As companies restrict hiring, recruitment budgets will shrink as well. As a result, more employers will increasingly turn to the Internet as an employment medium. To ensure they are recruiting the right talent, more employers are leveraging the Internet as a vehicle for screening potential employees.

Twenty-three percent of employers say that although their hiring budgets will decrease in 2009, they will spend money on the following staffing vehicles: online recruitment sites (19 per cent); newspaper classifieds (15 per cent); career fairs (12 per cent); staffing firms and recruiters (12 per cent); and social networking sites (7 per cent). For all intents and purposes, the world today operates online. Everything, it seems, has some sort of relationship to the Internet. Sites like Myspace, Facebook, and LinkedIn, have defined the current Generation Y's evolution as the Web 2.0-linked generation.

Several companies are using recruitment pop-ups that apply social networking principles to specific industries. For example, a new site called scopings.com focuses on advancing the online recruiting model to include participation from would-be employees and involves them in a way not done before on recruitment portals Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com.

Green Jobs

Over the next decade, the potential for "green-collar" jobs, which some define as blue-collar work force opportunities created by firms and organisations whose mission is to improve environmental quality, could be very prominent.

This is because many governments are proposing and passing policies and programmes designed to improve environmental quality. These include policies related to zero waste, energy and water conservation, residential solar energy, and more.

Employers have tried to gain traction using environmentally friendly policies for a while and 2009 will be more of the same. In 2008, one-in-ten employers added "green jobs," which are environmentally conscious positions, compared to 13 per cent of employers who plan to add them in 2009.

A post-recession scenario will see a shift in patterns, with companies focussing on ensuring quality rather than quantity in recruitment and a pronounced thrust on the all-round ability of those recruited to deliver. As the global economy recovers, we are going to see companies getting smarter about recruitment," according to Sheeroy, CEO, Aptitude Council (PAC), a leading global network of pre-qualified knowledge workers, who are ranked and differentiated by globally standardised exams.

Focus on technology skills as a hiring criteria would give way to all-round ability to deliver, he said. "We are going to see a big difference in quality and marked changes in recruitment policies of companies," he said.

There is going to be a massive demand for outsourcing and companies would not just leverage the cost ,arbitrage but also look at the quality arbitrage, he noted. The earlier focus on hiring 'larger numbers' would shift to quality,

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