Nearshoring will generate a talent deficit of more than 71% in the next three years, in middle management alone, according to estimates by D&M Abogados. The Firm estimates that by 2027, the investments deriving from the relocation of companies will create 1.1 million additional jobs, 18% of which will be in area supervisory positions and there will be a shortage of talent to fill them.
“If we do not promote more women pursuing technical careers, the problem will be a shortage of talent. We will not be even able to recruit anyone to breathe and walk because we will have a greater deficit”, warned Blanya Correal, Senior Director of Labor Strategy at D&M, during her participation in the Human Resources Summit 2024 of the Franco-Mexican Chamber of Commerce and Innovation.
Faced with this scenario, the specialist emphasized that companies need to consider strategies such as boomerang talent and investment in development plans to prepare today’s Human Capital for the transition into new jobs. “There will be no other way to fill these positions.”
Antonio Ricote, Vice-president of Sales at InfoBlock, pointed out that the world of employment is undergoing a significant transformation. “We have to be aware that we are entering into a new era of labor relations. The whole production scheme is changing (…) and it will obviously affect the labor market; there is a continued increase in the demand of more specialized people.”
The talent shortage is one of the current gaps in the areas of Human Resources and in companies in general. That was one of the points of agreement among the specialists attending the forum. But, in the midst of this context, union activity is positioned as another challenge, Blanya Correal pointed out.
In the last year, the number of applications for Certificates of Representativeness, a document that is necessary for negotiating collective bargaining agreements, grew 37% according to data from the Federal Center for Conciliation and Labor Registration (CFCRL). “The data in itself is not the only thing that is interesting, what is impressive is the growth of the number of unions that are looking for someone to marry”, the specialist said.
Why is this a challenge? According to Blanya Correal, the increase in applications for certificates of representativeness before the CFCRL has grown in tandem with labor conflicts. “In 2024, the number of calls to strike tripled in the month of January alone. If there has ever been a fun time to work in Human Resources, it is now. We have workers with higher expectations and more options.”
For Aldo Achar, director of Human Capital and Labor Relations at Nacional Monte de Piedad, “today there is more sensitivity and higher expectations.” The speed with which workers want changes to be made and the power that they have to remove union leaders puts pressure on union organizations to fulfill all the promises that were made and to “pinch the wallet” in order to avoid being removed.
“Union reconfiguration leads (unions) to be more aggressive and to make other types of promises, to push in other ways. And therefore, today more than ever, middle management becomes a key part in maintaining good communication with the workers and preventing their being influenced and, most importantly, ensure that workers feel appreciated by the company”, the director added.
What about talent management?
In this context, Antonio Ricote explained that companies have an area of opportunity in talent management. Data provided by Gallup shows that only 23% of workers feel committed to their jobs, which is a reflection of inadequate people management.
“We are managing people poorly, we are not providing a proper work experience. In this world in which we have to continuously adapt, we have to be more flexible and resilient; many companies are not being capable of adapting to this”, he criticized.
Additionally, the specialist added, operational personnel has been left out of the labor flexibility wave. “We are not realizing that the highest turnover and where the majority of the population is located is on the floor, in operations, at the plants, at the branches, which is where we need to start providing other alternatives. The 40 hour work week is currently under discussion, and it is something that will be implemented sooner or later.”
Companies, however, are stuck in a focus on costs in face of changes in employment models such as the shorter work week. “What they do not do is to look inside organizations and see that we are managing workdays in an inefficient manner. We have to focus on that”, said Antonio Ricote.
