Now that you’ve got your local operations running smoothly, it’s time to consider folding in other regions worldwide. But doing so takes careful planning and considerations. You can’t just take your current program policies and apply them to other national jurisdictions. So where do you start?

First, look at your company’s long-term product strategy with key executives, those who are integral in the planning of human capital allocation. That is one of the first indicators of what will get your program “on the road” so to speak. There are some resources you should have at your fingertips when making the decision whether to go global with your CW program, whether it be big or in increments.  One way to start is to define your plan for global expansion using the Global Readiness Indicator.

This tool provides talent solutions buyers and providers directional guidance and support to evaluate global strategies and general global employment conditions and considerations. It poses questions to gauge readiness in four key areas: business case, change management, current program state, and compliance and governance. It can provide answers to the key questions you need to ask before you even start.

Another way to approach global CW expansion strategically is to look at our report on the Most Complex Contingent Markets Globally 2016  See where (in advance) the market will prove more challenging. SIA research has developed our own methodology for evaluating the complexity of each contingent market using a mixture of our own and third-party sources. Contingent markets have been ranked according to 11 different components: staffing market maturity, temporary agency work regulations, independent contractor usage, MSP/VMS maturity, labor market efficiency, employment regulations rigidity, trade union influence, enforcing contracts, pricing environment, political stability, and higher education and training.

Dipping Your Toes

The easiest way to get started is to pick the least complex location when going global with your CW program. The United Kingdom is the least complex contingent labor market outside the US, followed by other English-speaking markets. Far Eastern markets that adopt a more Anglo-Saxon business environment are also in the mix. Of course, the order changes ongoing as some countries become less complex while others see their degree of complexity increase. The Market Complexity Assessment Tool (MACAT) allows users to conduct their own assessment based on the indicators that they perceive as more relevant to their business case.

It’s important to remember that the average share of workers in a company who are contingent has been fairly consistent over the past few years, at 18% among respondents to our buyer surveys. Almost half of the buyers in this year’s survey expected their contingent share to grow over the next two years, with the median buyer expecting his company’s contingent share to rise to 20% of its total workforce in 10 years. Last year, in our Global Contingent Market Estimate, Staffing Industry Analysts estimated the global contingent market was worth $3,085 billion in 2013. What will your company spend on contingent labor globally in the future and where? Use the best tools in the business to decide where in the world your CW program will go and how.

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