C OVID-19 put a freeze on just about everything; events, graduations, dining-in, and hiring were all halted in the wake of the global pandemic. Many companies pumped the breaks on opening new positions and even pushed back start dates for already confirmed hires. Now that the state is opening back up and companies are adjusting their forecasts for 2020, questions about hiring outlooks still remain.
Hello West Michigan has been helping companies attract talent to the region for 10 years. Born during a time of similar economic circumstance—when unemployment was low in 2007 and suddenly high during the recession of 2008. The founders of Hello West Michigan knew that having resources for talent attraction was still important, even during a time of high unemployment. Companies need resources to support relocating candidates, including area information, marketing pieces, housing resources and connection opportunities for significant others. Hello West Michigan offers all of those resources and more. Since 2010, when Hello West Michigan was officially launched, the Grand Rapids MSA has added 31,000 in-migrants, or relocations, from outside of West Michigan. This has accounted for 39% of the area’s population growth from 2010 – 2018.* When compared to the state as a whole, Ottawa and Kent Counties have the fastest growing populations in Michigan, with 11% and 9% growth from 2010 – 2019.* Hello West Michigan has supported the region’s growth during times of both economic recovery and expansion. Regardless of what the coming months bring, Hello West Michigan will continue to be a resource for employers as they evaluate and refocus their talent attraction efforts. Some big-name companies, like Twitter, have announced they will not be returning to their offices at all. Workers will be able to retain their jobs while having the freedom to live anywhere. This could make talent attraction easier for them long-term because workers will not have the barrier of relocating to a city with a high cost of living. For companies in West Michigan with positions that cannot be done remotely, especially for extended periods of time, tapping into out-of-state talent for remote work will not be an option. This makes it increasingly important to promote the West Michigan community as a great place to live, with companies that are great places to work. Moving forward, recruiters must have the tools to sell the position, company, and the community. For more information about Hello West Michigan and its resources, visit hellowestmichigan.com/about or contact Rachel Gray at, grayr@hellowestmichigan.com , or 616.771.0354 .
West Michigan companies may be hiring less people after the economic shutdown caused by COVID-19, but hiring the right people is just as important as ever. It is critical that companies dedicate time to refocus their talent attraction strategies for the months, and maybe even years, to come. Although local talent is more readily available because of the increased unemployment rate, companies still need to find candidates with the right mix of skills. For circumstances where there is an immediate need, there may not be time to depend on reskilling programs. If qualified candidates are not available in West Michigan, companies must attract them from outside of the area. Relocation may seem like a loaded proposition in the middle of a pandemic, but there is a group of people more likely to be motivated to move to West Michigan: boomerangs. People who grew up in West Michigan or attended college here are more likely to have non-career reasons for wanting to relocate to the region. Whether it’s to be closer to family, buy a home, or make their vacation home a permanent residence, boomerang talent that is motivated to relocate to West Michigan may also be willing to do so without a relocation package.
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TALENT ATTRACTION POST COVID-19
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