How the global economy is forced to do a rejig on all fronts

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has left a trail of devastation and destruction along the slender economic fiber that connects every aspect of our lives, cutting cultural links and erecting geographical boundaries. The health crisis has morphed into a global economic crisis, putting at risk the survival, jobs and incomes of millions of people around the world.

That said, businesses and human resources departments are also having to deal with uncertainties in their hiring decisions. Unable to predict when the next crisis will hit, they have been struggling to manage their workforces in a constantly changing market.

Kensy Sy, general manager of the China operations at Alexander Mann Solutions, a global total workforce solutions firm, tells me that to attract the right talent with the skills needed during and after a crisis, organizations must revisit their workforce strategies. Human resource teams need to have considerable dexterity in redeploying, reskilling and upskilling talent to fill gaps as they arise, he says.