Workforce Shortage: How Can Technology Help?

Updated on April 26, 2023

Scores of organizations are seeing their ambitions hampered by the labour shortage. For many of them, technology could save the day.

While hiring immigrant workers and rethinking business models may partially address this shortage issue, technology should also be considered as a way to successfully deal with it.

What are the benefits of a digital transformation in a labor shortage environment? Here are some of them:

Automate tasks and robotize administrative processes

Actually, many organizations are forced to curtail their activities due to a severe lack of available workers.

Some sectors have even experienced a significant increase in demand, but organizations are struggling to capitalize on opportunities or sustain growth.

However, automating certain tasks could free up resources to use their skills elsewhere in an enhanced role.

This can include automating certain production steps, such as a specialized packaging machine that improves order processing time, or automated robots that can transport materials or meal trays or make it easier to weed farmland.

Options also include robotic process automation (RPA), which reduces the risk of errors, saves time and increases the efficiency of your activities in addition to creating a more motivating environment for your employees.

Fostering mobility and communication

Worker habits have changed, and people want to continue to enjoy the benefits of teleworking and mobility. In order to retain and attract talent, your organization has to build flexibility into the way it operates and optimize its workers’ quality of life.

This type of flexibility and the widespread use of hybrid work model require a high-performance infrastructure and technological tools that allow managers and teams to perform their duties remotely, efficiently and securely. These tools must also make communication easier and promote teamwork.

In addition, the right tools help extend the hiring boundaries by facilitating cross-border recruitment.

Being more appealing to talent

Technology in an integral part of the daily life of the latest generation of employees. Tools that meet their requirements for mobility, security, communication and collaboration are among the strengths that will make your organization more attractive.

Employees expect flexibility to improve their quality of life, but they also want to work safely and efficiently. Your ability to hire may be impaired if your technology in not up to par and prevents your talent from taking action and implementing their initiatives.

Ongoing employee training

Digital and technological progress is not static. In order to continue to evolve and remain competitive, you may need to adapt your organization’s culture to be open to innovation and foster the continuous improvement of your practices.

This requires a business strategy that includes a change management process and access to continuous training to optimize the use of technology and properly approach the transformation and how it will impact your teams.

In general, organizations are increasingly involved in updating knowledge and transferring skills. The market is evolving at a rapid pace and it is always more profitable to mobilize existing teams rather than continuously recruit.

It is to your advantage to train employees who are already familiar with your organization to adapt their skills to the changing needs. Perfecting your digital tools can contribute to a successful outcome, especially with:

• Predictive training according to different fields of interest;
• Integrated documentation to make it easier to access procedures;
• Augmented reality to maximize technical training.