In honor of our 30-year anniversary, staffing professionals at High Profile Staffing have been looking back at how things have changed. We’ve taken a look at the way staffing services have changed the labor force, the way technology has changed the process of matching candidates to companies hiring, and the changes that have occurred in the way that people work.
While the job search process has changed dramatically thanks to technology, there have also been other big changes. Let’s take a look at a few more shifts that have taken place during the three decades that High Profile Staffing has been helping people to find meaningful work.
Top industries have changed
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top industry in Texas in terms of the highest employment in the 1990s was manufacturing. By 2013, the industry with the highest employment in Texas was healthcare and social assistance.
High Profile Staffing places professionals with the top employers in Texas today. We help candidates find administrative work, positions in accounting and finance, and in human resources.
We have worked hard to develop relationships with employers in growing industries, and have spent years connecting with companies throughout Texas.
Shawnda Parker, PHR, a recruiter for High Profile, describes the process of reaching out to new territories to make connections in the days before the internet: “I first reached out to the city and asked for a list of the companies in town. They sent me a spreadsheet with the name/address of the company, their industry, and I believe it even listed the number of employees they had. I then looked up phone numbers and started making calls. I also spent a lot of time driving through my territory and getting out and knocking on doors.”
Business environments have changed
One big change that has taken place is business environments have become much more casual, including those in highly professional fields.
In the 1980s, and even into the 1990s, many companies adhered to traditional dress codes. “Power dressing” became popular for women in the 1980s, which meant suits with big shoulder pads and suits that were tailored to look almost masculine. Men in professional positions were also expected to wear suits and ties to work.
Today, most offices trend towards more business casual, and a requirement for men or women to wear formal dress to work each day exists only in a very small number of industries.
Bronwyn Allen, CEO & President of High Profile, explains the change in workplace fashion, describing trends that have gone away during the 29 years she’s been in the staffing industry. Trends that have gone by the wayside include: “Carrying briefcases, wearing uncomfortable panty hose and carrying bulky day timers, calendar notebooks and a Rolodex. So glad women don’t have to wear dresses every day!”
While a change in work fashion may not seem like a big deal, life is significantly improved when you can be comfortable at work.
The composition of the workforce has changed
In the 1980s, the overall participation rate of women in the workforce had reached 52 percent, up from 38 percent in the 1960s. By 1990, the participation rate of women in the force was up to 58 percent. By 2010, this participation rate was up to 62 percent.
Many women who have joined the workforce have turned to staffing agencies to help them find the temporary or full-time work that fits their needs. In Texas, 44 percent of temporary workers were women in 2015.
The median age of workers has also changed. In the 1980s, the median age of the U.S. population was 34.6. By 2000, the median age of the U.S. population was already up to 39.3. As the population grows older and baby boomers begin to retire, the median age of the labor force is expected to begin decreasing.
When older workers leave the workforce due to retirements and new workers come in, many young people will turn to staffing agencies to find work. In Texas, a full 53 percent of temporary workers are between the ages of 25 and 44. Only 16 percent of temporary workers are 19 to 24, and only 31 percent are between the ages of 45 and 64. High Profile Staffing helps people at all phases of their careers to find work, and it is especially exciting to help young people discover what they most like to do.
High Profile Staffing has kept pace with all of the shifts in the staffing industry because our recruiters and staffing professionals truly care. We want to help people to find meaningful work and we hope to continue to expand and grow. Our clients and the companies who trust us to help them find candidates are, and always have been, the reason for our efforts, and we will keep serving those who count on us for many decades to come.
Read Part I of How Staffing Has Changed in 30 Years here.
